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Manchester United stun City to heap pressure on Manuel Pellegrini Manchester United stun City to heap pressure on Manuel Pellegrini
(about 2 hours later)
These are the moments when it is starting to feel like English football might be getting the old Manchester United back. They have taken their time and there are still imperfections but, finally, they are operating with the dynamism and sense of adventure that is supposed to be mandatory for any set of players who pull on their colours. These are the moments when it seems like English football is getting the old Manchester United back. They have taken their time and there are still imperfections but, finally, they are operating with the dynamism, the exhilaration and sense of adventure that is supposed to be mandatory for any set of players who pull on their colours.
Louis van Gaal’s team showed enough superiority here that by the end it was impossible not to think Manuel Pellegrini’s position at Manchester City had been weakened to the point where the damage might be irretrievable. They played in a way that had Louis van Gaal announcing it was time for supporters to “go on the streets and hold their heads up” and they won with so much to spare it was difficult not to think Manuel Pellegrini’s position at Manchester City might have strayed dangerously close to irretrievable. This was City’s sixth defeat in eight matches and their manager increasingly sounds lost about what has gone wrong.
This was City’s sixth defeat in eight matches and their worst run under Pellegrini now stretches to four victories in 15 games. Nobody said it would be easy getting to the top of their sport and staying there but the owners are entitled to expect better, approaching seven years since the money started pouring in from Abu Dhabi, than being thrashed by the team they had made a habit of beating. Nobody said it would be easy getting to the top of their sport, and staying there, but we are coming up for seven years since the money started pouring in from Abu Dhabi and City’s owners are entitled to expect better than four wins in 15 games.
The potential ramifications for Pellegrini are obvious and United were ruthless in exposing his team’s flaws once they had shaken off the early setback of Sergio Agüero giving City a seventh-minute lead. Ángel Di María and Radamel Falcao, the two players who were supposed to spearhead Van Gaal’s first season in charge, did not even get on to the pitch until the score was 4-1. Yet Van Gaal always did say that the structure of the team was more important than grade-A players. Now we are seeing the hard evidence. The plodding football we saw earlier in the season is starting to seem like a trick of the imagination. The potential ramifications for Pellegrini are obvious but the real story here was of the re-emergence of one of the great forces. United were ruthless once they had shaken off the jolt of Sergio Agüero’s early goal. The plodding football we saw earlier in the season has been replaced by the old, thrilling excitement and the volume was turned high. Old Trafford, for the first time in a long time, seemed like a contented place.
Who could have thought, for example, that Ashley Young would hold this kind of influence when the superstars started arriving last summer? Young was once in danger of being the player the Old Trafford crowd disliked the most. He is now playing with enough distinction that the watching England manager, Roy Hodgson, must be considering a recall. Young started United’s recovery here with the equalising goal and his new confidence could be measured in that moment before helping Marouane Fellaini to make it 2-1 when he bamboozled Pablo Zabaleta with a back-heeled nutmeg. Ángel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, the two players who were supposed to spearhead Van Gaal’s first season in charge, did not even set foot on the pitch until it was 4-1. Yet Van Gaal always did say the team’s structure was more important to him than selecting players based purely on their reputations and, slowly but surely, we are seeing the evidence.
Juan Mata was superb again, particularly when it came to his triangular passing on the right with Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia. Wayne Rooney was indefatigable in attack and Fellaini was hugely effective. They also showed great competitive courage bearing in mind the way City set off like a team in a hurry. Who could have thought, for example, that one of the forgotten men, Ashley Young, would hold this kind of influence when the superstars started arriving? Or that the coach who once led a brilliant, slick Ajax side to the European Cup would ever laud Marouane Fellaini’s ability to “play the ball to the same colour [shirt] every time”? Young and Fellaini have taken turns as the two players United’s crowd disliked the most. Yet Fellaini is now being acclaimed in a way that was once implausible while Young is playing with enough distinction that the watching England manager, Roy Hodgson, must be considering a recall.
Jesús Navas really ought to have scored inside the first five minutes after racing clear on to Martín Demichelis’s ball. David de Gea was quickly off his goalline to block with his feet but United looked jumpy and Agüero’s goal was a collective failure on their part. The move began with Gaël Clichy, advancing from his left-back position, drifting between a couple of half-hearted challenges. James Milner’s clever pass played Silva inside and, again, the defending was far too generous. Silva simply put his foot on the ball, waited for Agüero to dart forward and picked out his team-mate like a force of habit. It was Agüero’s first goal since 24 February. Young started United’s recovery with their equaliser and his confidence could be measured in the moment when he subjected Pablo Zabaleta to a back-heeled nutmeg, shortly before setting up Fellaini to score the second.
