Leicester City vs Man Utd

Leicester City 1- 1 Man Utd


Jamie Vardy wrote his name into Premier League
history by scoring for the 11th successive game - but
both Leicester City and Manchester United missed the
chance to go top of the table with this draw at King
Power Stadium.
Vardy, wearing golden boots, went into this game
hoping to eclipse former United striker Ruud van
Nistelrooy's record, set across two seasons in 2003.
And he savoured his moment in the 24th minute,
running on to Christian Fuchs' pass to send a low,
powerful finish past United keeper David de Gea.
Bastian Schweinsteiger headed United's equaliser right
on half-time and despite plenty of energy from both
sides after the break, the stalemate leaves Manchester
City at the Premier League summit.
Relive Leicester's draw with Manchester United
Vardy's golden run the perfect example
Man of the day - and of the season so far - irrespective
of the result was Vardy as he scored the goal that
wrote his name in the Premier League record books.
Leicester City's 28-year-old striker has been a man on
a mission since the start of the season and if the
weight of expectation he carried into this game was
any sort of burden, he carried it lightly.
There was not a trace of nerves as he darted between
two United defenders and on to Fuchs' pass to race
clear and beat goalkeeper David de Gea with a precise
finish.
As the King Power Stadium rocked to a crescendo of
noise and Vardy took the acclaim, it was time to reflect
on the sort of finish that has become his trademark in
a golden season for the striker who has made his way
from Stocksbridge Park Steel in the non-league to
England recognition and history maker.
There were just two passes
in the counter attack that
led to Vardy's record-
breaking goal
Vardy took Fuchs' pass in his stride and fired an
unerring low finish past De Gea - and the tributes came
instantly from the football world.
What a story - and what an example to any youngsters
or non-league players fighting their way up the ladder.
And the run may not be over yet.
Rooney's struggles continue
England captain Rooney suffered another game of toil
and struggle before he was substituted by Louis van
Gaal after 67 minutes.
Rooney was withdrawn in
the second half, just the
second time Van Gaal has
replaced him this season
Rooney, 30, has had his worth continually questioned
this season - both for club and country - and he did
nothing here to dismiss the claims that he has lost
many of his former formidable powers.
He looked off the pace as United struggled to get any
rhythm, although he was not alone there, and took a
couple of hefty bangs before he was replaced by
Memphis Depay.
Rooney was not lacking effort, it was the inspiration
and spark that was missing and he did not look like
rediscovering it.
Can Leicester keep mixing it at the top?
If Vardy is the man of the Premier League season,
then Leicester City have been the team of the season -
but can they keep it going?
It hardly takes huge expertise or insight to work out
that so much depends on the form and fitness of
Vardy - his pace, work-rate and goals give Claudio
Ranieri's side an extra dimension.
Leicester manager Claudio
Ranieri insists his side's
target remains to reach the
40-point mark
Players of Vardy's pace make even the best defences
take a step back, instantly allowing others to profit
from the space created by his threat.
Leicester have plenty of other things going for them
though - especially the raw talent, pace and
unpredictability of the outstanding Riyad Mahrez.
He has rivalled Vardy for the headlines this season and
is a potent threat, currently fuelled by a combination of
neat adrenalin and confidence.
Ranieri has ditched his "Tinkerman" style in favour of
stability and here at the King Power Stadium you get
football in the raw, with the Foxes backed by a noisy,
fanatical support only too happy to ride the wave that
has been this Premier League season.
Put that together and - while it is a stretch to suggest
they will be serious title challengers - this season still
holds huge potential for Leicester City.
'You have to win these games'
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri: "I'm very, very
happy. We wanted to win today, but also we wanted to
help Jamie achieve the record. Well done to my players
for helping Jamie Vardy to score.
"The whole team are in very good physical condition
and they have a good mentality. They want to do their
best until the end, and if the opponent is better than us
on the day then well done to the opponent.
"Our first priority remains 40 points - that is our goal, to
keep us in the Premier League. As soon as we get
there we can look to take another step."
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal: "I am very
disappointed. It was a feeling that we could have won
this game and we didn't. We gave the goal away and
the other chances we had we gave away as well.
"We could have lost as well in spite of our dominance
and I think we you want to be the champion at the end
of the season, and the players, managers and
supporters all want that, you have to win these kind of
games.
"We created not so many chances but that was also
because there were many chances in a very compact
pitch."
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Vardy continued his
remarkable goal-scoring
run as he wrote himself
into the history books
The stats you need to know
Vardy's 14 goals make him the highest scoring
Leicester player in a single Premier League
season, one above Tony Cottee who scored 13 in
1999-2000.
Manchester United (and David de Gea) conceded
from open play in the Premier League for the
first time in 545 minutes.
Bastian Schweinsteiger netted his first goal since
May for Bayern Munich against Mainz -
Leicester's Shinji Okazaki was playing for Mainz
that day.
Christian Fuchs registered his first assist in the
Premier League for Jamie Vardy's goal,
becoming the seventh Austrian to provide an
assist for a Premier League goal.
Two of Daley Blind's three Premier League
assists have come against Leicester.
What's next for both sides?
Manchester United play at home to West Ham in the
Premier League on Saturday, before travelling to
Wolfsburg for a game they must win if they are to be
certain of reaching the Champions League knockout
stages.
Leicester play away to Swansea in the Premier League
next Saturday, before playing Chelsea in a Monday
night kick-off, nine days later.

