Home   >   MOTDs   >   MOTD- Swansea City 1-4 Manchester United

MOTD- Swansea City 1-4 Manchester United

By on August 17, 2013

David Moyes’ Manchester United overcame a shaky start to earn a well-fought 4-1 victory over a surprisingly dominant Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.  Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck both netted doubles for United to seal Moyes three points in his Premier League United debut, despite Swansea putting up a rather dominant first half performance.

The Red Devil’s new gaffer also gave Wayne Rooney his fare share of playing time, submitting the Englishman as a second half substitute despite his ongoing transfer saga.  Moyes began the match with Van Persie as the lone striker and Welbeck and Antonio Valencia on the wing, but the trio failed to do much in the opening minutes as United soaked up pressure from the home side.  Although Swansea pushed United higher and higher up the pitch defensive lapses allowed the Premier League champions to create the better chances.  In the eighth minute a Ryan Giggs free-kick from the right evaded the heads of three Swansea players who were all jumping for the same ball and it fell to Phil Jones, who had his slicing volley tipped over by an acrobatic save from the Swans goalkeeper Michel Vorm.  Welbeck then had his low effort from the edge of the box pushed wide towards Giggs on another United counterattack, and Giggsy came close with a powerful volley across goal.

Swansea continued hold possession with no reward, until the twenty-second minute when a cross from the right was poorly deal with by five United players alone in their own box with Michu.  The Spanish powerhouse somehow found the ball before spinning around Evra, yet he saw his sharp six yard shot from the right pushed out by David De Gea.  Still, despite Swansea’s pressure, United took the lead in the thirty-third minute when a lobbed ball into the box from Giggs found Van Persie.  The Dutchman chested it into his control, then snapped an aerial scissor-kick into the top corner of the net from eight yards.

Riding on their new-found momentum, only two minutes later United doubled their lead when Swansea failed to clear a Giggs cross from the right, which fell to Valencia at the back post.  Valencia, using his first touch, beautifully cut it across to Welbeck, who simply tapped it into the back of the net.

Despite their horrible end to the first half Swansea regained their dominance as the match rolled into the second half, with Michu’s dipping shot four minutes following the restart forcing De Gea into a good save down low to his left.  But again Michael Laudrup’s side failed to convert their possession to chances, allowing United to grab a third minutes after Evra’s headed effort via a corner was blocked off the line by Jose Canas.  Wayne Rooney’s darting run down the left freed up space for Van Persie to take a shot on the edge of the area, and RVP fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner leaving Vorm helpless.

Laudrup’s side did not lose confidence tough, and down at the other end Wilfred Bony made it 3-1 through his low curling shot from eight yards into the bottom corner.  With ten minutes to go it was no more than a consolation goals, yet United sealed the win in stoppage time through Welbeck.  Rooney slipped the England international in on goal, and Welbeck beautifully dinked the ball over the oncoming Vorm, slipping the chip right into the bottom left corner of the net.  Swansea could do no more than wait for the full-time whistle, confirming a solid debut for Moyes.
Man of the Match: Robin van Persie

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.