IT’S DALOT Diogo screamer’s real boost BETTER
DIOGO DALOT was Manchester United’s unlikely hero on a night of raw emotion at Bramall lane.
The Portuguese defender gave Erik ten Hag and his stars their first back-to-back Premier League wins this season with a 77th-minute 25-yard screamer to settle a high-octane clash.
Victory was a fitting tribute for United after the announcement of the death of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton earlier in the day.
And it saw Ten Hag’s underpressure stars take another vital step on their way to recovery from a shocking start to the campaign. The win didn’t come easy as Paul Heckingbottom’s promoted stars gave it everything.
They bounced back from Scott Mctominay’s first-half opener to equalise through Oli Mcburnie from the penalty spot to set up a frantic second half.
In the end, though, United could have coasted to a more comfortable win had Argentinian winger Alejandro Garnacho not missed an injury-time sitter after being played in by fellow sub Anthony Martial.
Ten Hag must have wished he
could have bottled the momentum provided by Mctominay’s late match-winning double against Brentford before the international break.
Struggling with injuries, United have lacked continuity but Mctominay and Harry Maguire both kept their places with the defender making back-to-back league starts for the first time in over a year.
But it was the Blades, aggressive and energised after their 8-0 defeat by Newcastle in their last home game, who started on the front foot.
And they could easily have been ahead after three minutes when the ball fell to Mcburnie in the box but the striker’s shot was saved by Andre Onana.
United were struggling to get a credible foothold in the game but against the run of play they took the lead with Mctominay again scoring from nothing.
He took a difficult pass from Bruno Fernandes but despite close attention, somehow made the space to shoot past Wes Foderingham.
United’s joy was short-lived though as minutes later referee Michael Oliver, backed by a VAR check, judged Mctominay to have handled a James Mcatee cross, with Mcburnie ramming
home the spot-kick. The visitors finished the half strongly with Rasmus Hojlund almost scoring and Fernandes striking the bar with a free-kick.
The Blades came out fighting at the start of the second half, though, and Onana was called on to make fine saves from Olly Norwood and substitute Rhian Brewster in a big boost to his confidence.
Ten Hag’s men gradually gained a foothold again and pinned the Yorkshiremen back with a concerted spell of pressure that saw Foderingham save from Hojlund before Marcus Rashford slid a shot past the far post.