Manchester United Fixtures Preview 2015/16

It seems that last season has only just finished but this week saw the release of next season's fixture list.

All the fans have their own preference of which match to look for first whether it be by team or date. The most important matches have to be the Liverpool fixtures followed by the derby dates.

There is, of course, no such thing as an easy season, however, Louis van Gaal must have been quietly confident when he saw the fixtures as it has thrown up a fairly easy start and end to the season with the hardest of the matches coming mid-season which gives the team time to get into a winning rhythm.

The Red Devils will kick off their season with by far the biggest match of the opening weekend at Old Trafford against Spurs followed by an away trip to Aston Villa then it's Newcastle at home.
August ends with a tricky journey to Wales to take on Swansea who started our season off with a defeat last year. In the middle of those games, United will have the not so small task of the UEFA Champions League qualifying matches.

A collective spirit is needed.

There will be the dreaded international break before our first big clash in mid-September at home to Liverpool, memories of last season's double over them still fresh in the mind. Two more games in September see us play the much improved Southampton away and Sunderland, who were so lucky to escape the drop last time round, at Old Trafford.

Rooney scores against Arsenal.

October will prove a difficult month as it starts with two matches away first a visit to the Emirates to play Arsenal followed by Everton. Then it's the first local derby at home to Man City. Last season was sweet against the Gunners and City but sticky versus the toffees. Crystal Palace will provide the opposition at Selhurst Park at the end of the month.

The three matches in November seem to be relatively straightforward, if that's possible for United, they are WBA at home, newly promoted Watford away and Leicester away.

Ashley Young in his Watford days.

The month will see a return to Vicarage Road for Ashley Young, who started his career at Watford. It's been eight years since The Hornets were last in the top flight.

The busy festive month of December will see United play in a total of five matches three home and two away. It starts with a home game against West Ham with their new manager Bilic then a trip to the south coast to play Premier League debutantes AFC Bournemouth who we last played in the FA Cup back in 1989.

Another newly promoted side Norwich will visit Old Trafford then Boxing Day will see all the fans dressed as Santa at The Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke. Come the end of the year will hopefully be a match that is going to have a strong bearing on the Premiership title, Chelsea at home.

AFC Bournemouth celebrating promotion

The first match in 2016 will see the visit of Swansea to Manchester followed by a break in the league for the FA Cup 3rd round. After which United will be on their travels to Newcastle and Anfield the scene of Juan Mata's heroics last time we played there. The month will end with Southampton at home.

February starts with former red Mark Hughes bringing his Stoke side to Old Trafford which will be followed by United playing Chelsea at Stamford bridge on the 58th anniversary to the day of the Munich air disaster. Sunderland away comes before yet another big clash of the month Arsenal at home.

Mata the Anfield hero.

Hopefully, by the time March comes around United will be well placed for the league run in and will host Watford then visit WBA. Crystal Palace at home will be followed by our last match against one of our possible major opponents for the league, Man City at the Etihad. It would also be nice to think that United will be still involved in the knockout stages of the Champions League and the FA Cup.

The last seven matches in April and May appear to offer United a chance to end the season strongly and it starts with Everton at home then Spurs away. By the time we play Villa at Old Trafford and West Ham away, we could be potentially gearing up for silverware in the league or one of the cups or dare I say both.

Our last three games of the league season are Leicester at home followed by Norwich away, then Old Trafford will witness the last match of the campaign as Bournemouth will hopefully be trying to spoil the Champions' celebrations.

I foresee United getting off to a flying start compared to the stuttering beginning last season. Louis van Gaal has now had a year in the Old Trafford hot seat and will have learnt from his and the teams' mistakes of the previous season. Add to that the new arrivals that have been signed to strengthen the squad and there is every reason to be optimistic about the chances of being able to challenge on all four fronts next season.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Ashley Young is flying again.

With the announcement, last summer, of Louis van Gaal as the new manager of Manchester United there must have been a few players at Old Trafford instructing their agents to start looking for pastures new.

Among those, was possibly Ashley Young who had endured a torrid season under David Moyes as had most of the team.

Having been brought to United three years previously in 2011 by Alex Ferguson his career started well enough that season with some encouraging performances and eye-catching goals. He was outstanding in the 8-2 demolition of Arsenal at the start of his Old Trafford career contributing with a double.

His encouraging start was brought to an abrupt halt when he suffered an injury that kept him out until February 2012. In his absence, United had been knocked out of the Champions League and had to compete in the Europa league.

Although he chipped in with goals in the remainder of the season he wasn't quite the same player as when he had arrived.

In Ferguson's last season as manager, 2012-13 Young made a total of 18 appearances and didn't find the net once. His season was blighted by accusations from all parties about his unsportsmanlike diving in the oppositions area for penalties. It became a regular event and certainly didn't bring him any sympathy from the United fans.

Once Ferguson had stepped down it was the turn of David Moyes to try and bring the best out of Young but the new problem for Young was the form of a certain Adnan Januzaj.

Januzaj made more appearances than Young that season and chipped in with one more goal than him. To rub it in the teenager even replaced Young as a substitute to make his league debut.

It was frustrating to watch Young play as he clearly had so much talent, but he seemed to be struggling with his form and even the diving question raised its ugly head and once again blighted his reputation.

