Manchester United played a decent game against Stoke City on Tuesday, ultimately creating more decent chances than they conceded, leading to a deserved 2-1 victory. But it got real dicey at the end, with Stoke laying siege to the United goal and magically failing to score.
David De Gea, Ashley Young rescue Manchester United in Fergie-esque fashion
Maybe the old United are back.
Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Their first big chance was stopped by David De Gea in the pretty brilliant fashion that we’ve become accustomed to seeing.
The second dodged bullet was considerably less typical and certainly more infuriating for Stoke fans. De Gea took a step into perfect position before that header and always looked like he could make a save. But Mame Biram Diouf's effort a minute later -- a rebound off another good De Gea save -- looked like it could, and definitely should hit the back of the net. He was denied by Ashley Young, of all people.
United have pulled off a lot of results in this manner this season, even if this is probably their most dramatic win. Their draw against Chelsea came off a last-minute equalizer, their West Bromwich Albion draw was similar, and their one-goal wins against Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Ham were all much nervier than they needed to be.
One could take this as a sign that United just aren't that great. They've dodged a bunch of bullets and could just as easily be where Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur are than up in fourth place. But if pre-David Moyes Manchester United had any signature trait, it was doing this kind of stuff all the time. Any of Alex Ferguson's title wins featured a half-dozen wins that should have been draws and almost as many draws that should have been losses. After a decade of this, it was hard to call them undeserving.
So maybe Manchester United got lucky in stoppage time against Stoke. It’s certainly sensible to conclude that these kind of results aren’t repeatable. But what if they’re just turning back into Manchester United again?
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