Acornbush push Chiefs in thriller
Manchester United put a spate of recent draws behind them to boost their top-four hopes with a routine 3-0 victory at bottom club Sunderland to move fifth in the Premier League on Sunday.
Once again, it was veteran Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic who provided the inspiration for Jose Mourinho’s side, scoring the opener and setting up a late goal for Marcus Rashford.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was also on target while Sunderland had Seb Larsson sent off shortly before halftime.
Six draws in their past nine league games had eroded United’s hopes of a top-four finish and victory over Sunderland was imperative if they were to stay in touching distance. They were frustrated for 30 minutes but once Ibrahimovic produced a clinical finish for his 28th goal of the season in all competitions they were untroubled.
“The result was good. We resisted the results of Saturday when Manchester City and Liverpool won, they left us in a position of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It was ‘yes’,” Mourinho said.
“We got three points and it was a solid display. You could feel the negative feeling around the team. That is felt with a team close to relegation.”
Sunderland have gone seven league games without scoring and with seven games remaining they are 10 points adrift of safety and seemingly doomed to relegation.
Manager Davis Moyes said Larsson’s red card for going in high on Ander Herrera had killed the game.
“I don’t want to blame the referees for my position and us losing,” he said.
“Today the result was helped by the referee. United were playing well but it was a decision that went against us.”
United took the lead at a sundrenched Stadium of Light when Ibrahimovic, receiving the ball with his back to goal, shook off his marker and buried a low 20m shot past Jordan Pickford.
Any Sunderland hope disappeared with Larsson’s red card and 46 seconds after the break Mkhitaryan fired past Pickford.
In the 89th minute Ibrahimovic combined with substitute Rashford who beat Pickford with a cross-shot for his first league goal since last September. / Imagine the amazing stories the Acornbush United players and supporters would have been telling were it not for Kaizer Chiefs striker Gustavo Paez.
For a while here on Sunday, Acornbush were on their way to a fairytale victory over a fullstrength Amakhosi side in the Nedbank Cup last 16.
Paez, however, spoilt what would have been a party of note with a brace in the final 15 minutes to inspire Amakhosi to a 2-1 come-from-behind win. The locals came out in their numbers and some sat on top of the wall to get a good view. Leading up to this game, Acornbush made it clear they would play without any fear of Chiefs. They were not bluffing.
The hosts, who beat Cape Town City in the last 32, had the best chance of the first half when Mduduzi Nkosi was put through by a pass from midfield. Nkosi did well to round Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, but with an open goal, the left winger put his shot wide.
At the other end, Chiefs’ Joseph Molangoane forced a save from Acornbush goalkeeper Sibusiso Masuku four minutes later. But Acornbush were down to 10 men just before the halfhour mark, when Sandy Nyathi was shown a red card for a tackle on Willard Katsande.
The red card did not deter them. They defended well and were soon rewarded at the other end of the pitch before half-time. Rhulani Sidumo, a Chiefs product, gave the ABC Motsepe League outfit the lead with a header from a Nkosi cross. They defended too deeply in the second period and they were twice punished by Paez.