Jesse Lingard scored his first Manchester United goal as Louis van Gaal's side recorded a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
Lingard's strike, which came in the 52nd minute, opened the scoring for the home side, before a late Juan Mata penalty made sure of all the points for the Red Devils.
The result has kept Man United in fourth position in the table, while West Brom, who had Gareth McAuley sent off late on for bringing Anthony Martial to the ground inside the box, remain 12th on 14 points.
Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action at Old Trafford.
Match statistics
MAN UNITED
Shots: 13
On target: 3
Possession: 69%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
WEST BROM
Shots: 4
On target: 0
Possession: 31%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
In previous seasons, this type of game would have considered a home banker. However, with West Brom winning on their last two trips to Man United in the league, the visitors would have entered this game full of confidence. Van Gaal's side have struggled to break teams down in recent weeks, but this was much more like the Man United of old, with the performance and result both impressive. West Brom's game-plan, which was to frustrate and counter, worked for the first period, but it was always the type of game where the Baggies needed to open the scoring to stand a chance of securing a positive result.
Lingard's first Man United goal put a different complexion on the game in the 52nd minute, however, and while West Brom had chances as the match progressed, notably a Saido Berahino header, the hosts never look in danger of relinquishing their control. Statistics rarely paint a false picture in football and the fact that West Brom did not have a single attempt on target is an indication of their struggles. It was not exactly the prettiest and most free-flowing of Man United performances once again, but it is indeed another clean sheet and another three points. The scoreline was a fair reflection of the events in Manchester.
Man United's performance
After beating CSKA Moscow in the Champions League during the week, Van Gaal stuck with the same XI, but there was a change in the final third, with Martial playing through the middle and Wayne Rooney operating at number 10. The tempo was high from the hosts in the early stages, but the first real chance of the match did not arrive until the 16th minute, when Mata curled one wide of the post. The home side dominated possession during the first 45 minutes and also came close through Lingard and Martial, but the Baggies managed to frustrate Van Gaal's side in the first period of action.
Talk of an early goal in the second half would have been rife in the Man United dressing room at the break and that is indeed what occurred, with Lingard breaking the deadlock with a curling effort into the bottom corner. West Brom started to make their influence known as the match progressed, but that created more space for the hosts, who started to force the issue against a broken West Brom defence. With 20 minutes left, the game was very much in the balance at Old Trafford.
Berahino had a wonderful chance to level for West Brom in the 75th minute, but it was Man United that scored the game's second goal late on when Mata converted from the penalty spot in an incident that saw McAuley sent off for bringing Martial to the ground. There was also a special moment for Cameron Borthwick-Jackson late on, with the teenager coming on for his first-team debut. Overall, it was a positive afternoon's work for the home side, who have now moved just one point behind the league leaders Manchester City. It was the perfect way to enter the upcoming international break.
West Brom's performance
It was not much of a surprise when the teamsheets were handed in and West Brom boss Tony Pulis had gone for a lone striker - Salomon Rondon - in an attempt to frustrate Man United's attack. As mentioned, that was a tactic that worked in the first 45 minutes and it was indeed a tactic that worked on their last two trips to Old Trafford, which brought two wins. Man United had all of the possession in the first period, but Boaz Myhill in goal only had one save to make from Martial.
Pulls would have been delighted with what he saw in the first period, but when Lingard opened the scoring, their game-plan had to change. In fairness, Pulis threw on both Berahino and Rickie Lambert in a bid to turn the tide and there were periods of the second half where the Baggies threatened to level the scores. Their one outstanding chance fell to Berahino following a super Craig Dawson cross, but the striker could only head wide of the post. It is difficult to miss chances of that magnitude at Old Trafford and expect to get something from the game and that was indeed what developed in Manchester.
West Brom continue to press in the latter stages, but they conceded a second in injury time when McAuley brought Martial to the ground and Mata stepped up to beat Myhill. It was not exactly a performance that the West Brom supporters would have enjoyed and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target, which is an indication of their struggles. Pulls clearly felt that setting up in a defensive shape was the best way to tackle Man United, but that tactic did not work this time around. For long spells, they managed to frustrate the hosts, but they did lack a game-plan when the first goal from Lingard went in.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Bastian Schweinsteiger: Lingard deserves a shout for his overall performance and indeed goal, but Schweinsteiger ran the show in this game. The German international controlled the tempo from a deep position and showed the type of energy that he displayed during his younger days at Bayern Munich. This was the type of performance that Van Gaal would have had in mind when he signed the World Cup winner.
Biggest gaffe
This is not a difficult one. West Brom had a golden chance to level the scores in the 75th minute when Dawson picked out Berahino inside the box, but the Englishman headed wide of the post from close range. It was an unbelievable chance to level at a vital stage of the game, but Berahino did not have the composure to find the back of the net. Games are often decided by those type of moments.
Referee performance
Mike Dean largely had control of events at Old Trafford, issuing just four yellow cards during what was a fairly comfortable game to referee. The official had a big call to make late on in the penalty incident and while the award of the spot kick was correct, it was perhaps a shade harsh to send McAuley from the field.
What next?
Man United: Next up for the Red Devils is a trip to Watford on November 21.
West Brom: The Baggies resume their campaign with a home match against Arsenal on November 21.
Matt Law
