Mata Secures United Win

Norwich City 0 Manchester United 1

Manchester United kept up their pursuit of a top-four finish thanks to a Juan Mata strike in a game that was short on chances and poor in quality.

Norwich desperately needed a win to have any chance of staying in the Premier League whereas United looked to gain another three points to hang on to the tails of the teams sat above them.

Louis van Gaal made wholesale changes to his starting line-up including a forced change after Martial complained of not feeling fit during the warm up. It was the same situation that gave youngster Rashford his big opportunity that he took so well against Arsenal.  However, the manager decided against making the same swap this time around.

Starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Darmian, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Lingard, Memphis and Rooney.

With the midweek game against West Ham on the horizon van Gaal decided to rest Blind and used a center-back pairing of Smalling and Rojo with Valencia and Darmian as full backs. In midfield, there were recalls for Mata and Herrera with Rooney used as the lone forward. Memphis was handed a rare start in a season he would want to forget in a hurry.

On a bright East Anglian day, Norwich  got the game underway with the brilliant Red army of supporters in fine voice celebrating the fact that United were going to Wembley and the Canaries were on their way to the Championship.

The Red Devils dominated the game at the start without any urgency and seemed happy to try and control the game and nullify the home side and their fans. However, it was the home team that came the closest to scoring when as early as the fourth minute Jerome looked odds-on to score, but there was United's player of the season David De Gea to literally put his body on the line for the cause to superbly block the headed effort.


United full back Darmian became an early casualty as he was stretchered off following a clash with Pinto and had to be replaced by Borthwick-Jackson.

Just before the half-hour mark Smalling rose the highest for a corner and powered a header inches over the bar to register the closest chance of the match up to that point for the Reds.

Not for the first time in a season low on goal scoring chances United pressed high up the field and played some nice passes around the edge of the oppositions penalty area without actually creating an opening, frustrating to say the least.

The away side were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area after Lingard was upended. The resulting kick was taken by Memphis who blasted the ball straight into the wall. Yet another wasted free kick by a player who should do better when the opportunity arises in those situations.

As half time approached Memphis stretched his legs down the left wing and his run took him into the penalty area where he was tackled all too easily and the attack broke down. That summed up the Dutch wingers season.

Half time and the two teams were locked at 0-0 in a half that was so lacklustre van Gaal was probably wearing shades to hide the fact that he had nodded off in the sunshine.

The main talking point had to be the injury to Italian defender Darmian and the hope that it would turn out not to be as serious as it had initially appeared as he joined the bench for the remainder of the match wearing a brace on his injured left ankle.

United started the second half having made no changes and immediately went on the attack as they tried to find the all-important opening goal and it was Herrera who came the closest as he volleyed his snap shot into the side netting.

The Under 21 player of the season Borthwick-Jackson made some decent forays down the left unfortunately, Memphis wasn't on the same wavelength as the youngster.

In the opening quarter of an hour, United were camped in Norwich's half as they searched for just one break but Norwich held firm as they had to if they wanted any chance of staying in the top flight.

Mata and Herrera were as industrious as ever but you could see that they needed more of a threat to aim for up front as Rooney laboured on his own. It seemed that if a goal was forthcoming it would be one of the Spaniards who would be heavily involved.

Rojo was next to try his luck with a header from a corner but it bounced wide of the far post.

Norwich did, at last, get the home crowd on their feet when they pressed the United defence in a two-minute spell which amounted to, basically, nothing.

Eventually United's approach play paid off in the 71st minute when Valencia played a long ball out of defence which Rooney collected and purposely strode into the box as soon as he realised he didn't have an opening he cleverly spun around and delivered the ball on a plate for Mata whose left-footed strike gave the keeper no chance and put United into a deserved lead.

Van Gaal decided the time was right for a change and replaced Lingard with Schneiderlin for the last fifteen minutes. Interestingly, prior to the goal forgotten man Januzaj was about to make his entrance. That all changed once Mata had scored.

Memphis once again flattered to deceive on the left wing as he squandered two opportunities to play decent crosses to his teammates much to the despair of Rooney and Mata who had made excellent runs to get on the end of the expected ball that never materialised.

There was a clear chance for Schneiderlin to seal the game after Rooney had set him up, but unfortunately he pulled his shot well wide.

The last change of the match saw the impressive Fosu-Mensah come on for Carrick in the last few minutes which produced smiles on the away bench as once again Januzaj was stripped and ready for action only for van Gaal to have a change of mind.

There was one last chance for the away side after goal hero Mata was unceremoniously dumped on his backside. Memphis took the resulting free kick and came within a whisker of adding a second.

The last shot of the game fell to Herrera who hit his effort high and wide which summed up the quality of the match both sets of fans had been forced to witness.

Full time and another important win and three points for United in their quest for a finish in the top four. So many times this season it has been said that the result was more important than the performance, which has never been more so than in this match. For all the possession United enjoyed they still made hard work of killing of a team that in ninety minutes only troubled De Gea once.

It's difficult to choose a player for the man of the match after so many below average performances, so Valencia gets the nod for his effort. Maybe Januzaj should get a special mention for at least providing the entertainment by taking the time to get ready for action, not once, but twice only not to be used at all.

With two matches left to play, United will be sweating on how local rivals City get on at home to Arsenal before their trip to play West Ham in mid-week for the last ever match at Upton Park when the Hammers will be aiming for revenge for the FA Cup defeat United inflicted on them last month.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Pressure Mounts On United.