So, with yet another new manager entering the arena last summer the writing seemed to be on the wall for Young along with other players including Fellaini. Young had even lost his place in the England set up since being involved in the 2012 Euro's.

However, here we are coming to the end of the season in which United look to have claimed a priceless fourth place in the Premier League thanks in no small part to the performances week in week out of Ashley Young.

Originally used as a left wing back in Louis van Gaal's dreaded 3-5-2 formation at the beginning of the season Young never gave up or complained about how difficult he was finding it and how frustrating it was to play in that position.

He was cautioned for diving against Sunderland back in August which van Gaal must have reacted strictly to as there has been thankfully no repeat of it since.

Once the manager saw sense and realised that his side wouldn't win anything with that setup and reverted to a more traditional four at the back and wingers Young was off and flying.

So far this season his has made the most Premier League appearances of his United career, 24 and contributed with 4 assists and 28 shots netting twice. However, it's not his goals that have impressed it's his wing play that has made him one of United's success stories this season.

Like his teammate Fellaini who had also endured a tough season under Moyes, Young has been rejuvenated under van Gaal and is finally repaying the loyal supporters with some sterling displays.

His work rate down the left against Crystal Palace in United's latest victory summed up his transformation and earned the win and a valuable three points. It could also see him recalled to the England squad. He deserves nothing less.

Even with the imminent arrival of Memphis Depay I still feel that Young has a lot to offer United and it could be Adnan Januzaj who becomes surplus to requirements and loaned out next season.

If so, how the tables have turned.

Update: Ashley signed a new 3 year contract at United on August 7th 2015.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Mata's double delight.

Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2

Forget the El Clasico over in Spain this is the big one.The two bitterest rivals in the English game faced off against each other at Anfield on the same day as Real Madrid played Barcelona.

Separated by only two points in the race for an all important top four finish this was by far the biggest match of the season so far for both sides.

The last time Liverpool tasted defeat in the Premier League was at the hands of United back in December. Then the hero of the day was David de Gea as he protected United's three-goal lead with a string of saves that cemented his hero status among the fans.

After the brilliant display against Spurs at Old Trafford last week the question on the fan's minds was whether or not Louis van Gaal would stick with the 4-3-3 system that worked so well and keep Juan Mata in the side even though Angel Di Maria was available after his suspension.

All was revealed when the starting line-up was announced: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young, and Rooney.

So Louis van Gaal entrusted the same starting side that demolished Spurs in the finest 45 minutes of the season so far. Which meant no immediate return to the team for Angel Di Maria who started on the bench alongside Falcao. Also, Blind was preferred at left back again in place of the returning Rojo following the Dutchman's sterling display last weekend.

Subs: Da Silva, Rojo, Di Maria, Falcao, Januzaj, Valdes, Pereira.

United, in their white strip, started the match on the attack and in the first minute won their first corner. Mata's delivery caused confusion as the keeper flapped at it.

It was a bright start from the away side as they sought an early advantage to quieten down the home support.

Fellaini started the match in a fiery mood nipping at the heels of the Liverpool players to great effect. In the second minute, the Belgian won the ball well and fed Rooney but he chose to come inside when the two United players behind him on the flank would have been the better option.

A minute later David de Gea was called into action as he saved at the feet of Sterling as he ran into the area unchecked by the defence.

In the seventh minute Juan Mata won the first free-kick in a dangerous position and took it himself, however, it was easily cleared. The upside was that it was far better to see the midfield players stepping up to take the free-kicks and, therefore, allow Rooney to get in the box where he can do the most damage.

10 minutes in and United were in confident mood passing the ball around well and not giving the opposition time to settle which made the natives more restless than usual.

Mata had started the match in fine form and was unlucky not to get on the end of a Fellaini header after eleven minutes. But a couple of minutes later Mata was rewarded for his endeavour by scoring a goal of pure class.

It happened in the 13th minute following approach play by Fellaini who fed an inside pass to Herrera who in turn saw the run of his compatriot and slipped the ball perfectly through to Mata who finished comfortably with a right-footed shot across Mignolet and into the far side of the net. What a strike and a great start for United and fully deserved.

Great to see manager and assistant celebrating the goal together with van Gaal fist pumping then jokingly slapping Giggs in delight.

Over the next few minutes, Rooney was unlucky to be caught offside a couple of times as the visitors tried to capitalise on their possession and score the vital second goal.

It wasn't until the 16th minute that Liverpool had their first strike when Sturridge fired harmlessly wide.

Herrera had been targeted by the Liverpool players for the roughest treatment and after twenty minutes Joe Allen picked up a yellow card after fouling the United playmaker.

Another free-kick by Mata was chipped in for Fellaini's head but again it was easily cleared by the defenders. Fellaini was proving to be a handful for the defenders as he had been in recent matches so much so he was keeping Falcao on the bench even in the absence of Robin van Persie.

There was a break in action on 20 minutes after Phil Jones clattered into the back of Lallana and knocked him unceremoniously to the ground.

Just before the half hour mark there was a great play from Blind down the left as he almost played in Herrera for a chance on goal instead he won a corner.

In the first 30 minutes, it had been all United as the home side struggled to get hold of the ball and create any chances. The biggest cheer from the home fans was when their captain Gerrard warmed up along the touchline.

