Stoke vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match
A Marko Arnautovic wonder strike helped Stoke City claim a 2-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday, extending the winless streak of Louis van Gaal's outfit to seven games in a row.
The Red Devils travelled to the Britannia Stadium with a raft of first-team injury absences, but a fourth successive defeat is sure to intensify the pressure already placed upon under-fire manager Van Gaal.
A horrific defensive error by Memphis Depay allowed Bojan Krkic in for the game's opener before Arnautovic rocketed home a long-range finish that goalkeeper David De Gea had no chance of stopping.Ā
According to Squawka, this is the worst record Manchester United have held after 18 matches of any Premier League campaign:
OptaJoe added this damning statistic:
Club captain Wayne Rooney came on as a half-time substitute for the visitors, but the deficit proved too great for United to topple, despite an improved second-half performance.
With Jose Mourinho available, per talkSPORT,Ā theĀ former Chelsea manager is sure to attract even more attention as a replacement for Van Gaal.
Football writer Liam Canning suggested assistant Ryan Giggs shouldn't be handed the reins:
United have formed a habit of establishing long spells of possession in games this season only to fail to make that pressure tell, but their trip to the Britannia started with Stoke taking control of the fixture early.
It was MarkĀ Hughes' side who enjoyed a bulk of time on the ball during the opening exchanges, with Xherdan Shaqiri among their most prominent players hoping to make the difference.
The Switzerland international applied pressure on stand-in left-back Daley Blind down United's left flank, and it was from this portion of the pitch that the hosts made the breakthrough.
Depay attempted to head a bouncing ball back to De Gea, but a lurking Glen Johnson intercepted his underhit effort before teeing up Bojan for a simple finish.
The Potters gave an unsurprising reaction to the opener, taunting Van Gaal from the stands, per James Ducker of theĀ Times:
That 19th-minute strike required cohesion between team-mates, but Arnautovic added a second all of his own design just seven minutes later.
United failed to react quickly enough to a blocked Bojan free-kick, and the Austrian had enough time to size up De Gea's top-left corner before rifling home from outside the area.
According to Samuel Luckhurst of theĀ Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils bench was subdued following that damaging hit:
Arnautovic might have added a second for the hosts 10 minutes before the break, but he failed to convert a supreme ball through from Bojan, who duped United's defence,Ā only to have his team-mate fluff his lines one-on-one with De Gea.
Any probes United did create in the Stoke half were relatively tame, and Stoke went in at the break with the wind in their sails, motivated to finish the job.
Van Gaal withdrew the nervy Depay for Rooney at half-time, but as the Press Association noted, overturning the 2-0 deficit was a big ask for England's record goalscorer:
Anthony Martial was among United's brightest sparks throughout, but a lack of proper support saw Marouane Fellaini often functioning as the closest thing to an attacking partner. The Belgian had a glorious opportunity to equalise in the 63rd minute after Rooney flashed a ball across Stoke's six-yard area, but the effort was straight at Jack Butland.
Rooney's introduction gave United more impetus in attack, and the shots on goal started to tally up for the travelling party, but as full-time ticked within sight, there was a concern it was too little, too late.
Youngster Andreas Pereira came on as a late substitute before Martial and Mata had a couple of chances late on, but without many senior replacements on the bench, the visitors' best efforts fell short.
Chants of "Jose Mourinho" echoed from the away fans at the Britannia Stadium, calls that were eventually drowned out by the adulation of Stoke's support as referee Kevin Friend blew for full-time and confirmed a deserved win for Hughes' men.
Questions will inevitably be asked of what this result means for Van Gaal, whose team are now at risk of falling outside the Premier League's top six depending on the remainder of this weekend's results.
The club's title odds are also looking increasingly dim, and league leaders Leicester City will move 12 points clear of the Red Devils if they triumph at Liverpool later on Saturday.
Nothing can be taken from Stoke City, though, considering the Potters were so convincing in their defeat of United, adding another major victory to their tally after already beating Manchester City and Chelsea this term.
Hughes' men temporarily move up to eighth in the English top flight and sit just three points off Van Gaal's men as their transformation under the former United forward continues.
Post-Match Recap
Van Gaal is caught in a downward spiral he can't seem to escape, and again it seemed as though United's tactics set them up for failure, as Stoke starred as the far more inventive outfit of the two.
The visitors improved after Rooney provided some creativity off the bench, but Van Gaal conceded that his team didn't "dare to play," per Eurosport:
Red Devils fans will think back to Depay's atrocious backward-header attempt, a moment at which many might suggest the game took a turn against Van Gaal's side.
The Dutch manager didn't sound out his compatriot for blame but admitted it was a "bad goal" that United leaked:
It could now be a case of "when" and not "if" Van Gaal is shown the Old Trafford exit after another disappointing example of United's inability to muster an attacking threat.
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