Manchester United: The comeback kings reign supreme in Turin
Yet another game, yet another late winner and yet another antic from the Red Devils and their boss Jose Mourinho. Making this a habit time and again in the last month or so, are Manchester United, who displayed similar intensities and performance rates as they have been showing since tasting defeat against the Hammers, West Ham United, in the Premier League on the 29th of September.
The late winner coming in the form of a rather controversial own goal by Alex Sandro brought much delight to the fans of the Red Devils, and a feeling of being hard done by to the fans of the Old Lady, Juventus.
Following yet another lacklustre display in the first half, Manchester United regrouped and thanks to some smart substitutions made by manager Jose Mourinho, eked out a win in Turin. Courtesy an exceptional equalizer from Juan Mata in the form of a free kick and Marouane Fellaini with his crucial touch leading to the winner, Manchester United ended Juventus' unbeaten run across all competitions.
Cristiano Ronaldo with a sublime volley provided Juventus with a deserved lead after halftime, bringing back the memories for all Manchester United supporters. The goal seemed to have sealed the qualification for Juventus into the second round, but the comeback kings had other ideas.
The homecoming for Paul Pogba promised to bring back his missing style of play, this time in the Red shirt of Manchester United. Much to the disappointment of United fans, he lacked control. Hhis usual flair and his long balls went missing in his play, although he seemed to have the last touch in the Manchester United winner, later ruled as an own goal.
As luck played its part in crowning Manchester United, the comeback kings yet again, this win will get the team brimming with confidence as they enter an important phase in a footballing season, especially after the dreadful start they endured at the start of the season.
Talking about the special one, the shenanigans one, whatever you call him, this win will act as a catalyst for Jose Mourinho to put his critics to rest for a while. The pressure of his dreaded third season and the horrific start to Manchester United's campaign had the critics plan Christmas as the farthest Mourinho could keep his job. However, this win and the recent string of results might push that back by some distance.
If Manchester United keep getting these sort of results and a win against the noisy neighbours over the weekend, might even have the critics eat their words.
Taking a dig at the Football Association (FA) and the Juventus supporters for wilfully hurling insults at him throughout the game, Mourinho seems to be getting his lost confidence and the support of Manchester United fans back. His confidence level can be stemmed from the shenanigans he displays on a football pitch, with the football fans not getting to see much of that at the start of this season.
This win, although glorifying the tag of comeback kings, will put a great deal of confidence into the system of Manchester United and motivate them to not leave it too late to bring out the best in them in the coming fixtures, especially against the defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.