STOKE CITY
NEWS of Alexis Sanchez’ probable arrival at Old Trafford had the desired effect on Manchester United.
Well- taken goals from Antonio Valencia, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku gave them a comfortable win and cut Manchester City’s lead at the top of the table to 12 points.
And it also underlined the task facing new Stoke manager Paul Lambert whose new charges have shipped 10 goals on their two visits to Manchester this season as well as fi ve at Tottenham and Chelsea.
United made sure it will not be easy for boss Jose Mourinho to fi t Sanchez into his team – if he does sign the Chilean – with an upbeat performance, although Stoke gave them some anxious moments.
The freezing rain and icy temperatures must have been a shock to their systems after their warm weather training break in Dubai but a third victory without conceding a goal is an encouraging start to 2018 – with surely better to come, if and when when Sanchez arrives.
City looked uncatchable but all United can do is keep winning in the hope that their neighbours slip.
Lambert watched his new team from the VIP box, leaving caretaker Eddie Niedzwiecki in charge for the game.
It looked a wise choice. If he had taken a look at the Potters’ recent record at Old Trafford he would not have been too hopeful of seeing a victory.
They had lost 15 of their previous 17 trips – and their last win was back in 1976.
So it was no great surprise that United forged ahead after nine minutes. The bigger shock was that the goal came from the left foot of Valencia.
The United skipper normally uses his left peg just to stand on, but he applied power and bend to fi re a shot from the edge of the area into the far corner of Jack Butland’s net after cutting inside Josh Tymon.
It was the perfect way to mark his return to the team after six games out with a hamstring injury. And it was an eye- catching fi nish to a clever build- up by United involving Luke Shaw, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba.
But Lambert would have been pleased by Stoke’s response.
Xherdan Shaqiri tested David De Gea with an acrobatic scissors kick and Stephen Ireland twice fi red wide from good openings, especially the second one when he was set up by Shaqiri.
The best chance fell to Eric Maxim Choupo- Moting however.
He looked certain to score when Peter Crouch beat De Gea to head down Mortiz Bauer’s cross but Choupo- Moting’s goalbound effort took a defl ection off Chris Smalling just as Stoke prepared to celebrate an equaliser.
But Martial eased United’s anxieties by adding a superb second after 38 minutes.
Pogba was again the provider squaring the ball across the edge of the penalty area for his France compatriot to drive a fi rst time shot past Butland – and in the process become the third United player to reach double fi gures for goals this season, after Lukaku and Jesse Lingard.
Stoke must have wondered what had hit them because they had played well.
They fi nished the half on an upbeat note though with the lively Shaqiri forcing a fi ne save out of De Gea, who dived full length across his goal to tip round a low shot.
Martial was a constant menace with his pace and skill. And when he wriggled his way through, he looked certain to score his second for the night but Butland dived bravely at his feet.
That would have pleased Gareth Southgate who was in attendance to watch the Stoke keeper plus the United quartet of Shaw, Smalling, Jones and Lingard.
The England manager would have been impressed by all of them as he ponders his squad for the World Cup this summer. United should have had a second