Manchester United’s depleted squad meant there was room on the bench for youngsters Marcus Rashford and Sean Goss for the trip to Watford and there’s likely to be even more spaces for United’s novices when they host PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday after losing Ander Herrera and Phil Jones to injury during their dramatic 2-1 win over Watford.
The absence of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial meant there was a first league start in five matches for Memphis, and the Netherlands international marked his return with a superb goal after just 10 minutes at Vicarage Road. Louis van Gaal’s men are notoriously slow starters and Memphis’ effort was just the second goal they’ve scored in the opening 15 minutes league games all season and the first goal Watford have conceded in the first half of their home league matches since the end of January.
Herrera was the provider for Memphis’ controlled volley, but the Spaniard’s afternoon would only last a further 15 minutes. A suspected hamstring injury saw the introduction of Marcos Rojo and with that a change in system from a 4-2-3-1 to a back five, with Memphis and Jesse Lingard leading the attack. with a suspected hamstring injury.
The forced change only really looked to benefit Watford, who grew into the game and were on the front foot for the majority of the second half. The Hornets were finally rewarded for their persistence with minutes of normal time remaining, as Troy Deeney notched his three goal in his last four matches from the penalty spot. However, euphoria would quickly become agony for the Watford skipper, when he slide Bastian Schweingsteiger’s low effort across goal into his own net in injury time to give United the three points they needed to go top of the table, albeit possibly only for a few hours.
Van Gaal will feel the manner of victory should have been fare easier, particularly after their electric start presented them the lead after just 10 minutes. The United boss called out Memphis’ performances prior to the match and the Dutchman responded with his first goal since September and the WhoScored man of the match award (7.5 rating).
The away side could have been out of sight before the half hour mark, but Schneiderlin first saw his dipping volley flash just over the crossbar and then came without inches of converting Jones’ flick on at the back post from a dangerous corner. United racked up nearly 60 per cent of possession in the first half, but were once again made to sweat for their victory. In fact, only Crystal Palace (14) have scored fewer goals than United (19) of teams in the top half of the table.
Nathan Ake’s introduction at the break helped Watford regain more control on the game, but they were left to thank Heurelho Gomes for being in the game when Lingard spurned all three of his shots on target.
The 22-year-old was almost made to rue his missed opportunities when Deeney finally got the better of De Gea, having been tharwted by the Spaniard on two occasions prior to his penalty. However, even then, as United looked to have coughed up the chance of going top, they were able to come back at Watford and finish strongly. In fact, after conceding in the 87th minute they had two shots on goal, having only managed four up until that point.
Schweinsteiger was the one to wheel away in celebration but the Germany captain admitted it was Deeney’s intervention that was to thank for the winner. He won’t care, mind. United are now top of the league.
Can United win the league? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