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Man Utd vs PSV

MANCHESTER UNITED 0 PSV
EINDHOVEN 0
- Rooney seeks ruthless streak after stalemate
- Van Gaal disappointed by missed opportunity
- How things stand in Champions League Group B
25 November 2015 | Old Trafford | Attendance:
75,321

Manchester United's bid to reach the Champions
League knockout stages will go to the final
matchday after PSV Eindhoven battled their way to
a goalless draw at Old Trafford.
Louis van Gaal’s men dominated the proceedings
but found the Dutch visitors in resolute form, with
goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet denying the likes of
Anthony Martial on several occasions.
The result leaves United in second place in Group
B, one point behind leaders Wolfsburg, who beat
CSKA Moscow earlier in the evening, and a point
ahead of PSV. The Reds travel to Germany in two
weeks’ time, with the top three teams still in
contention to qualify.
Van Gaal made four changes to the side that beat
Watford, with Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo
plus fit-again Martial and Wayne Rooney coming in
for Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Ander Herrera and
Juan Mata.
United saw nearly all of the ball early in the game
but were unable to create any clear-cut openings.
Off the pitch, the seventh minute heralded a
touching visual tribute to a club icon as fans
around the ground switched on their smartphone
torches to mark the 10th anniversary of George
Best’s passing.
The Reds’ first real opening came in the 20th
minute, when Darmian was released down the right
and whipped over a dangerous cross that was
fingertipped away by Zoet, with Rooney poised to
pounce. The United captain then found a well-
placed Jesse Lingard inside the box but the winger
miscontrolled the ball and the opportunity slipped
by.
Morgan Schneiderlin came within inches of opening
the scoring on the half-hour mark as he prodded
Daley Blind’s corner goalwards but Zoet dropped
onto the ball on his line. David De Gea was called
into action for the first time soon after, making a
flying save to clutch Jorrit Hendrix’s attempted
curler after a swift PSV counter-attack.
Ten minutes before the break, Lingard’s shot was
deflected into Martial’s path but the Frenchman’s
effort inside the box was kicked away by Zoet.
Rooney then pounced on Zoet’s slip on the edge of
his box but the PSV stopper forced United’s
skipper wide and recovered his ground to avert the
danger. Just before the interval, Memphis fed
Martial on the left of the box but Zoet again denied
the striker.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : United 66% PSV 34%
Shots at goal : United 9 PSV 3
Shots on target: United 6 PSV 2
Corners: United 6 PSV 2
The Reds started the second half on the front foot
and Schneiderlin powered a header just over from
Blind’s corner, before Lingard glanced Martial’s
cross narrowly wide. At the other end, Luuk de
Jong beat Blind on the right-hand side of the box
but flashed his shot over.
Van Gaal made a double substitution on the hour
mark, bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Young for
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Memphis, but the
visitors continued to frustrate United, sitting deep
and occasionally looking to hit the hosts on the
break, with Chris Smalling crucially blocking
Santiago Arias’ cross at the end of one such foray
forward.
Lingard spurned a great chance to break the
deadlock with just under 20 minutes remaining,
firing a first-time shot over from inside the box
after good work on the right by Young. And despite
the late introduction of Mata, that proved to be the
Reds’ best opportunity in the closing exchanges,
meaning the club's Champions League fate will be
decided in Germany in a fortnight.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : United 61% PSV 39%
Shots at goal : United 13 PSV 8
Shots on target: United 7 PSV 4
Corners: United 9 PSV 3
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea; Darmian (Mata 85), Smalling,
Blind, Rojo; Schweinsteiger (Fellaini 58),
Schneiderlin; Lingard, Rooney, Memphis (Young 58);
Martial.
Subs not used: Romero, McNair, Pereira, Wilson.
Booked: Lingard.
PSV Eindhoven: Zoet; Arias, Bruma, Moreno,
Brenet; Propper, Hendrix (Isimat 60), Guardado;
Narsingh (Pereiro 18), De Jong, Locadia.
Subs not used: Pasveer, Schaars, Maher, Poulsen,
Bergwijn.
Booked: De Jong, Arias.
MATCH REACTION
Van Gaal : "We could have qualified and it's a big
disappointment for the players. We have to win in
Wolfsburg now and that's a difficult game, but
everything is possible."
Rooney: "I think we need to score more goals as a
team. It's a learning curve for us but we can't stay
on a learning curve; we have to start converting
these games into victories."

