Home   >   MOTDs   >   MOTD: Sunderland 2-1 Manchester United

MOTD: Sunderland 2-1 Manchester United

By on February 13, 2016

When the final whistle blew at the Stadium of Light, the Manchester United team collectively slumped.  Louis van Gaal’s eyebrows furrowed, his head sagged and the color drained from his face.  At this point in United’s dismal season, a 2-1 loss at relegation-embattled Sunderland was hardly even considered an upset.  The United players weren’t fired up, they simply weren’t upset; the mounting disappointment that this season has become has exhausted their passion and zeal.  “Defeated” would be a better verb to deploy in this scenario as Van Gaal dejectedly dragged himself through the usual post-match routine.

The Dutchman conceded that Champions League qualification will be extremely difficult in their current circumstances, despite sitting just six points outside of the top four with twelve matches to play, and that United’s best option is to focus on winning the Europa League.  “It will be very difficult now,” he said, per the Telegraph.  “You have to win these kind of games and we didn’t.  We can only blame ourselves.”

“Two goals from two set-pieces. They had more aggression than us and we could not cope with that aggression.”

Aggression: he used the word six times in his curt post-match press conference, in Sunderland’s favor every time.  Sunderland’s vigor and Wahbi Kharzi, on his home debut at the club, led the Black Cats to their first victory in the last month.  His early set-piece goal offered Sam Allardyce’s men hope and a scrappy late winner gave them their first Premier League victory over United at the Stadium of Light at fourteen times of trying, simultaneously lifting the club back within a point of safety.

“I think the game was similar to [Manchester] City but this time we got what we deserved,” said Big Sam.  “The chances we created and the clear-cut one we had was worrying me because we should have been 2-0 up.

“N’Doye was through one-on-one and I was wondering if it would go for us but luckily our new boys helped us out today and it’s an unbelievable result for us, [not only] beating Manchester United but beating them in the position we’re in. This is three big, bonus points for us.”

Just three minutes in, January addition Kharzi whipped a deep free-kick into the United box and amazingly, the ball evaded the crowded box and crept into the back of the net.  The goal left United shellshocked and Sunderland pushed for a second.  In the eleventh minute, Jermain Defoe poked the ball just wide of goal after finding a pocket of space in a goal-mouth scramble.

Although United slowly recovered, Sunderland’s pressing snuffed the impetus out of United’s attack.  Matteo Darmian was forced out via a shoulder injury in the thirty-fifth minute, later confirmed as a dislocated shoulder, and Donald Love replaced the left-back for his United debut.

Anthony Martial dragged United back into the match in the thirty-ninth minute, poking home a rebound after Vito Mannone blocked Juan Mata’s original effort, but if it weren’t for the individual brilliance of David de Gea’s heroics in goal in this match and over the course of the season, Van Gaal would surely have been out of a job by now.

This time, however, it wasn’t enough and Lamine Kone’s header from Khazri’s corner sealed the win late on.  The ball beat De Gea, but Martial’s goal-line clearance ricochet of the Spain international’s back and into the net.

The next two weeks offer a break from a disastrous league campaign for United, but unlike Sunderland, who will visit Dubai for a week of warm-weather training, they won’t have the luxury of rest.  They’re booked with a Europa League match against Danish side Midtjylland on Thursday, an FA Cup tie at Shrewsbury the next Monday and the reverse European leg three days later.

Homepage photo credit: The JPS, via Wikipedia Commons

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.