IT’S A DALE OF WOE FOR OLE
United boss edges through as stars stutter again
MANCHESTER UNITED needed penalties to beat Rochdale and avoid total humiliation.
United looked relieved when Mason Greenwood ended the stalemate after 67 minutes with a sharp break down the right and clinical finish.
It was the teenager’s second goal in as many games.
But the visitors stunned Old Trafford less than 10 minutes later when Luke Matheson ran onto a back-post cross and hammered his shot into the back of the United goal.
It was the stuff of dreams for Matheson, who is Rochdale’s youngest-ever senior player and doesn’t turn 17 until next week.
But United prevailed after scoring all five spot-kicks, with Jimmy Keohane the fall guy for the League One battlers.
Paul Pogba returned in a flash but failed to light up Old Trafford. The United star came back from injury sporting a bright red streak through his hair but it was the only thing that made him stand out.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made nine changes to the side that crashed to defeat at West Ham, with Axel Tuanzebe coming in to captain the side.
There were also rare starts for Sergio Romero, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Tahith Chong, but it was Solskjaer’s decision to snub senior players like Pogba and Jones and hand the armband to Tuanzebe that really raised eyebrows.
At the age of 21 and starting only his seventh game, Tuanzebe was the youngest player to skipper United since Norman Whiteside in 1985.
But United were expected to win and win well against opponents in 17th place in League One.
The visitors had 16-year-old Matheson in the starting side, and a 15-year-old sub, Peter Thomas.
Tuanzebe had to ride to the rescue inside the opening eight minutes to dispossess Callum Camps as he charged towards goal after Fred had conceded possession in his own half. It took United 15 minutes to fashion their first chance when Pogba shot high over the top.
Andreas Pereira tested Robert Sanchez with a swerving effort before picking out Rojo at the back post, only to see him head straight at the Dale keeper.
The visitors continued to hold firm against the odds, with a little help from some shocking finishing from United.
The worst miss came after 34 minutes when Greenwood picked out Pogba who headed over from pointblank range.
Sanchez denied Greenwood before Rochdale blew a great chance after 51 minutes when Oliver Rathbone weaved his way into the box and set up Camps with a free shot from four yards out but he scuffed it and Aaron WanBissaka hooked off the line.