Jessie’s counting on Reds catching Arsenal on break
JESSE Lingard said United are hopeful of exploiting Arsenal on the counterattack when the two teams meet at the Emirates tonight.
The Reds have won two of their last three matches away to the Gunners and were unfortunate to lose 2-0 in March having been the better side for much of the game.
A win for United will move them 10 points clear of Arsenal and keep up the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea as the race for Champions League qualification hots up.
“We take a lot of belief [from the wins against Newcastle and Burnley] and the confidence is flowing at the moment,” Lingard told the United website.
“Away games are always tough and you get your hostile atmospheres, but we’re used to that and as long as we stick to our game plan and our tactics, then hopefully we can win the game. Confidence and focus is very important.
“It could be a game where Arsenal have a lot of the ball, or we have a lot of the ball, but we’re a very good counter-attacking team and a very good transition team, so hopefully we can catch them on the break here and there.
“We’ve done it most times when we’ve played them away, so that will hopefully be one of our strong points.”
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial go into the game in good form, with the pair having scored in both of United’s post-Christmas wins, and Lingard believes their application is a big reason behind their success.
“They’ve been firing. It’s been great to watch and they’re still young with so much potential,” Lingard said.
“They’re very humble guys, too, and they want to work hard day in, day out, which is great to see.
“They’ve played together for a few years now and they understand each other and have a good relationship off the pitch as well – that definitely helps.”