Home   >   MOTDs   >   MOTD: Preston North End 1-3 Manchester United

MOTD: Preston North End 1-3 Manchester United

By on February 16, 2015

Preston North End will perhaps think they could have defended slightly better to keep hold of a win; Manchester United know they need to simply find the back of the net more often. They’ve tried the classic British manager in David Moyes, who attempted to win with guts, much like Ferguson but without the results. At the start of the season Louis Van Gaal came in promising to renovate United into a new “galactico” philosophy.

Yet six months into his tenure, the Dutchman has been criticized of playing long-ball football instead of the possession-based play he promised. Today, neither sides of the battle were correct; rather, United only began to genuinely threaten when Ashley Young was brought on and United reverted to the wing-based crossing game for which Moyes was so criticized.

As was the case in United’s 0-0 draw with Cambridge United in the previous round of the FA Cup, the Reds failed to break down Preston. Unlike Cambridge, though, Preston forced Van Gaal’s hand as the hosts got lucky with a deflected goal. Only then, when Marouane Fellaini went up front to bring down crosses (indeed, he scored doing so) did United score, and even so Preston had grievances in all three of United’s goals. United won, but they didn’t win pretty.

In some ways, that’s been a minor theme for them so far this season. So often Plan A has failed, but Plan B bailed them out.

United dominated the first half, but bar a few half-chances hardly threatened Preston’s goal. In a 3-5-2 made to spring on the break, Sam Grayson’s League One side almost looked more dangerous; it was them who the lead just two minutes into the second half as Scott Laird’s deflected shot wriggled just under the arms of David De Gea in goal. Soon after De Gea was forced to deal with Chris Humphrey’s low header, though United still saw most of the ball.

Yet still, their equalizer was largely on the hands of Lady Luck. A luck deflection saw the ball bobble right to the feet of Ander Herrera fifteen yards out, and the Spanish midfielder didn’t hesitate in a low finesse finish into the bottom left corner. Preston’s hope and resistance was crumbling, and sixty-nine minutes in United inevitably completed the comeback. Fellaini got on the end of a far-post cross, then Thorstan Stuckmann’s save as well, eventually volleying the ball home from just a few yards out.

There are positives for United to take out of the match, though, and Wayne Rooney, who had been a bright spot dropping back into his preferred space right behind the forward in United’s starting lineup, put the icing on the cake, drawing a penalty after getting to a through-pass ahead of Stuckmann and then converting the following penalty.
Man of the Match: Marouane Fellaini

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.