Manchester United vs. Sunderland: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday to get back on track in their pursuit of Champions League football next season.
Looking to bounce back after last week's disappointing loss to Swansea City, United struggled for much of the first half and patches of the second, but they were able to grind out the victory after John O'Shea hauled down Radamel Falcao in the box with just under 30 minutes remaining.
Wayne Rooney fired home the penalty—after Wes Brown, not O'Shea, got his marching orders—and scored again soon after to clinch victory, which will have been a relief to Louis van Gaal, as the overall performance was less than spectacular.
Click on for some winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Wayne Rooney
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Wayne Rooney was the saviour once again in Saturday's win, a result that puts them back into the top four regardless of other results this weekend.
In the process, Rooney also became the first player in Premier League history to score at least 10 goals in 11 consecutive seasons, a record he should rightfully be extremely proud of. But the timeliness of his brace was noticeable for another reason; restored to a more attacking role, he delivered right after his manager, Louis van Gaal, had bemoaned his lack of a 20-a-season goalscorer.
Rooney might have to go some way to reach that landmark over the remainder of this season, but it is not impossible he could get very close, having played much of the early part of the campaign in a midfield role.
The message of this game seemed clear: Play Rooney up front, and he will score you goals. It will be interesting to see if Van Gaal heeds it.
Afterwards, Rooney said (per NBC Sports):
"It’s great to score but the three points are the most important thing after last week. We deserved the three points. We knew Sunderland would be dogged. They defended well, but we were patient. It was a good performance.
The performance was good. We had a bit more space with the 10 men but we should have been ahead before that. I think there are a lot of teams in a good run of form and there’s not much difference between the top teams. We hope that, come the end of the season, we’re in the right position.
"
Loser: Angel Di Maria
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Hauled off after just 45 minutes, Angel Di Maria was the big loser of this game. The Argentinian was not alone in seeming unsure what he was supposed to be doing and being unusually tentative when in possession, but his troubles were the most noticeable—and perhaps the least forgivable, considering the transfer fee he commanded and experience he has.
Adnan Januzaj replaced Di Maria at the break, and while the Belgian has a lot of work to do to improve his final product, his increased influence was noticeable. It's not quite to the point where Di Maria should be dropped, but this was a hugely disappointing and poor display. Many more of them should not be tolerated.
Winner: Radamel Falcao
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Branding the Colombian a "winner" after this performance is perhaps taking it a bit far, but it was certainly a step, if only a small one, in the right direction.
For 60 minutes of the game, Falcao was one of the worst performers in the pitch—the man everyone was looking quizzically at when a cross was fired into the box and he was nowhere to be seen—but it was his moment of skill that broke the game open, earning him a standing ovation when he was subsequently brought off.
Falcao showed great technique and touch to bring the ball down and spin his defender, forcing John O'Shea into a professional foul. Rooney converted the penalty, and suddenly United were ahead.
Unfortunately for the striker, his manager had already decided to take him off, replacing him with Marouane Fellaini. But it was instructive of the poor decision-making and how appreciative the Old Trafford crowd were of Falcao's efforts.
It is clear the supporters desperately want him to succeed at United. That, and his decisive intervention, will surely give him a lot of confidence going forward. Now he must build on it—if his manager lets him.
Loser: Roger East
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Roger East will perhaps not enjoy the rest of his weekend, once he watches back this game and realises he made a wrong decision at the wrong time.
East's instincts were right, but his radar a little off, as he dismissed Wes Brown for a professional foul that John O'Shea had clearly committed. Brown had also been crowded around Radamel Falcao when the forward went down, perhaps complicating the issue, but replays showed it was clearly O'Shea who committed the infraction that warranted being penalised. (Brown barely touched Falcao before the ball was played.)
East should have realised that he had perhaps gotten it wrong after showing the red card, as Sunderland's players appealed that it had been O'Shea and not Brown who committed the offence. Why he was resistant to their complaints is hard to work out. Did he really think they were trying to gain an advantage? Would sending off O'Shea instead have helped Sunderland in some way?
In the end, it was only a minor detail, as Sunderland would have had to reshuffle regardless of which centre-back they lost. But referees are there to get decisions right, and on this occasion, East and his team failed.
Loser: Louis van Gaal
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Wayne Rooney getting among the goals, Radamel Falcao contributing, United fans screaming for more attacking intent...all in all this was not a great afternoon for Louis van Gaal. About the only positive was the three points, which the Dutchman will insist is his only concern anyway.
Nevertheless, this was an uncomfortable game for the Dutchman. It was abundantly clear that his tactical system continues to flounder, but also that the fans aren't exactly on his side. The boos for his decision to remove Falcao for Fellaini indicated a certain frustration at his tactics, something that feels vaguely ominous when the likes of Di Maria and Ander Herrera are also struggling to find their feet under the manager.
United could finish the weekend still third in the table, which would have been accepted at the start of the season. But the path to victory on Saturday was a microcosm of the campaign as a whole: Uninspired, cumbersome football not befitting of such an expensively acquired side with a number of brilliant attacking minds.
Again, the result was fine—but you increasingly feel patience is wearing thin with the anaemic nature of many of the performances. And many fans believe Van Gaal is to blame.