Liverpool wasted a great opportunity in the 34 minute when Lallana blasted wide from 18 yards when in truth he should have done better. A warning to the United defence that the one goal lead was a slender one.

United tried to conjure up a second when Mata and Blind linked up but to no great effect.

Three minutes before half-time there should have been a penalty awarded to Manchester United as following a corner Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet appeared to rather stupidly push over Herrara, but the match officials obviously didn't see it.

At this point, United was so much on top that even Chris Smalling tried his luck with a long run into the opposing box but lacked the quality pass needed. 8/10 for effort.

On the stroke of half-time, Carrick let fly from distance with a fierce drive which the keeper could only parry clear.

Half-time and it was all United as they continued on from the Spurs win with the same momentum and were in total control and passing the ball around well. Herrera and Mata were the stand-out performers as they never stopped running and looked for an opening at every opportunity.

At the start of the second half there were no changes to the United line-up but Liverpool made a substitution by bringing their inspirational skipper Gerrard into the play and the first thing he did was to lunge into a tackle then stamp on Herrera's leg as he was on the ground.

A straight red for Gerrard and not such an inspiration, after all. It really was an awful challenge that no one can excuse and Herrera was fortunate to get up and play on. Quite why Herrera received a yellow card for nearly having his leg broken is beyond belief.

It couldn't have been any better for United to play against ten men for forty minutes but as is the same with all teams reduced to ten men Liverpool finally started to play, thankfully without applying any real pressure on David de Gea's goal.

The main objective for United was to keep their cool in a red hot atmosphere created by the Gerrard red card. The atmosphere was hostile towards the Red Devils, to say the least.

In the 53rd minute, Coutinho tried to catch de Gea unawares with a long range effort that just went over the bar. United needed to hammer home their advantage and quickly.

One minute later Louis van Gaal decided to bring on a fresh pair of legs with Di Maria replacing Young who had had a fairly quiet match up to that point.

Phil Jones was booked for a clumsy challenge on Henderson of which he could have had no complaints.

Then it happened a moment of pure genius by the player of the match. In the 59th minute, Di Maria picked out Juan Mata in the box with a superb chip and the diminutive Spaniard scored a goal with a scissor kick of the highest quality with his left foot.

2-0 ahead and not only game over but goal of the season decided as the way he executed the goal was spectacular.

On the hour mark, Di Maria broke at pace and unselfishly squared the ball into the box aimed for Rooney but the ball was agonisingly behind the England forward.

Mario Balotelli entered the fray and was immediately booked for a foul on Jones. This was the home side's game plan to rattle the United players with over aggressive play.

On 68 minutes, Sturridge managed to pull a goal back for the home side after Carrick had uncharacteristically given the ball away. With twenty minutes left all United had to do was hold on while being abused on and off the pitch.

A free-kick from Di Maria was punched clear to Carrick who then played the ball back into the danger area where Rooney clashed with Henderson, Skrtel and Mignolet but escaped unharmed and thankfully caution free.

Di Maria was guilty of giving the ball away in a dangerous area but thankfully no harm was done in the end but all the same it could have been worse as United only had the one goal lead.

United was struggling to make their extra man advantage count since the Liverpool goal and needed to defend resolutely while at the same time regaining their composure.

In the last ten minutes, you felt that United needed to grab another goal as Liverpool were starting to create chances and, after all, their hard work would be wasted especially against ten men.

In the 82nd minute, Falcao came on for the hard working Herrera which meant Rooney took Herrera's place in midfield for the last five or so minutes.

The Liverpool keeper Mignolet lost the plot around the edge of his area by nearly gifting United a free strike at goal, but he somehow got away with it.

Rooney conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area which was cleared by Fellaini and United countered with Falcao down the left but his cross missed everyone.

90 minutes on the clock and Di Maria infuriated his team mates by giving away the ball far too easily when possession was the requirement.

Into added time and United eventually started to keep hold of the ball and all that passing paid off when Blind burst into the area and was upended for a penalty by Emre Can.

Rooney strode up and placed the ball towards the corner, but Mignolet managed to save at full stretch. Surely it wouldn't matter as the game had entered it's last seconds.

While everyone concentrated on the penalty Rojo replaced Blind.

Skrtel had the last word as he stamped on de Gea and should have seen red for that terrible challenge but like so many of his colleagues got away with it.

As de Gea writhed in agony the referee blew for full-time. 2-1 to United.

There is no better place for United to win than at Anfield and with the three points they have put some breathing space between themselves and Liverpool and move closer to Arsenal and City.

An absolutely brilliant win for United and fully deserved as they were in complete control for the whole match. Many will say that Gerrard's dismissal changed the outcome of the match, but it had the opposite effect as Liverpool played better when reduced to ten men.

You can't take anything away from the way United approached the match. From the start, they were on the attack and full of purpose a trait rarely seen this season. If only they had turned on the same style earlier in the season.

All the players put in a great team effort, but there are two players who deserve the extra plaudits and they are the Spanish duo of man of the match Juan Mata and Ander Herrera. After being left on the bench many times over this season, they proved their class and warranted the starting place given to them by the manager.

With Carrick in support, they totally overpowered Liverpool and didn't allow the home team to get hold of the ball.


There will be no match next weekend due to the upcoming round of internationals which is a shame as the break could disturb the momentum that United have built-up. However, on a positive note it will give Robin van Persie the valuable time needed to recover from his injury as his goal scoring feats will be needed for the run in.

