A GAME OF LEAP-POG
United regain lead as their top man does it again
PAUL POGBA produced a moment of magic to send Manchester United back to the top last night – just as rivals Manchester City looked set to steal a march on them.
Pogba scored with a stunning 65th-minute strike as United hit back from 1-0 down at Fulham.
They had gone into the game with
City at the summit after Pep Guardiola’s side had beaten Aston Villa
2-0.
And it seemed like they might remain top when Ademola Lookman, above, gave Fulham an early lead.
But Edinson
Cavani brought
United level before Pogba’s winner.
IT WAS beginning to look like a thoroughly miserable day for Reds recently deposed as leaders.
While one global figure, underpinned by the backing of corporate America, was in Mar-aLago still coming to terms with his loss, Manchester United were facing a devastating defeat of their own.
At Fulham of all places – surely the kindly, inoffensive, middleground Joe Biden of the Premier League.
In the race for the title, Leicester had come out ahead in the early overnight count, only for Manchester City, briefly, to move ahead.
United, of course, were overwhelming favourites for another term as leaders but there had been an early swing in west London with Fulham taking an early lead.
Andre Zambo Anguissa had too much time to play the perfect pass to Ademola Lookman who narrowly beat the off-side trap to score.
The United contingent inevitably called for a recount, but Stockley Park merely confirmed that Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a yard deeper that the rest of the defence and the goal stood.
Ominously, a fierce drive from Bruno Fernandes smacked against the upright – was the post once again going to be the undoing of the Reds?
Thankfully for United, and probably the reader, the analogy only goes so far. At times in the past, the sulking and fingerpointing after every knock-back has been borderline Trump.
But right now United are operating professionally and collectively and as a result are proving a much harder opponent to topple.
Fernandes watch his shot rebound and then scampered out wide to collect possession again. His cross was fumbled by Alphonse Areola and Edinson Cavani was instinctively in the right place to level the scores.
Fulham have been impressive in drawing five of their last six Premier League matches but unfortunately for their manager Scott Parker, right, that seems about the limit of their ambitions.
They were well organised and forward-thinking enough to mount the occasional counterattack, but effectively the game became about when, not if, United took the lead and their place back at the top of the table.
Almost immediately, Fernandes had another low effort turned around the post at full stretch by Areola while Harry Maguire should have come closer when his free header from a corner instead went harmlessly wide.
As it was, the moment was worth waiting for. Nothing particularly seemed on as Fulham held their shape into the second half, breaking occasionally but lacking quality in their final ball.
Then suddenly, 30 yards from goal, and with a little more space than Parker would have liked, Paul Pogba swung a languid leftfoot shot goalwards. The ball started wide of the target but was curling enough to bypass Areola on its way inside the far upright.
Fair play to Fulham, they continued to make United sweat for their points and David De Gea made an important block with his foot in the 75th minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek got a clear view of goal.
There were nervous moments for United in stoppage time as Fulham continued to press. The visitors had WanBissaka to thank for thwarting another chance that fell to Lookman, then Eric Bailly nearly deflected the ball into De Gea’s net. But this is the sixth time United have conceded the first goal in the Premier League this season and the sixth time they have won the game.
And yet still we are not even halfway through the season.
This looks like being a tough one to declare until the very last result is in.