MARTIAL KEEPS HIS HEAD TO RESCUE IT
Youngster makes up for handball
ANTHONY Martial’s career at Manchester United appears destined rarely to disappoint. Since his big move from Monaco in August, we have already witnessed an impact goal against Liverpool and star turns at places like Southampton.
Now we have a vital European contribution to reflect upon, too.
As it happens, this could have been a very bad night indeed for the young striker.
Tracking back down the left flank where he was stationed last night, Martial conceded an early penalty.
His needless handball allowed CSKA striker Seydou Doumbia to drill in a rebound after David de Gea had touched Roman Eremenko’s spot kick against a post.
A rather impetuous, feckless act, it perhaps summed up United’s first-half efforts.
In a game they really couldn’t afford to lose, Louis van Gaal’s team were poor for the first 55 minutes, not even bringing a save out of CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev until early in the second period.
Martial, however, has a keen sense of occasion already and when he was given the chance for atonement just after the hour he did not disappoint.
The young Frenchman headed a cross from Antonio Valencia down and in to the corner from around the penalty spot.
Defeat here in sub-zero Moscow would have left United in a bit of a pickle.
Losing your first game in the Champions League — as Van Gaal’s team did in Eindhoven last month — always leaves you in rather a hole that only a couple of victories can sort out.
United already have one of those from their recent home game against the Germans of Wolfsburg and this draw now sets them up for an assault on qualification over their remaining three games.
As so often with United this season, this was something of a bits-and-pieces performance.
They showed considerable gumption and perseverance to keep going in the second half and Van Gaal (right) made substitutions which helped, as his often do.
On this occasion the switch at half-time saw Marouane Fellaini sent on in place of Bastian Schweinsteiger.
That will not have gone down well with the German but Fellaini gave his team some added impetus and, it must be said, muscle going forward in the second half. The manner in which CSKA defenders were forced to spend time and energy dealing with the Belgian ultimately afforded others space in which to work.
For a while, it had indeed looked as though it would be a bad night for United. Coming to Moscow presents challenges to Barclays Premier League players, especially when kick- off is delayed until 9.45pm local time to fit in with western TV schedules, as it was here.
That makes it a rather long day hanging about the hotel and certainly United took some time to shake the heaviness from their legs once the game kicked off. CSKA are a decent side, this much we know. They caused Manchester City problems here last season and were the better team for an hourr last night.
The Russians’ secret is simple and it is called the counter attack. They were happy to allow United to have plenty of possession last night and at times — especially in n the first half — looked devilishly dangerous when they sprangg forward.
There had been some warnings prior to the CSKA goal. The home team were particularly y keen to attack United down the right-hand side where full-back Mario Fernandes and Zoran Tosic — once of United himself — were proving a handy y combination.
Early on, there were a couple of dangerous moments from United as CSKA crossed balls into the box from that side. When the penalty arrived, however, it came out of nothing, young Martial handling the ball without apparent thought or reason. His reaction said everything and one can only imagine what Van Gaal may have said to him at half-time. De Gea did very well to save the spot kick, meanwhile, but was still sitting on his backside when the ball was thrashed back past him to his right.
For some time, United could not respond with any positive play of their own.
Indeed, things could have grown very serious indeed had De Gea not saved brilliantly from Ahmed Mousa when the left-sided midfield players saw him marginally off his line and endeavoured to beat him
high to his left from at least 30 yards.
Half time brought Van Gaal’s inevitable substitution but still any improvement was slow to arrive. Rooney finally worked Akinfeev with a header early in the second period while Fellaini headed a far post cross back in to a dangerous area.
When young Jesse Lingard failed to beat the goalkeeper when clear just before the hour it was tempting to wonder if this was not going to be Unit- ed’s night. Martial’s header was timely, then, even if the subsequent pressure exerted by United could not bring them a winning goal. ‘Martial gave them a present and that made it hard,’ said Van Gaal. ‘It was stupid but he is human. He was not affected by it and so I was happy with his performance. Our tempo was not good enough anyway and I told them that at half time.
‘I told them they needed to switch the play from side to side more and they then did that. We could have won in the end but I think the draw was the right result.
‘I am happy with our position in the group.’