The problem for City was the game did not stop there. Zabaleta was also partly to blame for the second goal and Demichelis will not want to see replays of Mata making it 3-1 or Smalling heading in United’s fourth. David Silva was a constant menace and Agüero showed his threat again late on when he turned in Zabaleta’s cross to complete the scoring but City have regressed badly from that point on New Year’s Day when they were joint top with Chelsea. There was also more evidence of Vincent Kompany’s recurring injury issues. He did not last beyond half-time because of his hamstring troubles. Elsewhere, Juan Mata was wonderful again, particularly when it came to those triangular passing moves with Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia. All of these players have suffered at times during some of the more difficult periods at Old Trafford, post-Ferguson; all have been coaxed out of it.
The game started lurching in United’s favour after 14 minutes when De Gea aimed a long clearance over to the left where Fellaini and Herrera had doubled up on Zabaleta. City were vulnerable as soon as Zabaleta lost his balance. Young had gambled with a run to the near post and, though Demichelis had followed his run and was first to the cross, the ball was not cleared, spinning upwards and coming down for United’s left-winger to hook an improvised shot into the exposed net. More than that, this victory was also a demonstration of competitive courage bearing in mind the way the game started. City set off like a team in a hurry and Jesús Navas really ought to have scored even before James Milner and David Silva took advantage of slack marking to set up Agüero for the opening goal.
City, and Silva in particular, continued to move the ball at a speed that frequently troubled their opponents but they also had a raw edge. After 27 minutes, Young subjected Zabaleta to the reverse nutmeg then took the ball back from Daley Blind. Fellaini had made his way around to the far post and had several inches on Clichy, with a run to get even more leverage and score with his header. The problem for City was that the final whistle was still 82 minutes away. Zabaleta was at fault for United’s first two goals. Later, it was Martín Demichelis’s turn when Mata made it 3-1 and Chris Smalling headed in the fourth. David Silva was a frequent menace and at least Agüero is scoring again, adding a second late on for his first goals since 24 February.
City had legitimate complaints that Fellaini was fractionally offside, even if it was by merely a tuft of that hairdo, and more grievances about Mata’s starting position when Rooney played him in for his goal midway through the second half. Yet Pellegrini’s complaints should start with his team’s defending. Demichelis had lost the ball to Fellaini for Mata’s goal and did not follow Smalling’s run when the defender headed in Young’s cross to beat Joe Hart again. United were rampant at that stage and Agüero’s second goal came almost in slow motion, with barely a flicker of celebration. Yet City have inexplicably dropped away from that point on New Year’s Day when they were joint-top with Chelsea. Vincent Kompany did not last beyond half-time because of recurring injury issues and it was another occasion when it seemed as though Yaya Touré’s heart was not in it.
The game started turning away from City after 14 minutes when David de Gea aimed a long clearance to the left, where Fellaini and Herrera had doubled up on Zabaleta. City were vulnerable as soon as Zabaleta lost his balance and though Demichelis was first to Herrera’s cross, the ball spun off his body and fell for Young to hook an improvised shot into the exposed net.
City, and Silva in particular, continued to move the ball at a speed that troubled their opponents but they had a raw edge. After 27 minutes, Young slipped the ball through Zabaleta’s legs then took it back from Daley Blind. Fellaini had made his way to the far post and had several inches on the nearest defender, Gaël Clichy, to head United into the lead.
City had legitimate complaints that Fellaini was fractionally offside, even if it was by little more than a few tufts of hair, and similar grievances about Mata’s starting position when Wayne Rooney played him in midway through the second half. Yet Pellegrini was more concerned about his team’s defending. Demichelis lost the ball to Fellaini in the build-up to Mata’s goal, leaving himself badly out of position as the Spaniard ran clear to clip his shot past Joe Hart.
Six minutes later, Demichelis did not follow Smalling’s run and the defender headed in Young’s free-kick to beat Hart again. United were rampant and Agüero’s late goal, from Zabaleta’s cutback, came almost in slow motion, with barely a flicker of celebration.
Man of the match Ashley Young (Manchester United)