Manchester United earned a scrappy win over West Bromwich at Old Trafford in match week 9. They did not majestically start the 20/21 campaign, recording no home game wins. This was finally their first home win for Ole’s side so far in 9 PL matches. All thanks to Bruno Fernandes’ twice taken penalty. Manchester United would like to take the positives for the upcoming fixtures when they will welcome Istanbul Basaksehir in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday. This win moved them above local arch-rivals Man City into ninth place, on 13 points.
West Bromwich will remain winless so far in this season and are still searching for their first victory. Their frustration was doubled when Manchester United was awarded a penalty for a handball by Furlong. And that came just eight minutes after they had a penalty award overturned by VAR. West Bromwich was unlucky as Callum Robinson went so close for an equalizer. His superb curling had struck the bar in the 65th minute.
Here is a look at five things we learned from the game
Bruno Fernandes saves the day for United again
The Portuguese midfielder has been a great addition to the United’s attacking lineup. He has already scored 14 goals and assisted 10 times since his debut in the Premier League. He had better records yesterday than the rest of United combined.
6 key passes, 3 accurate crosses and 2 accurate through balls. He is definitely the heart of Manchester United.
Matic is not the proper selection for relegated battling teams
The Serbian veteran is undoubtedly a solid CDM for United. But it is not really necessary to play against teams that rely on counter-attacks for most of the times. He is not quick enough to cope against counter-attacks and fails to provide enough creativity against deep blocks. Solskjaer made a mistake in keeping him in the starting line-up. Scott McTominay would have been a better replacement yesterday who can be more energetic on the pitch. And he has been one of the prominents players for Red Devils.
Solid Defense and most importantly a much-needed clean-sheet for Manchester United.
The Spaniard keeper have not had anything much to do barring those two outstanding saves. The Baggies managed just two shots on target with 37% of possession. Harry Maguire has been brilliant with his firm and solid defense yet again. His passings against Iceland in the Nations League was spot-on too. The United fans have started to believe their captain again.
Alex Telles was another United player who was in the limelight. The brazilian had the second highest number of touches with 104, gained critical possession on 12 occasions. He also won 100% of his aerial duels.
https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/alex-telles-makes-old-trafford-debut-in-man-utd-1-west-brom-0
El Matador in place of Martial for the upcoming Manchester United fixtures
He is a kind of lead striker who has the capabilities of hitting in the bull’s eye at any time. Martial who had two shots on target in the first-half is yet to find his mojo. Solskjaer can go for the alternatives when other options are available to him. Cavani’s movement added a new dimension to yesterday’s match. Though he is not amongst the quickest dribblers of the ball but certainly a game-changer. He has the potential to do anything anytime on the pitch when he is on song. He was one of the best players for Paris Saint-Germain.
Sam Johnstone goalkeeping resiliency kept United at bay.
Another Manchester United academy graduate was in prime form with his goalkeeping abilities last night. He denied Martial twice in the early stages of the game. Johnstone has also saved the Fernandes’s penalty but his efforts went in vain. The penalty was retaken as the goalie had come of his line. The Portuguese midfielder made no mistake with the second attempt.
