Wayne Rooney’s late goal relieved some of the pressure on a tense night at Old Trafford as Manchester United won 1-0 against CSKA Moscow.
BY Adam Bate
The team’s goal drought had put Louis van Gaal’s tactics under the spotlight but this was a dominant performance to renew hope that he can get it right eventually.
On a night when Rooney took the plaudits and David de Gea offered a reminder of his quality, Michael Carrick’s return might have been significant too, writes Adam Bate…
Fine margins. When Manchester United passes the six-hour mark without scoring, that was the story. Now, following their 1-0 Champions League victory over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night, it’s four clean sheets in a row. Louis van Gaal’s men have gone almost eight hours without conceding.
Fine margins. When Seydou Doumbia passed up two clear-cut chances in quick succession, all was nervy at Old Trafford. Just moments later, United went up the other end for Wayne Rooney to score the winner and equal Denis Law’s record to move joint second in the club’s goalscoring charts.
Once again, Manchester United’s supporters could leave the stadium content and place victory in the context of rich history. It might even become another ‘I was there’ moment in years to come, but for much of the previous 79 minutes, those ‘boring’ accusations would not go away.
After recent criticism from Paul Scholes and Andrei Kanchelskis, former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel had joined that criticism prior to kick-off. “The players are good enough to play the game themselves within a system that the club plays and has been playing for years and years,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think Manchester United is a much bigger club than any manager in the world and the manager who comes in should respect what Manchester United is. At the moment, I’m not seeing the play in the way I’d like to see Manchester United to play.”
Van Gaal might not appreciate such talk, but it echoed the thoughts of many supporters. It was far from insurrection at Old Trafford but there was a mood of irritation apparent. “We’re Man United, we want to attack,” they shouted. It went somewhere beyond chanting. Perhaps closer to urging.
There were ironic cheers as Rooney slotted the ball into the net following an offside call against Anthony Martial and when the latter was substituted with the score still goalless, the decision was booed by much of the crowd. “Attack, attack, attack,” was the cry upon half-time.
It was curious because, in truth, United did little else against CSKA. Van Gaal’s men were utterly dominant for the first hour of the contest before Doumbia, a goalscorer in the previous meeting between the sides, came off the bench to provide a significant threat for the visitors.
However, it was the manner of United’s control that remained a concern. At times, the volume of possession – and only Bayern Munich and Barcelona have seen more of the ball in this season’s Champions League – serves to accentuate the paucity of invention in this team.
Champions League possession
| Team | Possession |
|---|---|
| 1. Bayern Munich | 73.5% |
| 2. Barcelona | 72.8% |
| 3. Manchester United | 65.7% |
Sitting deep can nullify some of the threat posed by Martial and Jesse Lingard, limiting the ability to run in behind. This puts the onus on United to create something with precision passing and ingenuity. With Ander Herrera on the bench, it’s not always obvious where that can come from.
In that sense, this game that didn’t reveal too much that wasn’t well known already. There was an Ashley Young tumble, a vital stop by David de Gea and a game-saving challenge from Chris Smalling. Rooney showed signs of sluggishness before duly popping up with the winner. United goal No.237.
Manchester United 2015/16
| Won | Drawn | Lost | Win Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With Carrick | 8 | 1 | 1 | 80% |
| Without Carrick | 3 | 4 | 2 | 33% |
But coupled with pace around him, Rooney did seem to benefit from Carrick’s return to the starting line-up. United have won 80 per cent of the games that the 34-year-old has started this season but only 33 per cent of the matches that he’s missed. Carrick’s willingness to play forward passes helps.
Carrick passed to Rooney six times in the first half, finding no other team-mate more often, with the captain receiving the ball from the midfielder twice as many times as he did from anyone else. Balls were fizzed in to Rooney’s feet and it had the effect of speeding up attacks and adding cohesion.
It was from one such Carrick pass that the breakthrough finally came. A lofted ball towards Lingard got United in behind the CSKA defence and the young winger’s decision-making was spot on as his volleyed pass found Rooney in the centre. The header was firm and the game was won.
The relief was palpable as the building pressure dissipated. There were no wild celebrations at the finale but with games against West Brom and Watford coming up, it might be that United have negotiated a difficult moment and bought more time to find their fluency. Fine margins, indeed.
Source Skysports
