PREMIER LEAGUE JESSE FINDS A CURE FOR EXHAUSTION
Lingard screamer sees off Boro
VICTOR VALDES slipped, Antonio Valencia scored and Jose Mourinho was off down the tunnel, pumping his fists in celebration.
He certainly had plenty of reasons to be happy.
Manchester United had occupied sixth place in the Premier League table non-stop for 184 days, except for a few hours in seventh in early December.
Moving into fifth should hardly be cause for celebration for a club of United’s pedigree, nor what Mourinho had in mind when he embarked on this season planning a title challenge, but it was a step in the right direction at the end of another heavy week.
Mourinho predicted a United defeat here at the Riverside. He had muttered darkly about ‘many enemies’ conspiring to add to the burden of a congested fixture list.
A noon kick-off yesterday meant this third game in seven days started 62 hours after the end of Thursday’s Europa League win over Rostov, which followed Monday’s FA Cup defeat at Chelsea.
So Mourinho was understandably delighted that United came through a far tougher test than the scoreline suggests. Then there was the satisfaction of beating the club that sacked his old friend Aitor Karanka earlier in the week.
Afterwards, Mourinho heaped praise on Karanka, having claimed beforehand that he ‘knew the names’ of the Boro players who had let him down.
He had to deny making comments to Stewart Downing, who was restored to the line-up following the bust-up that is said to have hastened Karanka’s departure. It added to an unsavoury end to the game. Eric Bailly’s clash with Boro substitute Rudy Gestede sparked a melee which re-ignited in the tunnel at full-time.
The game will be remembered for Jesse Lingard’s stunning strike but this was a functional United performance. Mourinho went for three centre backs and four more defenders on the bench. Marouane Fellaini demonstrated once again what a powerful, if unconventional, force he can be.
It was the Belgian who opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. Lingard played a reverse pass out to Ashley Young, who sent Antonio Barragan the wrong way and swung a cross to the back post.
It evaded Valdes and found Fellaini, who had dropped off Fabio to give himself the time and space to head home his first Premier League goal since December 2015.
It was no more than United deserved after a bright start in which Marcus Rashford could have scored twice. The striker’s strong running proved too much for the hapless Bernardo yesterday, but his finishing still leaves something to be desired.
The 19- year- old was clean through in the seventh minute only to be denied by a fine save. Then he met Juan Mata’s cross first time but Valdes made another reflex save. Lingard’s pace also caused Boro problems.
When he took possession on halfway in the 62nd minute, the home defenders backed off towards the edge of their own penalty area.
Lingard advanced on goal and saw his opportunity. The shot was dispatched by his right boot with clinical precision, swerving into the top corner in a blink of an eye.
Surprisingly, it was his first league goal of the season.
The threat from the home side had been limited to Gaston Ramirez’s early strike, turned away by David de Gea. But caretaker boss Steve Agnew sent on Gestede and he scored Boro’s first league goal in eight and a half hours.
United thought they had cleared the danger when Phil Jones hooked away but Marten de Roon climbed above Bailly to head down. Chris Smalling made a hash of clearing the ball as it went through his legs and Gestede was waiting to prod home.
Boro pressed for an equaliser but conceded a third in farcical circumstances in injury time.
Downing played the ball back to Valdes and the former United keeper slipped as he attempted to clear it downfield. Valencia was chasing him down and had the simple task of walking the ball into the net. Exit Mourinho.
The international break will give the United boss and his players a breather before the three-gamesa-week schedule resumes in April.
Boro have now gone 11 league games without a win, equalling Swansea’s worst run of this season. There were some positive signs yesterday but that sequence must end soon or a swift return to the Championship is inevitable.