As always thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United deliver Spurs a 'knockout punch'.

Manchester United 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Louis van Gaal was unhappy with Rooney getting knocked out in a friendly boxing bout but was pleased that his team delivered an uppercut to Spurs.

Following the bitter disappointment of defeat in the FA Cup at the hands of Arsenal it was the turn of their North London neighbours to visit Old Trafford in an attempt to pour more misery over United.

There was a time when a victory over Tottenham was about as sure a thing as you could imagine for United not so anymore as prior to this match they were without a win in five against the Londoners.

This match was the first of the last ten matches that will define United's season and form a bases for a run of wins needed to obtain that all important top four finish therefore guaranteeing a place in the Champions League.

Still without the injured striker Robin van Persie and with Angel Di Maria serving his ban for grabbing the ref's shirt in the last match Louis van Gaal chose a first team consisting of De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young and Rooney. The substitutes were Lindegaard, Rafael, Blackett, A Pereira, Januzaj, Falcao and Wilson.

There were three changes for United, as Jones, Carrick and Mata come in for Shaw, Rojo and Di Maria. Juan Mata made his first start in the Premier League for Man United since January 17th.

Manchester United was led out by captain Wayne Rooney and his young son Kai as the matchday mascot.

United started the match in a 4-3-3 formation with Rooney in his favoured position up front with Fellaini just behind. Young and Mata were out wide with Carrick and Herrera in the middle and a flat back four with Blind at left back.

United's first chance on goal came after a minute as Ashley Young tried his luck from outside the box which the keeper collected easily.

With only two minutes of play elapsed Phil Jones delivered that dreaded back pass again and almost put de Gea in trouble but thankfully the keeper managed to clear for a corner. When will they ever learn?

In the seventh minute, Rooney burst into the area chasing a great through ball from Young and pulled the ball back aiming for Herrera who just couldn't get there ahead of the Spurs defender.

Then a minute later came the crucial early goal and what a goal. Carrick played a brilliant through ball for Fellaini who took it in his stride and confidently smashed it past keeper Lloris. A fantastic start by United with a sublime pass by Carrick add that together with the Belgian's left-footed finish meant that this was the perfect start for the Red Devils.

In fact, it had been a high tempo start from all the team with the fans also in full voice.

This had been by far the best start by United in a game for a long time with the team attacking full of confidence and their passing was spot on. Again Young was impressive down the left and Carrick in tandem with Herrera controlled everything in the middle.

The second goal came in the 18th minute as a corner was swept over by Mata and was headed back into the danger area by Fellaini when it was cleared straight to Carrick who intelligently lobbed a header over all the defenders and back across goal into the far side of the net. Leading 2-0 and playing with a determination rarely seen recently this was like the United of old.

Carrick's goal was similar if not as crucial to the important header by Steve Bruce against Sheffield Wednesday all those years ago as United headed for their first Premier League title.

On 22 minutes, Young's run almost produced a killer pass into the penalty area but no-one was there to take advantage of his great ball. At this time, it was one-way traffic as Spurs had not even managed a shot on target.

Four minutes later a great cross from Fellaini across the area almost played in Mata but he was just unable to get to it in time. Then the stadium shouted for a penalty for a foul on Mata but unfortunately he had been flagged offside.

Chris Smalling tried to bring the ball forward and it looked like he could go all the way to the opposition box but in the end his final pass was too strong for Rooney.

Mata was the only booking of the match for United after he was cautioned for a foul on 32 minutes. That the only blight on a terrific performance by the home side.

The third goal came in the 33rd minute as Rooney collected a poor pass from Spurs and took on the defenders by himself and once in the box there was no doubt about the outcome as he slotted the ball into the corner of the net. A great individual goal by a forward totally on top of his game. And what can we say about the celebration, 'knockout'.

36 minutes in and again it was Fellaini who caused mayhem down the left as he whipped the ball in for Rooney who scuffed it slightly. That was almost the fourth goal and great link up play between Fellaini and his captain.

On the stroke of half-time, there was still time for Rooney to try his luck from distance but he fired wide. Good job he missed as I doubt he could better his goal celebration.

This was by far the best 45 minutes played by United all season a half full of inventive play and confidence with all the team on top of their game, especially Rooney and Fellaini.

It's truly refreshing to write positively about the side after their recent disappointments. The hope was that they could continue in the same vain in the second-half. With the type of start made by United, the biggest question was where had this team been hiding all season. Spurs had had no shots on goal that's how impressive United had been.

United started the second half attacking the Stretford End with no changes made by van Gaal.
In the 47th minute Spurs had their first clear attempt on goal by Dembele which was high over the bar.

Rooney was on fire and once again in the 48th minute he tried to nod one down for Fellaini, but the ball deflected back into his path at the edge of the area. He couldn't quite wrap his foot around it and strikes it over. As I have said before if only he had been used up front more often in the season who knows where we would have ended up.

United continued with their tidy passing play from the first half and Spurs hardly got a sniff of the ball and when they did United quickly snuffed it out.

In the 51st minute, Rooney tried yet again to lay off a chance to a colleague this time for Blind but the Dutchman dithered a little and the chance was blocked.

