Man Utd 2 - 0 WatfordAnthony Martial takes his chance as Manchester United outclass Watford
Home team scorersJuan Mata 32
Anthony Martial 60
José Mourinho appears to have unlikely allies. Anthony Martial is a footballer who, the Portuguese said earlier this month, had only done enough to be on the bench. Mourinho shares initials with Juan Mata, but seemingly little else. But two players who have been subjected to Mourinho’s policy of confrontational leadership excelled here to continue Manchester United’s revival.
This was a rout in everything bar the scoreline and United’s dominance bodes well for their chances of returning to the Champions League. They had already mounted their longest unbeaten run since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and a 16th game in that sequence yielded a ninth victory. Briefly, this threatened to be another of those occasions when Mourinho laments United’s profligacy, wonders why they score so few of the chances they create and bemoans lost points in an avoidable draw.
Yet Mata broke the deadlock with his ninth goal of the campaign. United have won eight of those games and he has become a smiling talisman, bringing precision and vision, a delicacy of touch and an elusiveness that befuddled Watford. Their supporters spent the afternoon chorusing the name of their late and greatest manager, Graham Taylor, who oversaw Watford’s only win at Old Trafford. The current incumbent, Walter Mazzarri, lived in Manchester for part of last season, but could not win here.
Mazzarri opted to reinforce his defence by introducing Miguel Britos and selecting four players who are centre-backs by trade in a five-man rearguard. If it indicated that Watford had come to stifle, they could have been behind after two minutes. Antonio Valencia’s cross was deflected but inviting and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, normally so technically adept, miscued his volley.
Mourinho restored Martial to the starting lineup having not featured in United’s two previous games, and the Frenchman almost made an early impact, jinking past two defenders before taking a shot that flicked off Sebastian Prödl. A motionless Heurelho Gomes watched it thud into the advertising hoardings. Martial later tapped Mata’s centre into an unguarded net, but only after the referee, Bobby Madley, had whistled to signal United had taken a free-kick without his permission.
Martial filled the vacancy on the left created by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s installation as Ibrahimovic’s sidekick. The Armenian had moved into a central role after 20 minutes at Leicester last weekend. Mourinho persevered with a policy that paid off then, offering confirmation that Wayne Rooney, who began the season as his preferred option as Ibrahimovic’s partner and who lost his place after September’s 3-1 defeat to Watford, is no longer his manager’s favourite No 10.
If Watford’s focus was on defence, there were hints of adventure and excellence. José Holebas had David de Gea diving to his left with a shot struck with vicious swerve. Mauro Zárate executed an overhead kick with considerable skill but directed it at the United goalkeeper.
Such incidents drew a response. United applied more pressure, squandered a series of chances and then took one. Mkhitaryan was the main culprit, contriving to sky a shot towards the upper tier. Gomes denied Paul Pogba and, with a point-blank block, Ibrahimovic. Then Mata released Martial and, when Ibrahimovic missed a flick at the winger’s cross, was on hand to complete a one-two by tucking in his shot.
If United were not ruthless, at least they were relentless. Their deficit prompted a change of thought from Mazzarri, who removed Britos and changed system. A constant had been Martial’s ability to evade Craig Cathcart and he promptly sliced past the right-back only to angle a shot wide.
It was the 15th shot United had chalked up and there were still 40 minutes remaining. Yet a one-goal lead can be precarious, as Zárate almost illustrated. The January recruit whipped in a free-kick that changed course mid-air and De Gea had to display his athleticism to push it past the post.
United advanced again and Ibrahimovic shot into the side netting. Then they secured the breathing space they required after a crisp, clinical move. Mkhitaryan found Ibrahimovic, who played in Martial. He defeated Gomes at his near post to score just a third goal of the league season.
Watford had another opportunity but Daryl Janmaat, brought on out of position on the left, made a mess of it and United recorded a fourth consecutive clean sheet. They could have added a third goal, too, but Gomes denied Mkhitaryan.
Guardian