Manchester United 1 Norwich City 2

It never rains but it pours.

Rain lashed Old Trafford couldn't provide a hiding place for Louis van Gaal and his side as the Canaries flew in and stole all the three points to pile the pressure on the Dutchman's broad shoulders.

It should have been a welcome return to the comfort of Old Trafford for United. Unbeaten at the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League this season they hosted newly promoted Norwich City who started the day in the bottom three so they couldn't possibly have posed a serious threat to United's aspirations.

Wait a minute! That's exactly what everyone said last week prior to the away match to another promoted side Bournemouth and we all know too well what happened there. It is the first time in 69 years that United have lost back to back matches against promoted sides.

This time round, things looked a lot rosier for the home team prior to the match with the return to the side of Smalling, Jones, Young and Rooney, who made a landmark 500th appearance for the Red Devils.

The starting XI was composed of: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Jones, Blind, Carrick, Mata, Fellaini, Memphis, Rooney and Martial.

The expectations from all quarters were high in a fixture that United had won at Old Trafford by the same scoreline, 4-0 on the last three occasions the teams had met.

United started the match in an attacking frame of mind and with Young filling in at right wing-back it provided an option the team haven't had in the last few matches with his forays down the right wing offering width to the play.

The home side thought they had taken the lead as early as the ninth minute after some nice interchanging play on the left-hand side of the visitors penalty area that ended in Rooney sticking the ball in the net only to be ruled offside. However, the intent was there from the home team for all to see.

Carrick was the holding midfield player which was a fairly easy job as Norwich lacked conviction going forward which allowed Fellaini and Mata to be involved in every attack.

As Norwich had clearly come to defend and wait for the counter it was an opportunity for United to push numbers forward to look for that confidence boosting opener.

If anything, United became a little over ambitious in attack with some players rushing the forward pass rather than taking the time to deliver a quality final ball.

As the match approached the half-hour it had all been United who had enjoyed the lion's share of possession and was performing better than in recent outings all they needed was a cool head to steady the ship in the final third.

Blind worked well down the left-hand side and provided some excellent deliveries that in all fairness, both Smalling and Fellaini should have done better with.

Rooney almost played Memphis in on goal with the pass of the match so far with a delightfully curled ball into the penalty area. Then a corner from Blind somehow evaded three forwards who were all waiting to pounce inside the visitor's six-yard box. The Reds were getting closer with each attack.

Then five minutes from half-time Norwich proved that they clearly hadn't read the script and caught United flat footed at the back as Jerome fired the visitors into a lead that nobody saw coming but could not be completely surprised by.

If one player should be blamed for the goal, then it has to be Phil Jones, whose rash lunge into an attempted tackle while Norwich attacked left his side in all kinds of disarray. He really didn't need to commit himself into the challenge and his basic error cost his team and it's not the first time he has been shown up in that way.

Half-time and there was a deflated feeling among the faithful as boos rang around the famous ground as the players trudged off the pitch heads hung, but in all fairness, this had been a better display from United and surely all the forward momentum would pay dividends in the second half to turn the match on its head.

Attacking the famous Stretford End United started the second half in the rain with a point to prove and that was if they had the desire, belief and commitment in themselves to turn things around.

It was the visitors who started the half with a spring in their step as if they had a new found belief that United was there for the taking and it was that man again Jerome, who rubbed salt into United's wounds by feeding his teammate Tettey who toe poked a strike past a despairing David De Gea to put the visitors into a two-goal lead.

Once again part of the problem was Jones who was woefully caught out at the back and was left wanting as Rooney lost possession on the half way line.

An uphill struggle had turned into a mountain to climb for van Gaal's side one that they didn't look like achieving based on recent outings.

The hour mark saw the introduction of fans' favourite Herrera in place of the disappointing Fellaini. A change that was met with huge cheers.

Six minutes later Martial pulled a goal back for United after he had fought well in the box to win the ball and smacked it into the back of the net. After the ball landed at his feet from a Rooney flick the French youngster showed great ball control to work himself a shot that gave the home side a new belief.

Since the introduction of Herrera, United looked a more dangerous side with the Spaniard providing the spark that was needed while his side were on the attack. His compatriot Mata came agonisingly close with a free kick that looked for one second that it would bend low into the net until the keeper Rudd managed to beat it away.

Norwich almost made it three and would have if it hadn't been for a save by De Gea low down to his left following an effort from Mulumbu. At the other end, it was the same old sad story of overhit crosses and wayward passes that blighted United's chances of finding a leveller. Smalling did have one last chance to grab a late point, but it wasn't to be.

The game was a lost cause for United and it now throws up a serious doubt about not only their title credentials, but also on the state of the team and where they go from this point on.

It's hard to put a finger on what the problem is but the pressure seems to be clearly playing on the players' minds as they struggled to break down yet another defence and seemed bereft of ideas which have to stem from the training ground.

Not only are the forwards still struggling to find the net, seven shots on target in their last four Premier League home games, but now the usually reliable defence has started to leak goals. Granted, they had the liability of Jones playing at the back, but even so something is not right when a team of internationals can't beat Norwich at home.

This was United's third defeat in a row and now they are without a win in the last six games it doesn't bode well for the upcoming final fixtures of 2015 Stoke City away and Chelsea at home.

Thanks to all my readers and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Miles Dunton.