After the start to the season that Manchester United supporters have had to endure; this week has been such a relief to Red Devils everywhere. Although the performance at the weekend was not entirely convincing, it was still a fantastic victory against a Stoke City side that can be extremely difficult to break down.
On Saturday United came up against a Stoke team managed by former striker Mark Hughes. Stoke are a side notorious for conceding very few goals, whilst not scoring many down the other end either. This result however was to go against both of these ideas as United conceded early to a scrappy Peter Crouch goal. The equaliser didn’t come until just before the end of the first half through the prolific Robin Van Persie. However Marko Arnautovic cracked home a free kick for the visitors to hand the lead back to them in the final throes before the half time whistle.
It was looking ominous for David Moyes’ men with it looking like being another disappointing defeat against mediocre opposition. That was until club legend Wayne Rooney, who is in the form of his life, headed home to level matters at 2-2 before Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez popped up to score the winner just minutes later; nodding home a Patrice Evra cross. From the brink of defeat came an inspiring victory with three goals scored against what is usually a top defence, though two goals conceded will not please anyone. A win is a win however and United now lie just one point behind arch-rivals Manchester City.
Fast forward to midweek and there came another tough test against Norwich City in the Capital One Cup. Given that United were sure to rotate the squad and rest some of the big names; it was a tough game to call. However, the result was quite the opposite as Moyes’ men ran out 4-0 victors to book a place in the quarter-finals, with the goals coming thanks to a Hernandez brace, Phil Jones and Fabio.
Two positive results in the space of four days is bound to fill the camp with confidence and help to get United’s turbulent title challenge back on track. Other positives include Wilfried Zaha’s first appearance since the Community Shield in August and Darren Fletcher’s long-awaited return from ulcerative-coalitis for the U21 side, who also played in midweek.
All in all, things are looking up for Man United after a series of wobbles and a serious push for automatic Champions League qualification is on the cards if the points continue to flow. A few new faces in January could make all the difference; if only Ed Woodward could be more pro-active in his negotiations this time around.
Remember; In Moyes We Trust has to be a slogan that United fans everywhere stick to; for he will bring glory, as long as the fans stay patient and recognise that it may happen this season, but it will come.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on twitter @OllieMUFCHall. Give the site a follow while you’re at it – @LastWordOnSport and like our Facebook Page.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans at r/football or with our new IRC football Chat.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? Find more info at our “Join Our Team” page.
