Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes led Manchester United to a much needed win over Brighton.
Don’t be fooled by the 2-0 scoreline, the victory was far from straightforward.
No Manchester United win is complete without a wonder save or two from goalkeeper David de Gea to keep the team afloat.
With the score locked at 0-0 in the first half, De Gea made a remarkable diving save from an effort from Jakub Moder.
Speaking to MUTV after the game, teammate Victor Lindelof talked up his teammate.
The Swede said: “He’s been amazing. It was a fantastic save.”
Determined to improve
Lindelof was a late addition to the team after Raphael Varane had to pull out with illness. The side were able to keep a clean sheet while adding two goals after a dour first half.
The centre-back explained Ralf Rangnick’s instruction at half-time which enabled the team to kick on and improve.
Lindelof said: “I think we performed better than them [in the second half]. We needed to get up the pitch a little bit and put the pressure on them.
“Our main target was to be aggressive.”
The first 45 minutes were quite awful from a United perspective, with the side clearly nervous and the Old Trafford crowd feeding off the players’ bad energy.
It took a special moment from Cristiano Ronaldo to break the deadlock, but that only lifted the nervousness for a short while, until Fernandes’ injury time second.
Rangnick’s instructions clearly worked though, with two key moments off the ball taking place in the final third.
Scott McTominay won the ball back high up the pitch for Ronaldo’s goal, while Anthony Elanga also forced a red card after winning possession and then being fouled when he looked to go clear on goal.
This win takes United up into fourth place, for now. Other teams have games in hand, but it is important to get points in the bag.
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