After a very poor performance and lack of determination during the pre-season, Manchester United gave their fans a delight of a match as the reigning champions of England tore Swansea in the opening game of the Barclays Premier League. Newly appointed United manager, David Moyes, who was under much scrutiny after a number of failed transfers and devastating results showed a sigh of huge relief. The final scoreline (4-1) saw the Red Devils shoot up to the top of table in the very first gameweek. Who’s to say, if they continue playing like this, their team shall remain there at the no.1 position.
Highlights Of The Match
Robin Van Persie and Danny Welbeck were the absolute star performers of the match. Both scored two goals each, that two in quite a fashion. The Dutchman’s brilliantly driven scissors kick volley saw goalkeeper Vorm staring at an ‘un-saveable’ goal. Prior to the first goal, United were very unorganized in their attacking play and confusion among the Swansea defenders arose when Ryan Giggs’ cross into the box took a deflection and landed at the Dutchman’s feet. United took the positive momentum forward and about two minutes later, Welbeck scored from an assist by Valencia.
A eye opening moment in the match was when Wayne Rooney, who was in discussion with other teams, took to the pitch in the 62nd minute. This maybe an explanation but United seemed more confident after the England striker made his presence on the field.
With a such little resistance left in Swansea, debutant Bony scored in the dying minutes of the match with a stunning through ball from Hernandez. Swansea had control at certain points in the match but wasn’t able to capitalize after repeated goal attempts by United.
Swansea Rating – 5/10
Conceding 4 goals can only mean one thing – the defense needs a performance upgrade. Midfield looks to be in control of possession but unable to make the final attacking play possible. Stamina also seems to be a problem as most of the players looked very tired after the turn of the 60th minute.
Manchester United Rating – 7/10
United still need a lot of improvement. Considering how shaky they were playing during the start of the match shows their lack of control and scattered playing style. The defense could use a little bit roughening up to keep up with the pace of the match for the entire 90 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NyosCAZX_E