David Moyes saw Manchester United avenge their third straight defeat in the Premier League after Adnan Januzaj’s double strike in the second half saw the Old Trafford club register a 2-1 win over Sunderland.
Soccer Souls will take a look at three things we learned from United’s victory over the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light last weekend.
Januzaj, star in the making
The 18-year-old scored two goals on his full debut for the Premier League winners, which saw United not only seal three points, but helped Moyes’ side to avoid their third defeat on the row in the domestic competition.
The Red Devils saw them lose their previous two league games to West Bromwich Albion at home and against Manchester City at the Etihad. Januzaj created the chance for his first senior goal for the Old Trafford club before scoring the cracker, which eventually turned out to be the difference between the two clubs at the end.
The wonderkid did not show any sign of nervousness or felt shy during the game and was constantly running everywhere in Sunderland’s half. With Nani being the other wideman (who can play both on right and left wings), Januzaj saw him shifting positions with the Portuguese international in several occasions.
Januzaj was providing threat from both left and right wings and his first goal saw him come from the central midfield position to score the equaliser. He is just 18 and has a bright future ahead of him.
Jones and Vidic, still a pair in the making
Moyes deployed Phil Jones and Nemanja Vidic in the central defending position and the duo took time to adjust in the initial moments of the game. The lack of communications/understanding between the two centre-backs saw Sunderland capitalise on United’s mistake, with Craig Gardner opening the scoring for the hosts.
However, the England international and the Serbian defender bounced back strongly and were successful in restricting the Black Cats from doubling the lead, with support from David de Gea, who made a brilliant save to block Emanuele Giaccherini’s header.
Despite the result, Jones and Vidic needs a few more games together to be take the best central defending duo at the heart of United’s defence. Jonny Evans and the Red Devils’ skipper is likely to be a better option, with the former Blackburn man being deployed in the defensive midfielder position.
United scored from open play
The Red Devils finally broke the deadlock of scoring from an open play during the game against Sunderland. United’s goals during the previous five league fixtures came from set pieces, which was a matter of worry for Moyes.
However, Januzaj finally managed to score a goal from open play. Both goals scored at the Stadium if Light had a brilliant team work, specifically with the first one where Januzaj created a chance for himself before putting the ball behind the net.