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Watford Vs Man Utd

WATFORD 1 MANCHESTER UNITED
2
-Van Gaal hails never-say-die spirit
- Goal meant a lot to Bastian
- De Gea earns MOTM award
- Blog - relive our live match coverage
Scorers: Deeney (pen) 87; Memphis 11, Deeney o.g
90 | 21 November 2015 | Vicarage Road |
Attendance: 20,702
Despite a raft of injuries, picked up before and
during the visit to Watford, Manchester United
earned a dramatic 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road
with Memphis Depay scoring on his return to the
side and Bastian Schweinsteiger playing his part in
an injury-time winner.
In a game dominated by Louis van Gaal’s men in
the first half and controlled by the Hornets in the
second, Memphis's fine first-half goal and an own
goal from Troy Deeney, who had equalised for
Watford, secured a vital win and, at least
temporarily, took United top of the table. David De
Gea’s part in the win cannot be overlooked either
after a string of top saves from the Spanish
stopper.
Van Gaal made four changes to the side that
started the Reds' last match against West Brom,
with Phil Jones, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander
Herrera and Memphis all coming in. They replaced
the injured pairing of Michael Carrick and Anthony
Martial, Wayne Rooney, who is ill, and Marcos Rojo,
who was named on the bench after a long journey
back from South America for international duty.
After recently including youngsters Axel Tuanzebe
and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson in his matchday
squad, van Gaal named two more prospects among
the substitutes - striker Marcus Rashford and
midfielder Sean Goss.
Another homegrown talent who has impressed so
much in recent weeks, Jesse Lingard, got United
on the attack from the off, and was inches away
from connecting with Juan Mata’s right-wing cross
with just a minute on the clock. And it wasn’t long
before the Reds took the lead.
The danger came down the right once more as
former Watford man Ashley Young found Ander
Herrera and his first-time cross was brilliantly
volleyed into the top corner by Memphis.
United were well in control of proceedings but
breathed a sigh of relief on 21 minutes when Young
had the ball taken off his toes by Etienne Capoue
who sprinted forward. Watford found themselves
with two against one as Capoue found Odion
Ighalo, but the striker shot wide.
The Reds lost Herrera to what looked like a
hamstring injury soon after, with Rojo coming on to
join Chris Smalling, captain for the day with Rooney
and Carrick both out, and Phil Jones in a makeshift
back three. Not long after coming on, Rojo sent a
ball into the box which bounced around before
eventually dropping to Schneiderlin who smashed a
volley just over the bar.
The French midfielder went close again just after
the half-hour mark when Bastian Schweinsteiger
flicked a corner across the box only for Troy
Deeney to acrobatically flick it away to prevent
Schneiderlin tapping home at the back post.
Memphis almost doubled his and United’s tally for
the day six minutes before the break when he took
aim from 25 yards, but Heurelho Gomes got down
well to push it clear.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : Watford 40% United 60%
Shots at goal : Watford 2 United 4
Shots on target: Watford 0 United 2
Corners: Watford 1 United 4
Gomes was called into action straight after the
restart when Capoue presented Memphis with
possession in midfield. The goalscorer powered
forward and slipped a reverse pass in to Lingard
whose shot was well saved by the Watford keeper.
Thereafter, Watford took control with De Gea
needing to be on red alert on more than one
occasion. Four minutes before the hour mark,
Watford put together their best move of the game
as Deeney caught the ball brilliantly on the edge of
the box after being set up by Ighalo but De Gea
pushed it clear. The United goalkeeper then had
Schneiderlin to thank minutes later when he
blocked Ighalo’s effort from five yards out.
Watford continued to turn the screw and De Gea
