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Daley Blind earns Manchester United point with late goal at WBA Daley Blind earns Manchester United point with late goal at WBA
(about 2 hours later)
There was a touch of the old Manchester United about their ability to score late on and salvage something from a game that had looked to be slipping through their fingers but this still seemed like another unsatisfactory result for Louis van Gaal and his players. There was a touch of the old Manchester United about their ability to score late on and salvage something from a thrilling game that had looked to be slipping through their fingers, yet it was hard to escape the feeling that this was another unsatisfactory evening for Louis van Gaal and his players.
Daley Blind’s beautifully placed shot three minutes from time, after Saido Berahino had looked to have scored the winning goal against United for the second season running, earned the visitors a point but left them still searching for their first away win under Van Gaal. For the first time in 18 years United have gone six Premier League games without winning on their travels. United provided evidence of their powers of recovery by twice coming from behind to peg back a courageous Albion team but, once again, it was impossible to ignore their weaknesses in defence. The broader picture shows that they have only one point more on the board than they did at the same stage last season, by which point David Moyes had come up against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
For United, who have a tough run of games to come – they face Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in three of their next four fixtures – there was at least the sight of Marouanne Fellaini scoring his first goal for the club in 24 appearances. Long overdue but a wonderful strike. The same could be said for the way Stéphane Sesseègnon put Albion in front in an absorbing game. Van Gaal, in contrast, could hardly have wished for a more benign start to the season. The serious business is about to begin. United face Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in three of their next four games and there will need to be a major improvement in their defending if they are to come through that run unscathed.
For Albion, the evening had got off to the best possible start. Already looking bright in the frenetic early stages, the home team took the lead in the eighth minute through a strike of sublime quality. From United’s point of view it was a desperately poor goal to concede and raised questions about the defensive limitations of the Luke Shaw-Angel Di María axis on the left flank. Van Gaal has yet to win away from home – for the first time in 18 years United have gone six Premier League games without a victory on their travels – and with all due respect to their opponents on the road so far, MK Dons, Burnley, Sunderland, Leicester and West Bromwich Albion, they are not exactly world-beaters.
There appeared little danger when Boaz Myhill, making a rare appearance after Ben Foster injured his calf in training in the lead-up to the game, hurriedly cleared up field. But Graham Dorrans, getting in front of Shaw who had gone tight on him, deliciously flicked the ball around the corner to release the marauding Andre Wisdom. The bottom line is that United look vulnerable at the back and until Van Gaal addresses their shortcomings in that department teams such as West Bromwich will fancy their chances. The opening goal was a case in point, as Albion exploited the space that opened up behind Luke Shaw and took the lead through a wonderful goal from Stéphane Sessègnon. As for Albion’s second goal, Rafael da Silva played Saido Berahino onside and the Albion striker strengthened his case for a full England call-up with a composed finish that took his tally for the season to an impressive seven.
With Di María caught up field and Shaw now out of the game, the space opened up invitingly for Wisdom to break forward on the Albion right. The full-back made some ground before looking up and sliding a low centre perfectly into the path of Sessègnon, who did not break stride before sweeping a sumptuous first-time shot from the edge of the penalty area beyond David de Gea and into the top corner. It was a glorious goal and immediately put United on the back foot. In between those two fine Albion goals, Marouane Fellaini opened his United account with another goal of the highest quality. On for Ander Herrera at the interval, the Belgian made an impact within three minutes when he thundered an unstoppable shot inside Boaz Myhill’s near post and into the top corner. Long overdue – this was Fellaini’s 24th appearance for United – but it was not a bad way to get off the mark. United were buoyant at that stage but Berahino’s breakaway goal turned the game on its head again.
United huffed and puffed for the remainder of the first half, enjoying the majority of the possession but unable to force their way back into the game. Robin van Persie, set up by Di María’s lovely pass, shot straight at Myhill two minutes after Sessègnon’s goal and the Dutchman went close again later in the half, when he picked Joleon Lescott’s pocket. Cutting back on to that favoured left foot and little more than eight yards out, Van Persie saw his low shot blocked by Craig Dawson. Van Gaal introduced Radamel Falcao, who had started on the bench because he was suffering from jet leg after returning from playing for Colombia in Canada on Friday, and United cranked up the pressure. A penalty appeal was turned down when Sébastien Pocognoli unwittingly handled, and Robin van Persie hit an upright before Daley Blind, with a beautifully placed shot from 20 yards, hauled United level.
