'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The giant-killers of last season have returned to the Premier League in true giant-killing fashion, leaving only Arsenal and Liverpool with two wins from two games at the end of the second game week.
The first half was all Manchester United, punctuated by a sharp goal from their new No. 9 Anthony Martial. But the second half was the home team the entire way, culminating in a picturesque Ruben Neves goal that punctured United hearts.
If that was not enough entertainment for the night, Rui Patricio dived the right direction to deny Paul Pogba his penalty, and United their three points.
Trending
As always, there were a few key individual battles that went a long way in deciding the course of the contest. Here's a look at 3 of them:
#1 Ruben Neves vs Paul Pogba
In the battle of the quarterbacks, there is no doubt who came up trumps. While one scored a crucial goal - we'll get to the beauty part shortly - and earned his side an important point, the other flunked a crucial penalty that would have secured his side two more points.
Other than the penalty though, there was not much that the Frenchman did wrong tonight. In fact, it was him who won the penalty in the first place, showing great strength and poise in the box to force the block from the defender. But the resulting spot kick was a weak one to his left.
Pogba showed great strength in the air as well. His three aerial duels won and passing accuracy of 84% percentage would have been key talking points any other night.
Neves, on the other hand, was every bit the Neves we saw last year in the Premier League and before that in the Championship. He fought for every bit of the ball, not afraid to get his hands dirty when the ball came anywhere near him. He put in two tackles and got a yellow card handed to him; not that it bothered him in the least.
But the goal was where the contest well and truly changed. Considering Neves' penchant for taking shots from outside the box, one could argue that the United defence should have closed him down soon.
However, when your goalkeeper - one of the best in the world - puts in a full stretch dive and still cannot stop the ball from grazing the bottom of the crossbar and going into the net, all you can do is sit back and watch the genius in front of you.
#2 Adama Traore vs Luke Shaw
It is not every day that a forced substitution turns out to be a masterstroke. Today happened to be one of those rare occasions, and Nuno has to thank his stars for Matt Doherty's inability to continue in the second half.
Anyone who watched Adama Traore last season will tell you just how frustrating the experience was. He seemed all legs and no brains, a winger capable of running full steam ahead at charging defenders, without any realization that the purpose of the game is to keep the ball at his feet and do stuff with it.
Tonight, however, was an entirely different Traore. The summer seems to have done wonders for him; he is not the wispy winger any more, but a genuine threat in the final third.
Traore ran with the ball as he usually does, but that was not all. He crossed with surprising accuracy, pirouetted around hapless defenders and ended the night with 3 dribbles to his name despite playing only 45 minutes.
Luke Shaw was the one who bore the brunt. While the first half didn't cause him much trouble, the introduction of Traore's speed did pose problems. Shaw held his own admirably most times, doing his best not to take Traore on one-on-one but trying to take advantage with his positioning.
In the end, Shaw could have turned hero for his side, his final kick of the match taking a slight deflection and going safely into Patricio's arms. But that was always asking too much of him. Defensively, Shaw won four aerials for United, and put in two vital tackles and one interception, but was also dribbled past twice.
#3 Anthony Martial vs Raul Jimenez
This might be bit of a controversial take, but I believe that despite Anthony Martial's goal, it was Jimenez who had more impact on the game. Hear me out.
Yes, Martial's goal was as clinical as they come - a one-time finish at the end of a beautiful passage of play - and the No. 9 is Martial's natural position. And yes, Marcus Rashford's lethargic second half performance made Martial's effect on the game weaker.
Whenever a mid-table team takes on a significantly better equipped opponents, the strikers play the most important role. They are definitely going to get fewer chances than their counterparts, and it is all the more important that they do it better than them. A single goal can make all the difference.
We have seen it with Leicester City's Jamie Vardy in the past. We see it with Zaha. We see it with Ashley Barnes.
In the Wolves lineup, Jimenez is valuable commodity. Although he did not score tonight - coming agonizingly close with the woodwork - he provided everything else. By everything else, I mean everything else.
He defended hard, and acted as the target man upfront to hold the ball while the rest of his midfield took their positions alongside him. He was a constant pain in the necks of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, meaning they couldn't move to the wings to help out against Diogo Jota and Jonny.
Both the strikers notched up four dribbles to their name and were similar in almost all statistics except when it came to ball retention: Martial was dispossessed four times through the game, but Jimenez was dispossessed just once. Therein lies the difference.
