Sanchez is the saviour as United fight back
Time will tell how pivotal that dressing room chat turns out to be Samuel Luckhurst
WITH his raincoat zipped up and his hands shoved into his pockets, Jose Mourinho approached the dugout ahead of Saturday’s game with all the stoicism of a death row inmate approaching the electric chair.
Within 10 minutes, Newcastle – without a win and with only four goals in seven Premier League matches – were 2-0 up, and some United supporters in the Sir Bobby Charlton stand had permanently vacated their seats.
Marcus Rashford almost tore his shirt in exasperation, Mourinho screamed uncontrollably and Juan Mata was soon summoned to replace Eric Bailly.
“Jose’s right, the board is s***e,” United fans sang mutinously.
Some may have given up on Mourinho but are lucid enough to realise the club’s problems go beyond him and stem from the parasitic Glazer family owners.
It is easy to forget at times United are FC, not Plc, and the real Reds returned in an adrenalinefuelled and stirring second half that reminded everyone just why the front pages, never mind the back, are held to cover them.
Players, manager and fans were in unison during an amazing comeback that will, irrespective of what happens between now and May, be talked about by those who were in attendance for some time. How remorseful those who left early must feel. Sir Alex Ferguson was not at the game, and even he may not have torn as much paint off the walls as Mourinho did at half-time. Time will tell how pivotal that dressing room chat turns out to be in Mourinho’s United epoch, but he has rarely looked so animated while managing them. After 45 minutes, the Reds were in the bottom half of the Premier League, but ascended to eighth at the final whistle. They have conceded more than Burnley, Brighton, Newcastle and the same as Southampton and only three of the bottom four have let in more goals. Those who skipped away from Old Trafford will not care a jot. Mourinho in. For now. Less than 24 hours before kick-off, a report claimed Mourinho would be sacked irrespective of the Newcastle result and the shrapnel from that bombshell was soon meshed with remnants from Geordie artillery. How ironic Kenedy, an unwanted player Chelsea bought for Mourinho, struck the first blow on seven minutes. Ashley Young was left with a case of twisted blood again three minutes later when Yoshinori Muto fashioned the space to lash past David de Gea. Ed Woodward, who avoided the cameras before kick-off, sat motionless in his seat. “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” the Newcastle fans hollered. It was so shambolic you began to wonder whether Mourinho would receive the same treatment as Martin Jol at Tottenham 11 years ago – he was dismissed at half-time.
Mourinho began firing indiscriminately at Paul Pogba and Rashford, whose impotence in front of goal was patent either side of the break.
On one occasion, Mourinho berated Rashford for casually jogging back as Newcastle attacked. The youngster actually appeared to care, but the manager-player bickering was endemic of the disharmony in this squad.
The same problems recurred. United’s centre-halves that have not convinced Mourinho did not again.
Bailly was taken off on 19 minutes to be replaced by Juan Mata – and Chris Smalling still cannot distribute from defence over eight years on from his
arrival. Young was selected over £19m right-back signing Diogo Dalot, who was conspicuous by his third successive squad omission.
Mourinho really has not helped himself with his handling of his own signings - Bailly and Victor Lindelof cost a combined £60.9m and Lindelof was a sullen unused substitute as Bailly was taken off.
The disenchantment in the ground to going 2-0 down was exacerbated by Mourinho’s reaction as he reverted to the hackneyed plan B of aerial football.
Scott McTominay dropped back into defence to accommodate Nemanja Matic, but was then substituted at the interval for Marouane Fellaini, another cumbersome six-footer. If he was going out, Mourinho was doing it with a long ball fight and more midfielders in defence than centre-backs.
The reliance on beanpole physical figureheads is an antiquated one and the Reds boss has been left behind by younger coaches who value fleet-footed forwards.
United are devoid of imagination and the personnel to compete with their one-time competitors this season. Mourinho played two midfielders in defence, with Matic dropping back. Only Fellaini is handy on the deck, too. Mata, whose absence from the starting XI was perverse, classily clipped in a 70th-minute free-kick that galvanised United. Soon, Toon keeper Martin Dubravka was palming away a Fellaini daisy-cutter and a point-blank Smalling shot. But then Martial cut inside and bludgeoned the ball in to level it. “U-N-I-T-E-D, United are the team for me,” roared 70,000 followers. The noise was soon turned up to 11 as Young atoned with a 90th-minute cross which Alexis Sanchez - of all people – stooped to convert. Suddenly, Old Trafford erupted to the chants of ‘Jose Mourinho.’ The Reds boss left the pitch to ‘Glory glory Man United.’ It may be a stay of execution. But it was worth it.