Mason should have done better for Spurs a minute later but pulled his shot well wide of de Gea's goal. In all honesty Spurs never looked like scoring or even troubling David de Gea.

Over the next ten minutes United enjoyed a period of passing practice as they fully controlled the game none more so than in the middle of the park with the trio of Carrick, Herrera and Mata impressing.

On the hour mark, Blind almost played Herrera in on goal with a slide rule pass which was unfortunate not to come off.

Another blistering run by Young down the left wing earned United a corner which came to nothing however, credit to Young as he has shown in recent matches the old magic has returned and he looks like a player who is really enjoying his football.

64 minutes and the crowd witnessed a wonderful cross-field pinpoint pass by Rooney straight to Fellaini that started a move which ended with Herrera firing his shot into the side netting. Another move of precision by the Reds which was a joy to watch.

With fifteen minutes left on the clock United had the ball in the back of the net but the flag was up well before Rooney had tucked it away as Herrera was flagged offside, perhaps wrongly, after a long ball over the top. Shortly after the Spaniard had an effort from distance which flew wide.

After 76 minutes, there was a fully deserved standing ovation for Juan Mata as he left the pitch to be replaced by youngster Pereira. It was fantastic to see the reception given to Mata as he made his way down the touchline and towards the tunnel he really is a fan favourite and he put in a performance that merited the applause. Here's hoping that he doesn't have an injury problem.

The second change came in the 82nd minute when Fellaini was taken off and Falcao was given another opportunity. Fellaini, another player who had played his socks off and opened the scoring with aplomb received the second biggest round of applause of the day.

In the 84th minute captain fantastic Rooney was back clearing the defensive lines as Spurs tried to salvage something from the match.

Van Gaal's third and final change of the match was in the final minutes which saw Rafael come on for the impressive Carrick who had fully earned his early rest.

As the match reached it's climax Harry Kane almost squeezed the ball into the net but David de Gea made an improvised save by sitting on the ball, not his greatest save, but it kept a valuable clean sheet.

Disappointing there were no goals in the second half, but that doesn't take anything away from the great performance by the team with no goals conceded and a huge morale-boosting three points ahead of some tricky matches ahead.

Spurs were really poor in the match but in all fairness they couldn't have expected United to play as well as they did today and I think they were as surprised as anyone by the way the home side came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. It would seem that the players have an appetite for achievement this season, after all.

Nine to go and if the Red Devils can keep up the momentum from this match then not only a top four but dare I say a top three finish to the season is a definite possibility. But first there is the small matter of a trip to Anfield to take on our bitter rivals Liverpool.

A repeat of today's performance would be invaluable to the team's confidence for the run in and I fully expect a victory especially with Rooney in his current mood.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Miles Dunton.

FA Cup of woe for United.

Manchester United 1 Arsenal 2

This was the clash of the FA Cup giants a meeting between the two most successful clubs in the illustrious history of the competition as both teams hold the record of 11 wins each.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger had many memorable battles in the cup spanning over fifteen years, but this was Louis van Gaal's first taste of a cup match against the Frenchman.

He of course has already tasted success over the Gunners in the Premier League but could he replicate that feat and take United one step closer to bringing a trophy to Old Trafford in his debut season.

United have played Arsenal a total of 14 times in the FA Cup and have won: 7 drawn: 2 and lost: 5. In fact, Arsenal haven't beaten United in any competition since May 2011 and United had lost only 2 matches of the last 22 so the records were stacked in the home teams favour.

With no Robin van Persie or Jonny Evans to choose from van Gaal made only one change to  the Manchester United starting line-up by bringing in Luke Shaw in place of banned Evans.  The starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria, Fellaini, Young and Rooney. Subs: Valdes, Rafael, Jones, Carrick, Januzaj, Mata and Falcao.

There was a recall for Rafael to the bench which was the first time he has been involved in the first team since the beginning of January.

Once again there was no place in the starting line-up for Juan Mata who surely must feel what his compatriot Ander Herrera went through a few months ago by not being able to get a place in the team and misfiring Colombian Falcao was also left on the bench.

The match started with a full house in fine voice with almost 9,000 visiting fans adding to a great atmosphere inside the Theatre of Dreams.

The match started at a quick pace with end to end attacking football and within the first two minutes Arsenal had their first chance when Sanchez almost opened up the home defence.

One minute later Young was upended on the left wing by Bellerin, who became the first player booked by referee Oliver.  From the resulting free-kick Rooney whipped over the ball but as with many set pieces this season it came to nothing.

Six minutes in and United won their first corner a good delivery which just evaded all the waiting players but on a positive note the home team had started well by moving the ball around with confidence.

Shaw had a chance to break out after an Arsenal corner but failed to bring the ball under control, unlucky as that would have been a great chance for a counterattack as Arsenal had committed so many players upfront for their corner.

Young was causing the right back Bellerin all sorts of problems down the left wing and won a second free-kick which once again Rooney took but to no avail. I would much rather see our captain take up a position in the box to get on the end of the crosses rather than take them himself.

In the 12th minute Smalling slipped the ball through to Fellaini in the box but the Belgian opted to try and take too many touches when the best option would have been to have a shot with his left foot, a definite chance gone.

Some errant passing, which has been a problem for most of the season, began to appear in United's play which allowed Arsenal to create a few chances that luckily they couldn't take advantage of.

