Fernandes steps up to fire United joint top
Red Devils trail Liverpool on goal difference after cool penalty
AFTER picking up yet another three points against stubborn, talented opposition and stretching their unbeaten domestic run to 10 games, Manchester United will spend the weekend level on points at the top of the Premier League, dreaming of what the rest of the New Year might bring.
This 2-1 victory over Aston Villa — decided by a Bruno Fernandes penalty after Bertrand Traore had cancelled out Anthony Martial’s opener — means that only goal difference separates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and reigning champions Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s leaders travel to Southampton on Monday, after which United will go back to having a game in hand. That game — away to Burnley — is up next and the following Sunday, Solskjaer and his players travel to Anfield.
Solskjaer is deflecting questions about United’s credentials but make no mistake: this is starting to look like a title challenge.
Villa are a very good side — more than the sum of their parts, more than just Jack Grealish — but even when they found ways to get on top of United, they could not stay there. There were two minutes between Traore’s equaliser and Douglas Luiz’s foul on Paul Pogba for the penalty, while everything they threw at David de Gea’s goal late on was denied.
Martial and Fernandes both forced Emiliano Martinez into saves early on, while De Gea had to be alert to push away a John Mcginn volley.
No player took more touches, played more passes in the opposition’s half or had more shots on goal during the first half than Pogba but it was his part in the goal that was most memorable.
Collecting a loose ball under pressure, the Frenchman turned away from Luiz, flicked the ball over Mcginn’s head, spun around and nodded it into Marcus Rashford’s path.
It was a brilliant piece of midfield play but there was even more to like about the goal from a United perspective, too. Rashford’s flick around the corner to meet the run of Aaron Wan-bissaka was just as delightful and he crossed for Martial.
His header from a predatory position on the edge of the sixyard box is the type of goal that Solskjaer wants to see more of.
Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins and Anwar El Ghazi all went close before parity was restored. Wan-bissaka was more concerned with standing on Mcginn’s free-kick than getting back into position. Even then he failed to prevent Mcginn from taking it quickly and releasing Grealish, who centred for the unmarked Traore.
The penalty decision was contentious, with contact between Luiz and Pogba minimal. Martinez went the right way but Fernandes is near-faultless.
A De Gea save and Eric Bailly block were required to deny Cash and substitute Keinan Davis.
(© The Independent)