MANCHESTER UNITED 3 STOKE 0 Pogba’s Red alert to City: We’re still on title charge
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
PAUL Pogba says Manchester United still have their sights set on catching Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Pogba was on fine form as United beat Stoke 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday, a result which reduced the gap to leaders City to 12 points.
Asked if City’s 4-3 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday gave the Red Devils a lift, Pogba said: “Obviously we see Manchester City in front of us and they lost.
“They are first so we always want to catch them, so it was good that they lost, so for us we have to think about ourselves.
“It’s good that they lose points but we have to go back to winning because we want to catch them again.
“We’re not looking to the past,” added Pogba. “We’re just looking to the future and the next games.
“We just want to catch City. We just have to focus on ourselves, keep winning and I think we will be OK.”
Manchester United maintained their 100 per cent start to 2018 with the win over a Stoke side watched by their incoming boss and ex-Celt Paul Lambert.
Antonio Valencia, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku got the goals as United responded to leaders Manchester City’s first Premier League loss with a third win of the calendar year to cut the gap to Pep Guardiola’s men to 12 points.
Jose Mourinho’s attention will now turn to transfers, with City understood to have stood aside in the pursuit of United target Alexis Sanchez last night, while Potters boss Lambert will focus on elevating Stoke out of the bottom three when he starts work today.
What may happen in the transfer window was inescapable at Old Trafford, particularly when the team-sheet came out and there was no Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the United squad.
The Armenian has been mooted as a potential makeweight with Arsenal in any Sanchez deal and pre-match Mourinho admitted Mkhitaryan’s absence was down to “doubts about his future”.
His omission meant Juan Mata and Martial occupied the flanks and the former’s pass into the Frenchman led to seventh-minute penalty shouts, ignored by referee Anthony Taylor, when Stoke debutant Moritz Bauer fell into Martial with his arms draped on him.
United did not have to wait long for their opener as their first shot resulted in a goal.
Valencia, back after a month out injured, collected a Pogba pass on the edge of the box and crept towards Josh Tymon. The space was to Valencia’s left and he moved into it, showing no sign of his previous aversion to his weaker left foot by rifling beyond Jack Butland.
Stoke threatened before Mar- tial added a second seven minutes before the break.
Again it was Pogba who provided the assist with a smart pass across the box that Martial whipped into the net with a measured first-time strike.
DAVID DE GEA denied Xherdan Shaqiri just before half-time and there was no sign of Stoke fighting back upon the resumption, despite extended chants of ‘Paul Lambert’s Barmy Army’ from their supporters.
Pogba would have chalked up a third assist had Butland not stopped Martial almost walking the ball in and Mata nearly picked out the bottom corner.
United wrapped up the points 18 minutes from time.
The Potters appealed in vain for hand-ball when Martial’s pass was controlled by Lukaku, with the Belgian holding off Kevin Wimmer and turning a low shot home for the 50th goal Stoke have conceded in the league.
A 51st almost arrived when Pogba’s cross was flicked onto the post by Mata and Lambert, watching on from the directors’ box, could not even console himself with a consolation as De Gea thwarted substitute Mame Diouf. mates, the “terrific” Eamonn Brophy in particular, for helping him win his award.
“Before the manager came in I was questioning myself and my head was probably elsewhere.
“When the manager first came in I was ready to call it a day. I didn’t feel in a good place but from what he said to me I changed my mind.
“It is credit to the manager for helping me to do that and hopefully I have repaid him since, but I want to continue.”
While Boyd has extended his time at the Rugby Park club, Clarke has had to fend off advances from Rangers for Jordan Jones.
Clarke confirmed Kilmarnock had rejected a bid from the Ibrox club for 23-year-old winger, describing it as “nowhere near acceptable, easy for the club to turn down”.