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| Van Gaal knew his side weren't at their best, but Watford could only create three chances |
NO ROONEY. No Martial. But at least there’s still Memphis Depay.
You expect something a little bit special when you splash out £25 million for a 21-year-old but Louis Van Gaal has found it hard to bottle up his frustrations with his big money summer signing.
Depay has been shunned since he was hauled off at half time during the 3-0 defeat against Arsenal at the beginning of last month.
Restricted since then to 71 minutes in the Capital One Cup and a couple of brief sub outings against Champions League opponents CSKA Moscow, his manager warned him unless he bucked up his ideas he would end up as another expensive Old Trafford flop belong to the same under-achievers club as Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao.
It took the young Dutchman only 11 minutes to produce a glimpse of the talent that saw him named as the best young player in the world and how United needed it
It was a superb finish, stunning enough to have injured teammate Anthony Martial tweet: “Yeah my Man I’m happy for you” within seconds of the shot hitting the back of the net!
But it almost looked as if there was going to be an unexpected ending.
Everyone else had departed down the tunnel as Hornets’ skipper Troy Deeney walked to every corner of Vicarage Road, applauding his own fans after a dramatic final four minutes.
Having served three months inside, Deeney knows how tough life can be and, with half a dozen of his prison mates as his special guests, he will be able to cope easily enough with the highs and lows of a Premier League finale like this.
He’d become the first player to score against United in six hours and 37 minutes. And Watford were still basking in a snatched point after he had hammered an 87th minute penalty – awarded for a clumsy Marcos Rojo foul on Odion Ighalo – beyond David De Gea when United struck back.
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| Memphis started up front on his own, and repaid Van Gaal's faith with a goal |
Trying to prevent Bastian Schweinsteiger’s follow-up to Heurelho Gomes’ one-handed save from Jesse Lingard, Deeney slid in, taking the ball with him over the line.
Last season’s top scorer had been everywhere, hooking a dangerous effort clear and then trying to stop the winner crossing the line.
Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores was upset at the final whistle: “It was very painful to lose like that. When we scored the goal you feel it’s possible to take one point. To lose that point is very hard, very hard.”
And he also had plenty of sympathy for his captain: “Like always, Deeney is very brave. He was fighting every moment and in every part of the pitch and he was unlucky with the own goal, but that’s football.”
Even German midfielder Schweinsteiger admitted: “There was a bit of luck but we are happy to get the three points.
"You have to sniff a little bit of danger, the angle was not so easy but of course he touched the ball.”
Watford fans will feel cheated – but United always seemed to have that extra gear despite all the second half pressure.
Van Gaal pointed out: “I was very satisfied with our defensive organization – we didn’t give more than three chances away, one in the first half and two in the second half.
“We could have finished the game much earlier and after the penalty you saw the spirit.
“We created three chances in a row and I’m very proud I am manager of that team.”
The Hornets weren’t at the races for nearly an hour and then they came up against the rock that is De Gea.
Watford finally sparked into life with a 56th minute charging run down the left by sub Nathan Ake whose pull back was met perfectly by Deeney but virtually straight at the Spanish keeper.
It might not have brought the equaliser but at least it roused the home fans and Ighalo saw a scissor kick hit a defender.
As the Hornets cranked up the pressure, Chris Smalling blocked Etienne Capoue’s effort and then De Gea’s razor-sharp reflexes saw him get a hand to Almen Abdi’s deflected shot and then he was perfectly positioned to catch another Deeney pile driver.
Earlier Gomez had been the hero – clawing away Jesse Lingard’s goalbound effort after he’d been set free by the revitalised Depay.
The Brazilian pulled off an even better stop to deny Chris Smalling a minute from the end of normal time but there was nothing he could do about United’s winner that took them, at least briefly, back to the top of the table.
Van Gaal enthused over Depay: "The goal was a superb goal. He finished it very well.
"I think in the first half he played a very good game, in the second half a little bit less because he was six weeks or more out of the team and I can understand than.
"He played a very good match, the way we have played today for him and Jesse Lingard it suits them. Now we know we can play in another system but we have to improve our positional game."
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.
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