After 18 minutes, United's assistant manager Ryan Giggs made his way to the touchline to make his feelings known. No doubt asking his players to step up the pace and stop giving the ball away in dangerous positions.

In the 20th minute, Young was played in by Fellaini but lost his footing as he was about to shoot and the ball sailed wide. Arsenal forward Chamberlain also wasted a great chance for the visitors at the other end by not being able to keep his effort down.

After 25 mins it was turning out to be an open cup tie with chances for both sides but with United being guilty of wasteful passing and it proved their undoing as Arsenal took the lead when their left back Monreal slipped the ball past de Gea after being left totally left unmarked in the penalty area. A terrible goal to concede by United and first blood to the Gunners.

But the lead lasted only four minutes when in the 29th minute after a flowing passing move by United the ball ended up with Di Maria on the right wing and in turn he crossed the ball into the danger area where that man Rooney was waiting unmarked to meet the cross with a fierce header that gave Szczesny no chance.

In equalising Rooney had kept up his fantastic goal scoring record against Arsenal as that was his 14th goal against them and it proved without a doubt that his best position for the team is up front.

Shortly after the goal there was another wicked delivery from Di Maria that the keeper nearly made a total mess of before collecting at the second attempt.

Young showed the confidence in his play of late by constantly trying to take on the defenders down the left in an attempt to assist his forwards.

United's first of six yellow cards came after 36 minutes when Herrera was cautioned after a foul following sloppy work from Di Maria.

In the 40th minute, Rooney almost returned the favour for Di Maria after bringing down the ball with a deft touch and chipping it up for the Argentinian who just couldn't capitalise on the opportunity. Almost immediately, a chance again fell to Di Maria after a great ball from Valencia but Szczesny saved at his near post.

Just before the end of the first-half the excellent de Gea saved a free-kick down low then it was back down the other end as Fellaini tried his luck with a shot which lacked the power to trouble the keeper.

The two teams went in at half-time locked at 1-1 with United conceding a shocking opening goal but all credit to them by finding a quick reply. When United played direct they looked very dangerous but Di Maria looked a little nervous when given chances on goal and just needs to get his game back on track.

Louis van Gaal made two changes at half-time with Carrick and Jones replacing Shaw and Herrera. The experience of Carrick was indeed needed but quite why Jones came on for Shaw I'm not sure.

United attacked the Stretford End as they looked for an early goal to give them some breathing space in the match. Michael Carrick won a free-kick almost immediately but once again Rooney put over a poor delivery when he really should be on the receiving end of the set pieces.

Di Maria chased a through ball in the 51st minute and was unlucky not to be awarded a foul on the edge of the box as he was clipped on the back of the leg, but the referee was unable to see it clearly. Then the action went down the other end but thankfully de Gea was alert to a deflected effort on his goal.

The match had certainly opened up and it really was anybody's game to win.

Over the next ten minutes, the game got bogged down in midfield with both sides guilty of giving the ball away and both set of players making mistakes especially Fellaini who was booked after two successive fouls. Young quickly followed Fellaini into the book after a clumsy tackle.

On the hour, Fellaini spotted Di Maria well and it looked a certain goal but after doing all the hard work he pulled his shot wide.

Then disaster in the 61st minute as Valencia, after a short pass from Jones, played a suicidal back pass to de Gea which United old boy Danny Welbeck latched onto and had the simple task of placing it past the Spaniard. A terrible mistake to make by Valencia and made all the worse by Welbeck being the scorer. Also, Jones has to take responsibility as he only had to hoof the ball away rather than play it to Valencia.

On 64 minutes, Rojo was booked for a dangerous foul which could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be. One minute later from a corner by Di Maria the ball eventually fell to Smalling six yards out, but it came off his knee and went over the bar as the goal was gaping.

The impressive Young delivered a delightful ball from the wing that was met by Fellaini, however, his header was saved by the keeper low at his near post.

With 20 minutes left Valencia almost made his bad night even worse as he gifted Arsenal a free-kick in a dangerous position by bringing Sanchez down on the edge of the box but de Gea saved the resulting free-kick.

Van Gaal made his third and final change after 72 minutes when he replaced Rojo with Januzaj presumably to protect Rojo from receiving a second caution but why throw on Januzaj when someone like Mata would have been a better choice if not just for his experience but also his knack for picking a defensive lock.

Two minutes after the substitution the crowd witnessed a brilliant one handed save from the player of the season David de Gea low at his post. It was a truly world class save from a world class player. Contract?

Then in the 75th minute there was more bad news for United as Angel Di Maria was booked for diving then as he ran after the referee to explain his innocence he grabbed the back of referee Oliver's shirt and was immediately sent off. A strange decision as the same official did nothing after seemingly being head-butted by Man City keeper Hart earlier in the season.

This was now an uphill struggle for United to claw themselves back into the match.

A surging run from Jones ended with a handball by Arsenal right on the edge of the penalty area but as usual Rooney elected to take it himself and couldn't direct his effort on target.

Fellaini became the target man for the long ball into the area. Is this what United have been reduced to trying to pick out the tallest guy on the pitch in the hope he can get his head on it.

