Stoke City vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton's Manchester United goalscoring record with a free-kick deep into stoppage time at the bet365 Stadium to earn his side a 1-1 draw against Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Rooney struck in the fourth of five added on minutes to break the record, per WhoScored.com:
The landmark strike cancelled out Juan Mata's own goal. He'd turned the ball past United goalkeeper David De Gea in the 19th minute, but despite a host of chances and dominance of possession, the visitors couldn't get the win.
Even so, Rooney's moment of history still means United have extended their unbeaten run to 17 matches and kept their challenge for a top-four finish alive. The Red Devils are now just three points shy of fourth-placed Arsenal, although the Gunners have played a game fewer.
Potters boss Mark Hughes opted for veteran target man Peter Crouch to lead the line, per Stoke's official Twitter account:
United manager Jose Mourinho, perhaps wary of Crouch's aerial threat, gave a start to towering midfielder Marouane Fellaini, per the club's Twitter account:
Fellaini's presence reshaped United's midfield, with playmaker Ander Herrera playing deeper, while pass-master Michael Carrick began on the bench. The change initially made United appear disjointed, leading to some scrappy early exchanges between both sides.
United had the first genuine chance after Marko Arnautovic was booked for tripping Herrera. Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant dropped the resulting free-kick, but the home side managed to hoof the loose ball clear.
There were some hefty challenges in the middle of the park as Stoke sought to make it a physical and uncomfortable experience for Herrera and Co. The frenetic pace and robust collisions meant United struggled to establish their rhythm with the ball on the deck.
United's wobbles became outright struggles when confusion in the box led to Mata deflecting the ball past goalkeeper De Gea at the near post. Defender Erik Pieters pulled the ball back, and the touch off Mata deceived United's Spanish stopper.
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News bemoaned United's defensive fragility:
United's problems began when Crouch outmuscled centre-back Chris Smalling, whose power in the air was unnerving the Red Devils' back four. The visitors also had to take to the air to pose a credible threat, with Fellaini's header from a Mata cross hit straight at Grant.
United were upping the pace, but Fellaini was still their primary outlet. Pogba nearly found the Belgian with a well-flighted free-kick, but the Potters again managed to clear.
Once United got the ball down, they finally produced a slick passing move to carve open the Stoke defence. Pogba's chipped pass started the move before Ibrahimovic controlled well, but his pull-back was wasted by Mata, who scooped over in front of an open goal.
Pogba was at the heart of the stylish combination, and the Frenchman's influence on the game was growing. His movement created space for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who found Ibrahimovic in the box, but the Swedish striker opted to pass when he should have shot.
The half ended with United well on top and forcing Grant into two quick-fire saves. He first tipped a Fellaini volley over the bar, then he punched a shot from Pogba away.
Mourinho didn't wait long after the break to introduce Marcus Rashford. The 19-year-old striker came on for Fellaini two minutes before the hour mark.
Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News observed how United adjusted their shape after the change:
Hughes made a similar bold change when he introduced creative midfielder Ibrahim Afellay for Charlie Adam. Mourinho countered by swapping the unfortunate Mata for Rooney as United shifted into a 4-4-2 formation.
Despite the changes, Stoke ought to have doubled their lead when Xherdan Shaqiri shot for the bottom corner, but Smalling made a heroic block. At the other end, Glen Johnson cut out Pogba's attempted through pass for Rashford.
Still perturbed by what he was seeing, Mourinho hooked Mkhitaryan for Jesse Lingard. The changes induced more pace to United's game, and Rashford soon came close to the equaliser, but he angled his shot just too high and wide when aiming for the top corner.
It was soon Pogba's turn to go close after neatly swapping passes with Rooney. However, the former Juventus man sliced his shot.
Chances kept coming for United, though, with Rooney next to go close. His header was just shy of the mark as he chased the Manchester club's all-time goalscoring mark.
The pressure was still mounting as the game entered the final five minutes. Yet United weren't fluent on the break, with Luckhurst chiding some poor decision-making from Lingard:
The substitute soon nearly made amends when he crashed a shot off the bar with Grant well beaten. Sensing his side was struggling to keep the visitors at bay, Hughes subbed Arnautovic for holding midfielder Giannelli Imbula just before stoppage time.
However, there was still time for Rooney to make history in spectacular fashion to earn United a point they merited but one that hasn't done much for their top-four hopes.
Post-Match Reaction
Charlton was quick to congratulate Rooney on consigning his record to history, per United's official Twitter:
Mourinho echoed Charlton's sentiments and lauded Rooney's accomplishment:
For his part, Hughes was disappointed about the amount of stoppage time added on, per Sky Sports' Gerard Brand: "We're disappointed to lose that right at the end, the fifth minute of extra time. I'm not quite sure where Mark Clattenburg has got that amount of time from, but that's cost us in the end."
It's natural for Hughes to rue his side not being able to see out the match and take all three points. However, the cost of the draw is more immediate for United, with the club still struggling to crack the top four.
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