Manchester United
United charges to the top
Manchester United’s win over Sutherland last week shot the Reds to the top of the Barclays Premiere League table. A come-from-behind Champions League victory against Wolfsburg four days later put them in a position to take charge in competitive Group B. Next up Arsenal and the boys are ready to make another statement.
With a history like Manchester United’s – a club with a record 20 English league titles – being on top is a familiar place. But it’s a place the Boys from Old Trafford haven’t been since the end of the 2012-13 season. Now coach Louis van Gaal’s men have charged back up the table, making a clear statement with last week’s 3-0 win over Sutherland.
If you think about it, United never really left the upper echelon’s of England’s top league, ‘bottoming out’ at 7th place in the 2013-14 campaign, only to climb back and end the 2014-15 season in respectable 4th position. That effort reopened the doorway to Europe’s league of champions.
United 3, Sunderland 0
With strikes from Memphis, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, the Reds dispatched a stubborn Sunderland outfit in a hard-fought Old Trafford battle. Though it took the boys until deep into injury time in the first half before Memphis found the back of the net, giving United a crucial lead at intermission.
Rooney opened the second half with a quick goal to double the Reds’ advantage. Though this put the team in a comfortable position for the remainder of the match, Sutherland remained stubborn. Mata wrapped things up in the 90th minute, which, according to van Gaal, made the score: “a more accurate reflection of the game.”
Will Mata’s aweseom assist rank among the #LegendaryAssists of all time?
United 2, Wolfsburg 1
After having lost the opening Group B match at PSV Eindhoven earlier in the month, the Reds needed to ride the momentum to a positive result in match day two. Germany’s 2014-15 Bundesliga runners up obviously had a different agenda, and fans witnessed a disappointing start. Wolfsburg’s Daniel Caligiuri demonstrated poise inside the penalty box with a brilliant finish to get David De Gea.
United answered just moments later with attempts by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Juan Mata that brought the crowd to its feet. After that the Reds stayed on the attack as the visiting Germans held a deep defensive line to protect their lead – and it paid off. A cross from Mata met Caligiuri’s arm inside the area and United were rightfully awarded a penalty – a shot the Spaniard made with ease to even the score at one apiece.
United quickly grabbed the lead early in the second half from an unlikely source. Chris Smalling found the back of the net in the 53th minute off Mata’s superb backheel. Though the closing stage of the game turned into a nervous one as the chances diminished and the pressure mounted, the Reds successfully fended off the Germans to grab their first points in this Champions league campaign.
“We want to make a statement and show everyone that we deserve to be in first place.” (United’s Morgan Schneiderlin)
Adversary Arsenal
With Manchester United out in front and rival Arsenal only three points behind, today’s Premier League match up is a critical table-top contest for both teams. While United carries momentum off two consecutive home-field wins, Arsenal snagged a big victory at Leicaster City last weekend to catapult themselves into 4th place. And though the Gunners are coming off a disappointing Champions League loss against Olympiacos, they are no less motivated to continue their climb up the Premier League table – maybe more so after now two losses to open the Champions League campaign.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger puts it this way: “We learn from victory and we learn from defeat. There are three points between the teams [Arsenal and United], we play at home in a big game. We have just come from a big win at Leicester and we want to continue our run.”
If you believe Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin, then he and the boys will be charging out of the gate today in North London. “It is up to us to make a statement on Sunday,” he says. “We know we can win this game and it is going to be a battle. We want to show everyone that we deserve to be in first place.”
Charge on United, we believe.
Read more Manchester United stories.
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