made two superb stops in quick succession after
the Reds had lost Jones to what appeared to be
yet another injury. The Hornets got the ball into
the box and after it had pinged about, Almen Abdi
had a go but De Gea got down brilliantly to tip
away after it had deflected off Smalling. He then
palmed away the resulting corner from almost
inside his goal.
Lingard had a chance to seal the victory seven
minutes from time but wasn’t able to lob Gomes as
he advanced from goal. It looked to be a crucial
miss when Deeney levelled proceedings from
penalty spot after Rojo tripped Ignalo three minutes
from full-time. Referee Robert Madley took some
time before making the decision and Deeney made
no mistake by lashing past De Gea.
Yet, there was still more to drama to come in
injury-time. United piled on the pressure and, after
Gomes had saved spectacularly from Smalling, he
could only palm Lingard’s shot into the path of
Schweinsteiger who sent the ball back across goal
for it to be turned home by Deeney, as he tried to
scramble off the line. Cue wild celebrations from
the Reds and another important three points.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : Watford 44% United 56%
Shots at goal : Watford 10 United 13
Shots on target: Watford 5 United 6
Corners: Watford 4 United 10
Watford : Gomes; Nyom (Paredes 68), Cathcart,
Britos, Anya; Capoue, Watson; Abdi, Jurado (Ake
46), Deeney (c); Ighalo.
Subs not used: Arlauskis, Oulare, Guedioura, Ibarbo,
Diamanti.
Booked: Watson
United: De Gea; Young, Jones (McNair 68),
Smalling, Blind; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger; Mata
(Pereira 79), Herrera (Rojo 25), Lingard; Memphis.
Subs not used: Romero, Darmian, Goss, Rashford.
Booked: Young, Lingard
MAN OF THE MATCH
David De Gea once again played a crucial role in
securing the points for United with a host of top
saves at vital moments at Vicarage Road. He was
powerless to stop Troy Deeney's penalty, but he
romped the Man of the Match poll with 78% of the
votes, ahead of goalscorer Memphis and former
Watford player Ashley Young.
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Louis van Gaal : "I was amazed at the spirit in our
team. We had the late penalty but, as a team, we
created another three possibilities in five minutes
after that. When you can do that as a team, then I
am a very proud manager."
Bastian Schweinsteiger : "It would be nice if it was
my goal but I know that the Watford player touched
the ball so, for me, it doesn’t matter. We won the
three points and that’s the most important thing.
The goal meant a lot to me because these sorts of
games can make the difference at the end of the
season."
Memphis Depay: "I enjoyed the goal a lot, of
course. I like to score goals. It was important for
me to score a goal when I got a chance. I was
happy. It was a nice moment [to celebrate with the
fans]."
PLAYERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Ashley Young - @youngy18
Great being back at Vicarage Road today, thanks to
all the @WatfordFC fans for the warm welcome.
Big three points for us and team spirit. #mufc
David De Gea - @D_DeGea
If you fight until the end, you end up finding a
reward! C'mon @manutd.
Phil Jones - @PhilJones4
Very important 3 points today in a tough game. Big
game ahead at Old Trafford Wednesday night!
@ManUtd
Ander Herrera - @AnderHerrera
What a team spirit! 3 fantastic points, I hope the
injury is as small as possible.
Juan Mata - @juanmata8
Not the prettiest game, but 3 very important points
straight after the international break! @ManUtd
#teamspirit
Bastian Schweinsteiger - @BSchweinsteiger
What a dramatic end of this match. So happy about
our last-minute victory! #mufc
Marcos Rojo - @marcosrojo5
Happy with another victory! #ManUnited
#RojoIsRed
Wayne Rooney - @WayneRooney
Well done today lads big 3 points.
@BSchweinsteiger congrats on your 1st goal.
Rio Ferdinand - @rioferdy5
What a result for @ManUtd ....late winner...could
this be the catalyst to go on a major march
towards the title....??
Gary Neville - @GNev2
Yesssssssssssss get in!!!!