In the 86th minute Januzaj became the second player to be booked for diving as he tried to fool the officials when he ran into the area and fell far too easily to ground when he really should have stayed on his feet and tried to create something. I'm still not convinced about the young Belgian and his decision making in games borders on the selfish and this booking backs that up.

The one player I would pay credit to for his work rate is Ashley Young who never stopped trying to start attacks as well as chasing back to help with defensive duties when called upon to do so.

With five minutes of added time left United, with only 10 men, found the going tough and Sanchez almost added a third but for the fingertips of de Gea.

Full time and a very disappointing loss at home and with it the teams last chance of silverware this season. I honestly thought that it would be our year for the cup but in the end it wasn't to be and we will not be going to Wembley.

Now all the focus must be on finishing in a Champions League place and to achieve that United have to get through some big matches between now and the end of the season.

Starting with Spurs at Old Trafford on Sunday. This will not be easy especially when you consider the goal scoring run that Harry Kane is on and the way our defence has been playing lately odds on he will score.

To use an old cliche every match from here until May will be a cup final for United I just hope that the players can pick themselves up from this morally disappointing defeat and push on hard for that all important top four finish then come the summer the manager can clear the decks of all unwanted players and bring in the new quality that we badly need especially in defence.

Thanks for reading what in the end was a difficult piece to write.

Until next time.

Miles Dunton.

Rooney at the double.

Manchester United 2 Sunderland 0

'We cannot deny that at this moment we don’t have a striker who scores 20 goals in the season.' These were the words uttered by Louis van Gaal prior to the match against Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Well, the truth is he does have that striker right under his nose, Wayne Rooney, who proved yet again that his best position in the side is up front where his goal scoring talents belong. His performance against Sunderland should be enough for the manager to keep him there. However, with van Gaal you never know.

After the disappointment of last weeks defeat in Wales, it was back to Old Trafford and the visit of the Black Cats from the North East. Now we enter into the last 12 matches of the Premier League so it was critical to start on another unbeaten run of matches.

There had been some bad and good news on the injury front during the build up to the match with Robin van Persie's ankle injury expected to keep him out for the next few weeks but on the positive side Michael Carrick was training again and was to be included in the squad.

Louis van Gaal's main headache with the team selection was who he would use in the attack as many fans were calling for a Rooney and Wilson strikeforce with others in the Rooney and Falcao corner. In the end, the manager went for the latter.

United's starting eleven: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Evans, Rojo, Blind, Herrera, Young, Di Maria, Rooney and Falcao. Subs: Lindegaard, McNair, Carrick, Fellaini, Mata, Januzaj and Wilson. This side meant five changes for United, with Valencia, Smalling, Evans, Young & Falcao all returning to the side and Fellaini dropped to the bench.

Ander Herrera was most definitely back in the good books as he started yet again but there was not such good news for Juan Mata who has now not started a league game for six weeks, when he was hauled off at half-time against QPR.

It would be interesting to see how United's two center backs Evans and Smalling would perform after coming under scrutiny so many times this season

United started the match attacking the Scoreboard End and facing two former reds in the Sunderland defence Wes Brown and John O'Shea.

Ashley Young started brightly down the left trying his luck with a few early crosses which resulted in a couple of corners the last of which taken by Di Maria was met by Rooney with his head but lacked both power and accuracy.

On 5 minutes Sunderland broke through the middle with Wickham who was allowed without challenge to take the ball a long way into United's half and let fly with a shot that David de Gea thankfully pushed away for a corner.

Shortly afterwards, Rooney gave the ball away deep in his own half and Defoe pounced and tried his luck from distance thankfully it was nowhere near the target. Yet again poor passing and a lack of defensive cohesion in the opening ten minutes made Sunderland look better than they really are and gave them a foothold in the match.

In the 12th minute Falcao made a good claim for a penalty after he seemed to be shoved to the ground inside the area but referee Roger East waved play on and as the ball was cleared Young hit a thunderous volley which went wide but deserved better.

Rooney and Falcao were simply not on the same wavelength as a couple of touches they attempted to each other came to nothing. At one point in the opening exchanges, Falcao was bustled off the ball from which Defoe was given yet another sight of goal this time he was on target but the impressive de Gea was equal to it.

The most infuriating aspect of the game in the early stages was that all the visitors chances originated from United's mistakes and the errors were really basic in nature.

After 19 minutes, it was the turn of Di Maria to misplace a pass straight into the path of the Sunderland attackers which amounted to nothing serious in the end but that's not the point. It's worrying having the defence make mistakes without our world class talent joining in.

As the game evolved you could see that Wes Brown had Falcao totally in his pocket and was marshaling the Colombian well.

At last in the 27th minute a great move down the right started by Di Maria when he played the ball out wide to Antonio Valencia who in turn lashed in a wicked cross which was met at the far post by the impressive Young who let fly with a shot that O'Shea managed to get a touch on and in doing so diverted the ball onto the crossbar and out of danger.

Now United started to get going mainly through Di Maria who won a free-kick 30 yards out which he elected to take himself but ended up going too high over the bar. This season United's set pieces have been really terrible with the record signing being the biggest culprit.

Ashley Young was the star of the half and went close with a typical right footed curler in the 34th minute.

In the 37th minute, another free-kick and this time Rooney fancied his luck but it was easily turned over for a corner by keeper Pantilimon. From the resulting corner, Rojo had a snapshot which almost found it's way through to goal.

