Five Talking Points from Stoke City's 2-1 win over Manchester United

It was a battle at the Britannia

With the wind making it difficult for players to find each other with precision, the game was certainly not of the highest quality. It was certainly blood and thunder football at the Britannia, with the wind forcing the players to rush into their passes and tackles. There were four injuries in all, two for each side. And whilst it could easily be brushed aside as a fluke, the truth was that, the wind made it difficult to judge long balls. Whilst that only directly contributed to one of the injuries, it certainly put some doubt onto the players’ minds and made playing passing football, a difficult task indeed.

Manchester United can’t do it on a windy weekend at Stoke

The cliché that you were only good enough if you could beat stoke on a windy Wednesday night was used to death during the tiki-taka heydays. But, it looks as though, United still can’t do it. Profligate finishing and some terrible defending were the main reasons for the eighth defeat of the season for Moyes. With every passing Evra is looking like he is past and that Moyes should have gone for Luke Shaw sooner. Cleverley in the middle is looking as useful as a sack of spuds. And, up front, with van Persie just making his way back and Rooney forced to play in midfield, they lacked a finisher and that came back to bite them in the end. It certainly looks like it is one step forward and two steps back for Moyes and Manchester United.

Carrick proves his worth yet again

Whenever Carrick has been injured, United sorely missed him in the center of the park, patrolling the midfield. At Stoke, he was back and continued to conduct the orchestra with great aplomb. He showed just why he is regarded as one of the finest passers in the world. But on 40 minutes, an injury to Jones meant that the Englishman had to slot it at center half, a position he has reluctantly played on many occasions. He then went onto display a commanding display in the center of defense and was arguably the best defender on the pitch. Playing alongside Smalling and Evra, who both had an off day, Carrick ensured that the score was just 2-1. And although he was at fault for Stoke’s first goal, he redeemed himself by playing a vital part in United’s equalizer. By the end of the game, he was United’s Man of the Match and looked like the only player capable of pulling things back.

Injuries heap more misery on Man United’s defense

Before the game against stoke City, United had already changed their center half pairing 24 times this season. And, by the end of the game, the number was 26, thanks to injuries to Jonny Evans and Phil Jones. All of which meant that United’s hope of maintaining some stability at the back was thrown out of the window once again. Injuries and suspensions have wreaked havoc Moyes’s plans of playing a consistent center half pairing throughout the season. With players crowding the treatment table like a swarm of bees to honey, it has certainly made things difficult for Moyes. The Scot must be hoping to get one of the injured duo back very soon, as his side face some crucial clashes in the near future.

Adams looks hungry for more

It is no lie that Charlie Adam hasn’t been as fit as he is right now, in a very long time. That certainly showed against Manchester United, as he scored a brace to seal all three points for Stoke, as they recorded their first win over the Red Devils at home in almost three decades. Adam was certainly in the center of everything good about Stoke and was unlucky not have scored a hat-trick. Not only did he attack, he kept his defensive shape and showed a willingness to close balls down and work for the team. All of which certainly bodes for Mark Hughes and Stoke City, who climbed out of the relegation zone with that win.