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United Players in International Duty

UNITED STARS HEAD OFF ON
INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Numerous Manchester United team-mates could
face each other on Friday 13 and Tuesday 17
November when the international break serves up
some intriguing fixtures.
England have four Reds in their squad with the
club's Player of the Month, Chris Smalling, being
joined by Phil Jones , Michael Carrick and the
country's recently-crowned record scorer Wayne
Rooney. Their first opponents Spain have called up
David De Gea and Juan Mata , who'll both be hoping
to feature in Friday's friendly at Estadio José Rico
Pérez in Alicante.
Four nights later, England will be at Wembley to
meet France, who have named Anthony Martial
and Morgan Schneiderlin in their squad for that
match and the preceding clash with Germany.
United's French duo could play against their Old
Trafford colleague Bastian Schweinsteiger at the
Stade de France on Friday.
Germany will then play neighbours Netherlands in
Hanover on 17 November - the Dutch have United
utility player Daley Blind and winger Memphis in
their squad for the game against the world
champions and the earlier encounter with Wales in
Cardiff.
Marouane Fellaini , who missed Saturday's win over
West Brom through injury, has been forced to
withdraw from the Belgium squad for Italy's visit to
Brussels on 13 November and the subsequent
meeting with Mata and De Gea's Spain at the
Koning Boudewifnstadion. Matteo Darmian is set to
keep his place in the Italian squad who will host
Romania in Bologna a few days after facing the
Belgians.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland manager Michael
O'Neill is hopeful that United's Paddy McNair could
still join up with his squad for Friday's visit of
Latvia to Windsor Park, even though he has not
been named on the initial 23-man list. The young
defender is still recovering from an abdominal
injury with O'Neill promising to "monitor him over
the next couple of days."
Across the Atlantic, Argentina will face Brazil in a
2018 World Cup qualifier on Friday at the Estadio
Monumental in Buenos Aires. Reds duo Marcos
Rojo and goalkeeper Sergio Romero are both in La
Albiceleste's squad for that game and their other
qualifying match away to Colombia at the Estadio
Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla.