Five minutes from half-time and again great work from Young as he crossed low into the box to exactly where Falcao should have been but for some reason the Colombian had run backwards away from the play and the hard work of Young was wasted.

A break from Di Maria in the dying moments of the half ended with the Argentinian electing to pass to Falcao which was a mistake as he should have picked out Young who was totally unmarked inside the box, yet again a poor selection from Di Maria which has been the story of his play of late.

Brown and O'Shea must have been very pleased how the half ended after they had not allowed Rooney and especially Falcao a clear chance on goal proving that experience, not class can win matches.

Half time and at 0-0 it had been another disappointing display from United with a lack of imagination in their game. Everything smacked of desperation which led to panic moments which in turn gave the visitors more chances than they could have believed they would have had.

Falcao spent most of the first half on his backside after being brushed off the ball far too easily and his positioning play was woeful. The only positive was the performance of Ashley Young who tried to instill some urgency into the attacks and was unlucky not to be on the scoresheet.

A quiet crowd as there was really nothing to cheer about even though they did try to rally the team by shouting Attack! Attack! Attack! but that clearly wasn't heard by the players.

Louis van Gaal decided to make a change at the start of the second half by bringing on Adnan Januzaj in place of Angel Di Maria. After under performing in his previous outings, this was a great opportunity for the Belgian to prove his worth.

Right from the start Jonny Evans put a stop to a Sunderland break in the first minute by sticking out his foot just at the right time.

Blind started a good passing move straight down the middle exchanging one-twos with Herrera and Rooney eventually the move broke down but it showed the quality that Blind has as he quietly goes about his job in midfield.

In the 52nd minute there was a move that summed up United's lack of communication as there was a rare misunderstanding between Young and Rojo as the England international played a ball to the space on his left where he thought his colleague would be running into but Rojo had in fact stopped running completely.

After an hour of play van Gaal had seen enough of Falcao and ordered his second Belgian substitute Fellaini to warm up. As he was doing this Valencia won a free kick on the right that Rooney swung over and it was headed clear only to the waiting Januzaj who connected really well but couldn't keep it on target, better from United.

Then in the 63rd minute the complexion of the game changed completely. As Falcao, who was about to be taken off, turned well in the area but was impeded by both Wes Brown and John O'Shea which resulted in a penalty.

Afer a comical few minutes Wes Brown was given his marching orders but took a long time to leave the pitch as he argued correctly that it was, in fact, his defensive partner John O'shea who had committed the foul, not him.

Some two minutes later captain Rooney stepped up and blasted the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

That was the last action Falcao would see as he was hooked off by van Gaal and replaced with Fellaini. Apart from winning the penalty he had done absolutely nothing of worth and I will be surprised if he is not sent back to Monaco at the end of this season unless he starts contributing more to the team.

Good old Ashley Young was still running his socks off down the left-hand side and pinging crosses over into the danger area one of which Januzaj was unlucky not to connect with properly. If any player deserved a goal or assist it was Young.

Leading 1-0 and playing against ten men United started to play with less panic and more confidence by passing the ball around well and in the 72nd minute it almost opened up for Fellaini but he blasted the ball high and wide.

In the following ten minutes, United had corners, free-kicks and crosses to try their luck with but nobody could find the direction to trouble the keeper. Both Smalling and Rojo tried with their heads but to no avail.

On many occasions, Januzaj had the chance to provide telling crosses but selected to shoot from tight angles which clearly infuriated his forwards. He should watch and learn from the likes of Young who had spent all the match trying to set up his teammates rather than chase glory.

The second goal came in the 84th minute when Wayne Rooney scored his second by latching on to a rebound off the keeper with his head from close range after one of those shots by Januzaj. 2-0 and no way back for Sunderland.

With that in mind van Gaal brought on Mata for goal hero Rooney for the last five minutes with one eye on the Newcastle match in midweek.

In the dying seconds, the whole ground thought that Herrera had added a third after Fellaini had missed a great chance but as the ball was put back into the area the Spaniard was just offside. Unlucky for Herrera as that goal would have kept up his good recent scoring record.

In the end a win and three very valuable points gained by United who temporarily moved up into third place in the league. This was a match which on paper seemed fairly straight forward but due to the home team's own mistakes wasn't. Until the penalty decision it was difficult to see where the goals would come from.

The United players seem shackled and lack the ability to express themselves and play with a freedom that would rip opposing teams apart. Maybe when they have the guarantee of Champions League football under their belt they will be released from the tactical responsibilities and finish the season in true style, we can only hope.

If man of the match Ashley Young and captain Wayne Rooney can keep fit and continue in this vein for the run in then United have a chance to finish in one of the Champions League places. The brace were Rooney's first Premier League goals in 2015 and at last he's back in the position where he is the most dangerous but for how long only the manager knows.

Next up is a tricky away trip to St James' Park to take on Newcastle United on Wednesday evening but with Rooney firing again I fully expect United to grab all three points as he has an impressive record against the Magpies having netted 11 times in 18 matches.

Then it's the return of the FA Cup and a big chance to pile the misery on Arsenal who looked terrible against Monaco in the Champions League. It was very pleasing to see former Red Devil Dimitar Berbatov grab a goal against the Gunners in that match.

Thanks again for taking the time to read.

Miles Dunton.