Why Manchester United's French Connection is Central to Success

Yesterday's 2-1 victory over Everton at Old Trafford saw Manchester United leapfrog their opponents to sit 8th in the Premier League standings. Their two goalscorers in the crucial win were Frenchmen, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial.

From the outset, the two players were instrumental in terrorising Everton with their energy and dynamism.

Martial, again favoured in his preferred wide left role was a constant menace to Everton's backline and it was he who was responsible for earning the penalty that led to United taking a deserved 1-0 lead.

Latching on to Pogba's through ball, Martial was brought down in the box by Everton's Idrissa Gueye.

It was his fellow Frenchman, Pogba who stepped up to take the penalty and although his effort was well saved by Everton and England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, Pogba followed up with a rebound to give United the lead.

Martial, not to be overshadowed, latched on to a beautiful lay off from Pogba, almost immediately after the halftime break, just outside the box and curled in a sweet finish to make the score 2-0. It was a beautiful first-time shot, reminiscent of his effort versus Chelsea last week which displayed a continued clinical eye for goal which currently fellow forwards, Marcus Rashford and the benched Romelu Lukaku lack.

Manchester United v Everton FC - Premier League

Martial deservedly scooped "Man of the Match" honours for his energetic display and has looked a different player under United boss, Jose Mourinho since he returned to the starting line-up.

For a man whom Mourinho was willing to sell during the summer; this is a stunning turnaround. Martial now has four goals in his last three league games and is the fourth best performer in this season's Premier League goals per minute ratio behind only Sergio Aguero, Patrick Aubameyang and Eden Hazard. Considering Martial plays out wide while those above play centrally is a testament to how impressive a stat that is.

His performance wasn't without it's flaws. Martial had the opportunity at the death to kill off the game when he ran through one on one with Pickford but took too long to pick his spot and saw his effort saved. Even after the final whistle, Martial had his head in his hands regarding that miss. Despite his impressive performance, he still demanded better from himself. That is a mentality that should serve him and United well going forward.

For his part, Pogba again pulled most of the strings for United and built up an intuitive relationship with his fellow Frenchman down the left. However, his performance was also not without it's flaws. He took over 20 steps in his penalty run-up which only served to assist Pickford in saving his initial effort and his showboating in the middle of the park led to Everton's goal which made for a nervy final 20 minutes.

What was positive about those errors though is that Pogba held his hands up to both in his post-match interview: "I was lucky" he stated regarding his penalty kick, "maybe they know how I take penalties. Maybe I should practice to change it."

That demonstrates a self-awareness that was not there at the start of the season and the fact that he was backed by his manager post-match speaks volumes. It wasn't long ago that player and manager were publicly criticising each other. Thankfully, it seems as if that rift has finally been put to bed.

Mourinho was also gushing in his praise of Martial. Of his left winger he said: "At the moment he is playing well, and even if he doesn't score, his performance is a solid performance. I am very happy with Anthony."

This newfound harmony between Mourinho and his players looks certain to benefit United as the 2018-19 season marches forward.

It is his French connection of world-class superstars that were integral to the club's success versus Everton and can be in the future too. If Mourinho trusts Pogba and Martial then the young Frenchmen will continue to repay the faith.