Another trip to Wembley to United and it ended in another win for the men in Red as United beat Tottenham in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday. The talking points from the entertaining game….
WEMBLEY? COMPLETED IT.
United tend to do to visit Wembley and end up the winners. United have lost at the National Stadium only once in their last 8 games, a run that stretches into the Sir Alex Ferguson era. United only defeat here in the span of just under 8 years came in January to Tottenham in the League. United have an impeccable record here in Cup competitions as can be seen in their two Community Shields and the two domestic Cups won under van Gaal and Mourinho in the previous two campaign. United can end up with another trophy should this remarkable run continue as the club now faces Chelsea in the Final of the FA Cup on May 19th.
BIG GAME PLAYER
Paul Pogba has been criticized for a number of reasons this season but one of them is not his form in big games. Apart from the stinker he had against Tottenham in January, Pogba has a remarkable run in big games this season with statistics propping up my argument. Pogba now has three assists and two goals in games 5 games this season. That’s a direct involvement in a goal every game. He dominated at the Emirates, was a contender for Man of The Match against Chelsea at Old Trafford as he schooled PFA Player of the Year in a remarkable display from midfield. He then stole the headlines on Derby Day with his brace and stamped his authority this Saturday with an assist and overran the Tottenham midfield countless times. More of the same please, Paul.
BAD TOUCH
The Lord Almighty has a funny way of going about things. Romelu Lukaku, a player criticized for his awful first touch so many times this season, made the assist for Ander Herrera’s winner. And it came off a control. The ball rolled past Lukaku’s boots and into the path of Herrera who slotted it past Vorm. Maybe sometimes, good things do come off of mistakes. The assist means that Lukaku assisted the winner in both of United’s wins over Tottenham this season.
SERIAL WINNER MOURINHO
In just his second season at the club, Jose Mourinho will now play for his third trophy (four, if you count last season’s Community Shield) in just his second season at Manchester United. Despite the criticism levelled at United this season, a second place finish and a Cup victory would have been welcomed with open hands by a majority of the fans of the club at the start of the season. Mourinho is a serial winner and rarely loses Finals unlike some managers currently employed in the Premier League. His astonishing win record of 12 from 14 matches Finals will be on the line against nemesis Antonio Conte in the domestic season-ender at Wembley next month.
HERRERA BACK TO HIS BEST
Ander Herrera was a pale shadow of his last season self for the majority of this season but he seems to have finally found form in the business end of the campaign. Herrera was excellent in the Manchester Derby a fortnight back and put in a solid shift at Bournemouth before have what is arguably his best game of the season at Wembley. It is not just his goal but his overall performance that caught the eye. Numerous tackles, interceptions and being a nuisance to the Spurs frontline for almost the entirety of the game. Herrera’s uptick since the start of the month has coincided with a return of form of Pogba too and the diminutive Spaniard will play a vital role prior to the end of the season.