INTERNATIONAL REDS - THE FIXTURES

Friday 13 November
Argentina v Brazil, 00:00 Saturday GMT (Marcos
Rojo, Sergio Romero)
Belgium v Italy, 19:45 GMT (Matteo Darmian)
France v Germany, 20:00 GMT (Anthony Martial,
Morgan Schneiderlin; Bastian Schweinsteiger)
Northern Ireland v Latvia, 19:45 GMT (Paddy
McNair)
Spain v England, 20:00 GMT (David De Gea, Juan
Mata; Michael Carrick, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling,
Wayne Rooney)
Wales v Netherlands, 19:45 GMT (Daley Blind,
Memphis)

Tuesday 17 November
Colombia v Argentina, 20:30 GMT (Marcos Rojo,
Sergio Romero)
Belgium v Spain, 19:45 GMT (David De Gea, Juan
Mata)
England v France , 20:00 GMT (Michael Carrick, Phil
Jones, Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling; Anthony
Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin)
Germany v Netherlands, 19:45 GMT (Bastian
Schweinsteiger; Daley Blind, Memphis)
Italy v Romania, 19:45 GMT (Matteo Darmian)

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Man Utd Vs West Brom

MANCHESTER UNITED 2 WEST
BROMWICH ALBION 0
- Van Gaal a 'happy manager' after victory
- Blind praises United's patience
- Lingard on target for the Reds in fine display

Scorers: Lingard 52’, Mata (pen) 90+1' | 7 November
2015 | Old Trafford | Attendance: 75,410

Manchester United got back to winning ways in the
Barclays Premier League with a 2-0 win against
West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday.
After long spells of fruitless first-half pressure from
the Reds, the breakthrough finally came early in
the second period when Jesse Lingard fired home a
super finish, bagging his first goal for the club as
his star continues to rise. Juan Mata then secured
the victory from the spot in injury time as United
stayed fourth in the league, notching a sixth clean
sheet in seven in the process.
Louis van Gaal named an unchanged side from the
XI that had overcome CSKA Moscow in midweek,
although Cameron Borthwick-Jackson became the
latest youngster to be included in the Dutchman’s
16, following Axel Tuanzebe’s appearance on the
bench against Crystal Palace last week.
Keen to build on the aforementioned Champions
League win, the Reds started brightly and
dominated possession, though did little to trouble
Boaz Myhill’s goal in the opening 10 minutes. The
first chance of note came just after the 15-minute
mark, when Bastian Schweinsteiger found Wayne
Rooney, who turned well and was able to prod ball
into the path of Mata. The Spaniard arced his body
to curl a shot past the reaches of Myhill, but also
narrowly past the post.
Meanwhile, West Brom, who fielded a side
containing Old Trafford old boys Darren Fletcher
and Jonny Evans, continued to defend with the
tirelessness and commitment that those players
had come to embody during their time at United,
frustrating the home side for long periods. With the
Baggies happy to sit back and soak up the play,
the onus was on United to break them down, yet,
despite the relentless pressure and possession, few
clear-cut chances were created.
Left-sided duo Marcos Rojo and Lingard did provide
a bright spark for the Reds, keeping West Brom
right-back Craig Dawson on his toes, and it was the
latter of the United pair who was next to go close.
Mata collected the ball on the edge of the area
before arrowing an expertly-weighted ball to the far
post looking for the young winger, but just as it
seemed destined to provide Jesse with the chance
of the half, Dawson intervened with a perfectly-
timed header to clear the danger. Lingard enjoyed
another opportunity late in the half, having been
put through on goal by Anthony Martial, but Evans
stood firm, diverting the ball out of play.
Seemingly not content with creating chances,
Martial then tested Myhill himself, but his stinging
drive was thwarted by the stopper as the score
remained goalless at the interval.

HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 76% West Brom 24%
Shots at goal: United 7 West Brom 2
Shots on target: United 1 West Brom 0
Corners: United 2 West Brom 1


There were no changes to personnel from either
side at the break and nor was there a change to
the state of play, as United began to take the
game to the visitors from the get-go.
Buoyed by chants of ‘Attack, Attack, Attack’, it
wasn’t long before the Reds finally turned
possession into a tangible advantage and,
unsurprisingly, it was the excellent Lingard who
broke the deadlock.
With just over 50 minutes on the clock, Martial sent
a ball into the area looking for Rooney, only for
Chris Brunt to clear the danger. Thankfully, the
Ulsterman’s clearance only went as far as Lingard,
who took a touch before bending a superb effort
past the beaten Myhill. The Warrington-born
winger’s first goal for the club was one that belied
his young years and was greeted by a deafening
roar from the Stretford End, stirred from its first-
half slumber.
The goal gave everyone of United persuasion a real
lift going into the start of an important second half,
but chances were still at a minimum, despite the
home side’s continued forays forward.
As the half drew on it was West Brom who began
to show more ambition going forward and Evans
might well have drawn the visitors level as he
seized upon confusion in the United defensive
ranks, possibly caused by a double substitution for
the Baggies shortly before a free-kick. It was a let-
off for van Gaal’s men, who then received another
huge slice of luck two minutes later when
substitute Saidy Berahino headed over from point-
blank range.
Borthwick-Jackson and Ander Herrera were then
brought on in quick succession in place of Rojo and
Rooney, following the earlier introduction of Phil
Jones at right-back. The changes seemed to take
the sting out of the game, with United now back in
control, and the home side earned the chance to
seal the points in added-on time.
The ever-sprightly Martial seized upon the tired
legs among the Baggies defence and looked set to
fire home before being chopped down by Gareth
McAuley. The West Brom man saw red for the late
challenge, allowing Mata to step up and coolly slot
home from 12 yards – job done.

FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 68% West Brom 32%
Shots at goal: United 13 West Brom 4
Shots on target: United 3 West Brom 0
Corners: United 5 West Brom 1
United: De Gea; Young (Jones 62’), Smalling, Blind;
Rojo (Borthwick-Jackson 76’); Carrick,
Schweinsteiger; Mata, Rooney (Herrera 81’),
Lingard; Martial.
Subs not used: Romero, Memphis, Schneiderlin,
Pereira.
Booked: Rojo
West Brom: Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt
(McManaman 85’), Morrison (Lambert 72’),
Fletcher, Yacob, McClean, Sessegnon, Rondon
(Berahino 72’).
Subs: Lindegaard, Olsson, Gardner.
Booked: Dawson, Rondon, Brunt
Sent off: McAuley
MAN OF THE MATCH
Another fine display from Jesse Lingard , this time
capped with a goal, caught the eye of Reds fans on
Twitter, who voted the Englishman Man of the
Match. The tricky forward scooped 63 per cent of
the votes in the poll on @ManUtd, with Bastian
Schweinsteiger (26 per cent) and Chris Smalling
(11 per cent) also commended following fine
performances.

VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Louis van Gaal: "Goals are always the most
important thing in a game but we're still not giving
many chances away. We have won a difficult game
that we lost last year and have improved again."
Daley Blind: "A lot of teams come here to get a
point so we have to be patient and move the ball
quickly. Sometimes it takes a while before you get
a chance, but in the end we got the three points
and that’s the most important thing."

