Manchester United Must Embrace the Qualities of Anthony Martial's Debut Goal

Manchester United’s first-half performance against Liverpool lacked any semblance of pace, power and directness, but those qualities were precisely what made Anthony Martial’s debut goal such a moment to remember in an important 3-1 win.

The Frenchman was on the pitch for just 21 minutes before he restored United’s two-goal lead after Christian Benteke scored an outstanding overhead kick.

The most impressive aspect of the 19-year-old’s strike was that he gathered the ball on the left-hand side and immediately cut in to run directly at goal. United have desperately lacked that sort of penetrative play in the early stages of this season.

It should be noted Martial will need time and patience to develop—the half-time substitution of the disappointing Memphis Depay evidences that point—but United must harness the qualities of his wonderful goal in order to improve as a team.

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United controlled the game and dominated possession in the first half but were ineffective going forward. It’s a pattern that has come to define many of Louis van Gaal’s games as manager thus far.

The build-up play through defence and midfield against Liverpool was neat and measured, but whenever the ball reached the final third it was often recycled. Simply put, there was no cutting edge or purpose about United’s attack.

Many of the passes went horizontally or backward. United moved up the pitch slowly, held the ball in Liverpool’s half for long spells but rarely threatened Simon Mignolet’s goal. And the reason for that is because, with the exception of Luke Shaw at left-back, no player offered any sort of attacking threat.

United needed someone to come off the bench to add some athleticism and unsettle Liverpool’s defence.

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In the second half, that change came when Martial was introduced after 65 minutes. Although the Frenchman was on the fringes of the game to begin with, it was noticeable how Liverpool’s defence were immediately wary of his pace, strength and power.

When Martial latched onto Ashley Young’s pass in the game’s decisive moment, Martin Skrtel hesitated, backed off and retreated toward his penalty area. It was poor defending, but it showed that even just the threat of speed is an effective weapon.

Skrtel wouldn’t have reacted in the same way had he been up against Wayne Rooney or, as he was in the first half, Marouane Fellaini. But the Slovakian was not the only Liverpool player left reeling from Martial’s defence-splitting run. Nathaniel Clyne, Lucas Leiva and Dejan Lovren all tried and failed to close him down.

It’s been some time since a United player warranted the attention of four opposition players, mainly because Van Gaal prefers technical rather than athletic players.

Martial’s goal, and the energy, dynamism and verve that helped create it, therefore demonstrated to the Dutch manager the importance of having a balance between the two in attack.

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Of all the knock-on effects Martial’s debut strike will have—reducing talk of his transfer fee, buying him some time from media criticism and becoming an immediate hero with the club’s fans—the most important aspect is it highlights the qualities United need to embrace.

The sight of a player running at defenders, committing them and beating them has been a rarity at Old Trafford during Van Gaal’s tenure. The control the Dutchman wants his players to implement is admirable in a sense, but there must be room for expression and flair.

Martial’s goal didn’t adhere to the prescriptive, rigid style of football Van Gaal encourages and instead relied on creative instinct. The sheer speed of his run and finish stood in direct contrast to the slow and pedestrian first half, illustrating the value of physical attributes.

Van Gaal is not going to uproot his entire philosophy based on one goal from a player who has played less than half an hour of Premier League football, but Martial’s strike did at least add something new to United’s attack and illustrate how dangerous pace, power and directness can be. 


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