United, for whom Adnan Januzaj was making his first start under Van Gaal, continued to probe but that ruthless touch in front of goal was missing. A floated pass from Daley Blind in the 19th minute exposed Dawson’s poor positioning and picked out Di María’s run in behind. The Argentinian controlled the ball beautifully but his shot lacked conviction and was comfortably saved. It was no more than United deserved on the balance of play – they enjoyed 63% of possession and had 22 shots to Albion’s eight – but it was also easy to understand why Alan Irvine’s players looked so crestfallen at the final whistle. They were dangerous on the counter-attack, worked tirelessly, defended resolutely and had come agonisingly close to picking up a famous victory.
When Di María did generate some power with his left foot, after being teed up by Van Persie later in the first half, his angled drive was straight down Myhill’s throat. The evening could not have got off to a better start for the home team. There appeared little danger when Myhill, making a rare appearance after Ben Foster injured a calf in training, hurriedly cleared upfield, but Graham Dorrans, getting in front of Shaw, deliciously flicked the ball round the corner to release the marauding Andre Wisdom.
Albion, in fairness, were not content to sit on their advantage and carried a genuine threat on the counter-attack against a United defence that looked vulnerable. Another raid down the United left ended with Dorrans delivering a superb cross that Saido Berahino, stretching every sinew, was desperately close to getting a touch to on the edge of the United six-yard box. With Angel Di María caught upfield and Shaw now out of the game, Wisdom was free to break forward on the Albion right and slide a low centre perfectly into the path of Sessègnon, who did not break stride before sweeping a sumptuous first-time shot from the edge of the area into the top corner.
Van Gaal wasted no time in making a change, replacing Ander Herrera with Fellaini at the interval, and was quickly rewarded. The Belgian had been on the pitch for less than three minutes when he levelled things up with another superb goal. Di María’s inswinging floated cross from the right looked no more than hopeful but Fellaini, after slightly nudging Lescott, took the ball down on his chest. He took one more touch to create the angle to shoot and then wrapped his foot around the ball to hammer a rising 18-yard drive inside the near post and into the top corner. United huffed and puffed for the remainder of the first half but the killer touch in front of goal was missing. Van Persie, set up by Di María’s lovely pass, shot straight at Myhill two minutes after Sessègnon’s goal and the Dutchman went close again later in the half, when he picked Joleon Lescott’s pocket and saw his shot blocked by Craig Dawson.
Not a bad way to open your account and clearly not what one of Albion’s media staff had in mind. “Fellaini has now taken his tracksuit off, fortunately he has a Man Utd strip underneath,” was the tweet that was posted on their official Twitter account moments beforehand. Van Gaal made a change at the interval and was quickly rewarded. Di María’s floated cross from the right looked no more than hopeful but Fellaini, after nudging Lescott, took the ball down on his chest, shifted it out of his feet and thumped a rising 18-yard drive that flashed past Myhill and tore into the net.
United were buoyant, cranking up the pressure on Albion and sensing blood. Wisdom was in the right place at the right time to clear Rafael da Silva’s low cross as the visitors poured forward. Yet it was Albion who struck again, after more poor United defending. Running onto Chris Brunt’s threaded pass, after being played onside by Da Silva, Berahino sprinted clear and showed no little composure to calmly steer a right-footed shot beyond De Gea and into the far corner. It was clearly not what one of Albion’s media staff had in mind. “Fellaini has now taken his tracksuit off, fortunately he has a Man Utd strip underneath,” was the message posted on their official Twitter account moments before the Belgian came on for Herrera. An hour after the game it had been retweeted more than 17,000 times.
United’s frustration was building. Their appeals for a penalty were turned down, when Sébastien Pocognoli unwittingly handled following a challenge with Januzaj. Van Gaal threw on Radamel Falcao, who started on the bench because he was suffering from jet lag, and moments later Van Persie volleyed against the upright. Finally, Blind brought parity with a lovely left-footed shot from 18 yards. United were starting to turn the screw but they contrived to concede a second when Berahino, running on to Chris Brunt’s threaded pass, sprinted clear and calmly beat David de Gea.
Falcao replaced the ineffective Juan Mata and Ashley Young came on for Di María as United became increasingly desperate. Blind, however, looked the coolest player on the pitch when he stroked a left-foot shot into the net towards the end of a pulsating match.