West Brom vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United had to come from behind on two occasions at the Hawthorns, where they picked up a single point from a breathless Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion.
The hosts opened the scoring after just eight minutes, when Stephane Sessegnon beat David de Gea to the near corner with an inch-perfect finish, and it wasn’t until the 48th minute that substitute Marouane Fellaini restored level terms.
But Saido Berahino restored the Baggies’ lead shortly after the hour mark, and after a good deal of huffing and puffing, the Red Devils finally got another equaliser three minutes from time when Daley Blind found the back of the net from distance for the 2-2 draw.
West Brom are now 14th in the top flight with nine points from eight rounds while United’s 12 points have them sixth.
Following are some of the winners and losers from Monday’s encounter.
Winner: Saido Berahino, Who Is the Top English Goalscorer in the Premier League
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Berahino was quiet for long stretches of Monday’s match, but in the 66th minute he sprung Manchester United’s wobbly offside trap to restore West Bromwich Albion’s one-goal lead.
Catching right-back Rafael sitting behind his central defenders, the striker raced on to Chris Brunt’s excellent through-ball and proceeded to beat United goalkeeper De Gea with a fine finish.
The goal—Berahino’s sixth of the season—means the 21-year-old is the top English goalscorer so far this term.
Berahino was quoted in The Independent as saying:
"I felt like today I was focused and when that chance came I backed myself to take it and I was happy it went in today.
I'm just enjoying my football, letting my football do the talking. If the goals keep coming that's great that I'm contributing to the team.
"
Looking forward, Berahino must now be in serious consideration for a call-up to the England squad next month.
Loser: Luke Shaw, Who Was Well-Beaten When West Brom Took the Lead
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Luke Shaw struggled on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball on Monday night.
After just eight minutes, the Manchester United left-back was caught well upfield as Andre Wisdom raced down the flank and set up Sessegnon for the opener.
Graham Dorrans also had the beating of Shaw throughout the 90 minutes, and the former Southampton man’s crossing also lacked accuracy.
In the 83rd minute his careless giveaway in the attacking third forced teammate Daley Blind into committing a yellow-card offense on Sessegnon.
Winner: Marouane Fellaini, Who Finally Broke His United Duck
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More than a few eyebrows were raised when Fellaini stayed out to go through his warm-up routine during the half-time break.
He ended up replacing Ander Herrera to start the second half, and less than three minutes after the restart, he made good on his introduction.
Controlling Angel Di Maria’s cross from the right, Fellaini took the ball to a tight angle and proceeded to unleash an unstoppable drive that beat Boaz Myhill to the near, top corner of the goal.
It was the Belgian’s first tally for United since joining the club from Everton in 2013.
Loser: Juan Mata, Who Was Completely Anonymous
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When Wayne Rooney was handed a three-match ban for kicking West Ham United’s Stewart Downing last month, a place in the starting line-up for Juan Mata seemed to present itself.
The Spain international started Manchester United’s next match at home to Everton, and on Monday he was back in the first XI against West Bromwich Albion.
In neither match did he impress.
At the Hawthorns, the 26-year-old was particularly anonymous before his 72nd-minute substitution, and although Rooney will still be absent for Sunday’s showdown with Chelsea, it’s unlikely Mata will keep his place when the club captain returns.
Winner: Craig Dawson, Who Gobbled Up the United Crosses
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Manchester United lacked anything resembling incision through the middle at the Hawthorns, which meant anything they managed to muster on the offensive side of the ball came from the wide areas.
But even from there they struggled for accuracy—the likes of Shaw, Rafael, Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj routinely misplacing and over-hitting their crosses.
And on the rare occasion their deliveries fell in the West Brom goalmouth, defender Craig Dawson was there to deal with the danger.
The 24-year-old didn’t lose a single aerial battle on Monday, per WhoScored.com, and also kept nice and close to United striker Robin van Persie over the 90 minutes.
Loser: Robin van Persie, Who Rarely Troubled Boaz Myhill
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Van Persie’s struggles continued at the Hawthorns, where he rarely troubled the West Bromwich Albion back line, never mind Myhill.
The Netherlands striker had his best chance to find the back of the net shortly after Sessegnon’s opener but failed to hit the target.
Then, in the 74th minute, a hard shot with his right foot came back off the inside of the post.
The 31-year-old has so far managed just a pair of goals this season and none in Rooney’s absence through suspension.