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Man Utd VS CSKA Moscow

Manchester United 1 CSKA Moscow 0

- Van Gaal relieved and proud after "deserved" win
- Rooney honoured to equal Law goals record
- Bastian: Winning goal has many beneifts
Scorers: Rooney 79' | 3 November 2015 | Old Trafford | Attendance: TBC
Manchester United's goal drought ended in dramatic fashion as Wayne Rooney's header in front of the Stretford End secured a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
The Reds had not found the net in consecutive matches against Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace, which was a cause for concern ahead of this crunch tie in Group B. Although it took 80 minutes to find a breakthrough at a rain-sodden Old Trafford, the captain eventually delivered the goods to achieve a result that places the Reds top of the pool following Wolfsburg’s 2-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven.
Louis van Gaal made three changes to his starting XI by recalling Ashley Young, Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard, while crucially sticking with the under-fire Rooney up front. The United and England skipper almost scored in the third minute when his left-footed shot flashed just wide of the post, prompting audible cheers of his name from the Old Trafford faithful who were so eager to celebrates goals from the no.10.
Lingard unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty moments later and quickly hit another effort wide of target, before a fine long ball from Daley Blind on the halfway line led to Juan Mata forcing a decent save from goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev on 15 minutes as the Reds pressed for a first goal since Anthony Martial’s header in the previous fixture against CSKA at Arena Khimki, some four matches ago.
United completely dominated the first half - both in terms of possession and shots at goal - but were guilty of missing genuine opportunities with Rooney’s free-kick bouncing wide, Lingard’s second shot flying over and Marcos Rojo’s back-post volley missing the target from close range. It was undoubtedly a much-improved performance from the Reds, with just the finishing touch lacking.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 73% CSKA 27%
Shots at goal: United 8 CSKA 0
Shots on target: United 2 CSKA 0
Corners: United 4 CSKA 0
The second half began as the first left off, with the Reds missing further chances to score as Rojo nodded wide from just outside the six-yard box before the Argentinian - who used to play for CSKA’s rivals Spartak Moscow - supplied a cross from which Martial headed at the goalkeeper. The Frenchman might have done better, yet his pace and energy suggested more chances would come.
The visitors were defending with all 11 men behind the ball and they rarely ventured past the halfway line, except for the odd counter attack, which posed a conundrum for United. How do you break down a stubborn Russian defence? Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellini for Martial on the hour mark and the deadlock was almost broken moments later, when Rooney received the ball from Mata inside the six-yard area but was unable to move his feet quickly enough to execute a shot, much to his frustration.
Memphis, who had scored Champions League goals against Club Brugge and former club PSV, entered the fray on 74 minutes and his cross soon led to Carrick firing wide from range. CSKA then went close to causing an upset when Seydou Doumbia forced an excellent save from De Gea before the scorer on matchday three hit a shot on the rebound that was sensationally cleared off the line by Chris Smalling.
The eventual breakthrough could not have been scripted better – Rooney popped up inside the area to head Lingard’s excellent cross past the goalkeeper in front of a jubilant Stretford End, where the captain celebrated by running to the corner flag and wildly punching the air. It was a moment of relief and ecstasy, but more importantly it was a goal that earned three invaluable points in Champions League Group B.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 69% CSKA Moscow 31%
Shots at goal: United 14 CSKA Moscow 5
Shots on target: United 5 CSKA Moscow 3
Corners: United 10 CSKA Moscow 2
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schweinsteiger (Herrera 88'), Carrick, Lingard, Mata (Memphis 73'), Martial (Fellaini 66'), Rooney.
Subs not used: Romero, Jones, Darmian, Pereira.
Booked:

CSKA Moscow: Akinfeev, Ferdnandes, Wenbloom, Ignashevich, Berezutski, Tosic (Golovin), Dzagoev, Musa, Milanov, Schennikov, Natcho (Doumbia 55').
Subs not used: Chepchugov, Vasin, Panchenko, Nababkin.
Booked: Schennikov, Wernbloom
MATCH REACTION
Van Gaal: "It was a fantastic goal; the preparation was fantastic. The tackle of Marcos Rojo, the pass of Michael Carrick, the cut-back of Jesse Lingard and the header of Wayne Rooney. It was fantastic."

Schweinsteiger: “For us it was very important to win that match at home. Also, in the group, we are now at the top and we have to win the next match against Eindhoven, but the situation is much better now.”
MAN OF THE MATCH
Lingard produced a brave and combatic performance that impressed followers of the club's official Twitter account, who voted him their star man ahead of fellow nominees Smalling and Schweinsteiger.

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