Abhranil Roy
Man Utd managed to keep the chase on as they beat Watford 2-1 away at Vicarage Road. This win lifted United to 2nd spot on the table, as both Arsenal and Manchester City suffered losses. With a lot of key players out injured, these 3 points will give a lot of encouragement to the Old Trafford outfit. Here are the 3 things we learned from Watford vs. Manchester United:
1. That “United Spirit” Is Still There
After Troy Denni’s equaliser in the 86th minute, the team did not resign themselves to their fate like they used to do previously. They pressed hard even in the dying minutes, passing the ball in front of the Watford box as they looked for an opening. Finally, some good work by Depay and Smalling ensured that Bastian Schweinsteiger could shoot the ball into an open net as the entire Watford team came rushing to block the ball from creeping in. Ultimately, it was Troy Deeni himself who deflected the ball into his own goal, but the pressure and desire United showed after conceding pleased a lot of fans. It’s Louis time, guys!
2. De Gea Is Still Our Main Saviour
David De Gea had been the at the heart of an intense transfer controversy all summer between United and Real Madrid, but we thank our stars that we managed to keep him. The Spanish Goalkeeper was superhuman last night, as he made a string of brilliant saves, the most exquisite of which was the manner in which he pushed away a deflected Watford shot which was creeping in at his near post. Truth be told, De Gea has been a massive reason why United had not conceded a single goal in over 10 hours, and yesterday, he again underlined his class.
3. Philosophy is finally working
The Dutch Manager had drawn a lot of flak for his method of playing, but United have now gone 8 games unbeaten in all competitions, and the players look as of they finally are grasping what they have been asked to do. Mata has contributed a lot at the back. Whenever they were attacking he was ever-present, helping out. Further forward he’s done a lot too.Blind’s flat crosses in the box were outstanding as well, going forward he was too good but defensively, still shaky. It was also good to see Morgan and Basti coming in and playing. And they’ve done well, allowing the attackers to “Attack, Attack, Attack!” just like the United philosophy asks!
