 |
| Van Gaal had to rely on a late own goal, from a Schweinsteiger cross, to get the win |
LATE goals were the trademark of Sir Alex Ferguson and now Louis van Gaal has been ordering his crop of Manchester United stars to follow suit.
Troy Deeney's last minute own goal gave United a vital victory at Watford that, despite their uninspiring displays, keeps them firmly in title contention.
They even went top for a short period prior to Leicester's win at Newcastle to give themselves a familiar look. And there is nothing that says 'Manchester United' more than a dramatic late goal, even if Fergie Time is now consigned to history.
Deeney was the unfortunate man after Bastian Schweinsteiger has retrieved the ball after Heurelo Gomes denied Jesse Lingard.
Deeney had looked like earning Watford a point with a penalty after Memphis Depay had opened the scoring. But then the United of old came into action.
"The manager has reinforced that it is about 90+4, 90+5, definitely," said Lingard. "The thing about United is we have a fighting spirit and are always known for comebacks. We saw that again here.
"Is it Louis Time instead of Fergie Time now? Yeah you can say that if you want
 |
| Memphis led the line in place of the injured Rooney |
"The players know what they need to do and it is great to get the win.
"We did not let our heads drop. We just needed to plug on for five minutes.
"It was massive but we need to stay there now. We want to put a bit more pressure on the top now. But it was a good feeling.
"It's traditionally a good time of year for us. As long as we get enough wins as we can over Christmas that's the main thing."
This victory was especially impressive given United are ravished by injuries and lost two more in the shape of Ander Herrera and Phil Jones and the pair will miss Wednesday's Champions League clash with PSV. But Wayne Rooney should return after illness.
This was harsh on a Watford side who battled gamely and caused United problems with a more direct second half style. Marcos Rojo conceded the penalty clumsily fouling Odion Ighalo. Captain Deeney became the villain though after scoring, although manager Quique Flores was quick to back him afterwards.
"For us he is like the soul of the team," he said. "He represents values that we want for ourselves at Watford.
"He's fighting all the time, he's pushing his teammates all the time, he's everywhere on the pitch, so he's very important for us."
Watford: Gomes 7; Nyom 6 (Paredes (68) 6), Cathcart 6, Britos 6, Anya 6; Abdi 6, Capoue 7, Watson 5, Jurado 5 (Ake (46th) 6); Ighalo 6, Deeney 7.
Man Utd: De Gea 7; Young 6, Jones 7 (McNair (69) 6) Smalling 6, Blind 6; Depay 8, Schneiderlin 7, Herrera 6 (Rojo (25) 6), Schweinsteiger 7, Mata 7 (Pereira (78)); Lingard 7.
Star Man: Memphis Depay – a sublime finish for the opener and plenty of flashes of true genius.
Ref: B.Madley.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus