PL2: United 3 Derby 2

An entertaining game at Old Trafford saw United eventually run out winners by the odd goal in five thanks to a brace from Scott McTominay (left) either side of a Josh Harrop penalty.

Although Derby saw a lot of the ball early on, United looked in control and were deservedly ahead within twenty minutes.  Harrop's cross was met by McTominay, who rose brilliantly to head the ball into the roof of the net.  

As with the victory over Villareal last week, much of United's most dangerous play came down the left and a run and cross from Riley almost brought a second when McTominay's shot struck the post and the midfielder went close again moments later, also following a cross from the left.  

United rued these missed chances when Derby drew level.  With Poole and Tuanzebe again coping admirably with anything the away side produced in open play, a set-piece had always looked like Derby's best chance of a goal and so it proved, Vernon nodding the ball over the line from a corner.

It was the lively Josh Harrop who restored United's lead mid-way through the second half.  After a surging run into the area, he was clumsily brought down and stepped up to take the penalty himself, striking it firmly into the bottom corner.  Derby struck back, however, and it was once again Vernon on target, doing brilliantly to get between two United defenders to fire hoe a bullet header.   

United weren't about to settle for that, however, and they took the lead again late in the game.  Riley's cross found substitute Olosunde in the box, who was dispossessed, but the ball fell to McTominay, who decisively stabbed home his second of the night.  

Derby again showed spirit in their attempts to push for a third equaliser but, aside from an O'Hara save from a free kick in stoppage time, United rarely looked troubled in the closing minutes and hung on to secure all three points 

Jose, We Need To Talk About Rooney...

The most depressing thing about United’s recent performances, for me, hasn’t been any of the things the irate Twitterati have been venting their spleen over.  It isn’t Rooney’s decline, Pogba’s inability to make an impact or Carrick’s apparent permanent seat on the bench that are bothering me, though these are all symptoms.  Rather more worryingly, it’s that Mourinho gives the impression of being uncharacteristically hesitant in addressing such issues.

It’s the last thing we expected of him.  Never a great Mourinho fan, I accepted he was the inevitable choice simply because I thought there was no way he’d fall into the trap of his two predecessors.  David Moyes always looked caught between an attempt to go with his own tried and trusted methods and a desire to show faith in the United way and got the balance completely wrong.  Van Gaal, in contrast, always seemed to project the belief that he knew what he was doing, but his teams’ performances often said something else entirely, indicating that his players had no more belief in his methods than the fans did.

Mourinho, I thought, might upset us by not prioritising some of the things we most cherish about our club – youth development, for instance – but he’ll surely have the self-belief to do things his own way and from that, at least in the short-term, we’ll surely benefit.

So it’s been baffling, in particular, to see his approach to United’s midfield selections.  Having paid a world record fee for Paul Pogba, we’ve seen him moved about the midfield positions between and even within games: This from a coach who has publicly stated his intention to field players in their specialist positions. Michael Carrick, meanwhile, hasn’t kicked a ball in earnest so far, despite Mourinho’s desire to keep him at the club.  Surely the most familiar Mourinho midfield would be one that sees Pogba’s energy complemented by Carrick’s tactical nous?  If not, then what of Morgan Schneiderlin, one of the few players to emerge from the Feyenoord debacle with any credit?

I know I’m not the first to say it, but the whole thing points to a need to accommodate Rooney, who he played in midfield at Watford despite assuring us at the start of the season he did not intend to use him in that role.  I’m not one to follow the instant condemnation line of those who populate Twitter and I do genuinely attempt to see it from the coach’s point of view but, given his earlier pronouncements, it was a baffling selection and one that leaves me concerned that Mourinho, like Van Gaal and Moyes, may be over-complicating a simple situation purely because the easier decision – leave Rooney out – is somehow less palatable.

Rooney’s place in the starting line-up isn’t the only issue Mourinho has to resolve (and, yes, I know he wasn’t even playing at Feyenoord and we were still very poor), but it’s probably the most significant one because it’s hard to see how other players can flourish in their best positions as long as he’s there.  Wayne Rooney is no longer our best centre forward, our best number ten or our best attacking midfielder.  Ergo, he shouldn’t be in the side unless those who are better than him are unavailable.   This isn’t anything against Rooney: it’s just a cold, hard appraisal of the situation.  The ability to carry out that kind of assessment – recall his treatment of Mata at Chelsea - is something on which much of Mourinho’s considerable reputation is based.

Whether the Mourinho of repute will finally stand up and make a decision on an issue that his two predecessors so painfully dodged might well be the difference between whether he succeeds or follows them into the post-Fergie hall of managerial ignominy.  

Watford 3 United 1

Jose Mourinho was still finding his feet as a manager in Portugal the last time he saw his side lose three games in a row.   Sadly, United fans don't have to look that far back to recall a similar series of inept performances, which is why this defeat at Watford had a worryingly familiar look abou tit.

United made the kind of sluggish start that has sadly become typical of late and might well have gone behind after just 13 minutes, a mix-up between De Gea and Smalling allowing the ball to drop to Ighalo, whose wayward shot allowed the Reds a reprieve.  

It only proved temporary, however.  Martial and Janmaat both had treatment after a nasty clash of heads and ten minutes later the United man was dispossessed on the United left and, when the ball found its way to the in-form Capoue at the edge of the area, the lively Frenchman steered home to give Watford the lead.

It looked debatable whether Martial had been fouled but the fact that he was then immediately taken off clutching his head, suggests he was still suffering the after-effects of his early collision, something that will raise questions as to why he was allowed to play on.

Aside from a superb effort from Pogba that rattled the crossbar,  there was little to lift United fans in first period in which, whatever the legality of Watford's goal, they were clearly second-best.  

When Mata was introduced for Valencia on the hour, it appeared, for a while, to change the direction of the game.   Soon after United were level, Rashford's one-two in the area with Ibrahimovic finishing with the youngster prodding the ball over the line.

So often Rashford's goals have proved crucial for the Reds and for a while that looked likely to be the case here also.  United might well have added to their lead when Gomez did brilliantly to deny an Ibrahimovic header.  Had they done so, it might all have ended differently

Even so, at the time United looked the more likely side to grab the three points.  Then, the wheels fell off.  Seven minutes from time a rare Watford attack saw substitute Zuniga drift unattended into the area and finish convincingly to restore the home side's lead.

If we expected a grandstand finish from United, we were to be disappointed.  It says much about the problems within the playing staff that United simply fell apart completely and it was no surprise when Watford added to their lead in stoppage time.  Bailly, who looked far less convincing without Blind alongside him at the back, failed to get to grips with Zuniga's run and Fellaini clumsily brought him down.

It remained only for Deeney to crash his penalty into the net to send Watford fans home deliriously happy and United fans to dwell on a third successive performance that, aside from twenty minutes in the second half, was no better than what Moyes or Van Gaal might have served up.   The swagger on display in those first three games appears to have vanished, the Mourinho honeymoon is over and he has some serious work to do, and fast.

Europa League: Feyenoord 1 United 0

Another below-par performance saw United saw fall to defeat in this first Europa League game and a fourth consecutive away defeat in European competitions.

A drab first half saw United's attacking threat nullified by the home side's pressing game and a failure to get players forward to support Rashford, who looked increasingly isolated in the lone forward role.  The closest United came to a decent chance arrived via Darmian, whose ball into the box set up Martial, only for the Frenchman to shoot wide  

Just before half-time Darmian's cross presented Rashford with a header that he nodded downwards, just failing to find Mata as he arrived at the far post.  Otherwise, United, with eight changes from the side that played against city on Saturday, struggled to attack with purpose against a Feyenoord side whose confidence following an excellent start to the Dutch season was evident.  

Although Pogba began to look a more threatening force after the break, United continued to lack movement up front and, on the hour mark, Mourinho reacted by taking off the front three, introducing Ibrahimovic, Young and Memphis as replacements.

United did begin to show more adventure following the changes but, with the game becoming spread, Feyenoord benefited from the gaps being left and took the lead with eleven minutes remaining.  Although Jorgensen looked offside in the build up, United will be disappointed with the acres of space allowed to Trindade, whose finish gave De Gea no chance.

Although United pushed forward for an equaliser, the best they managed was a free kick from Ibrahimovic that was superbly saved by Jones.  In addition to a bad start to this European campaign, the result means back to back defeats for Mourinho's side after what has to go down as a deeply unconvincing performance from the Reds

PL International Cup: United 1 Villareal 0

A floodlight failure amid the thunder and lightning over Leigh caused this game to kick off an hour late.  When the lights finally came on, the patient crowd were treated to a high quality encounter won by the Reds with a first half Josh Harrop goal.

Although Villareal looked lively early on, United began pressing high up the pitch and their organisation and physicality increasingly caused problems for the Spaniards. Ethan Hamilton, in his first start at this level, looked especially lively on the left and it was his run that brought the Reds a deserved lead just after the half hour mark, putting in Harrop to finish clinically.

It was Willock's turn to take on the role of nominal 'false nine' and, for the first time this season, United's Under 23s began to make the system work.  With Willock dropping back and interchanging with Harrop and McTominay, there was a greater fluency to the Reds' play and their movement frequently caused problems for the visitors.

United came close to extending their lead from an unusual source early in the second half, captain Alex Tuanzebe surging forward and drawing a fine save from the keeper before then miscuing on the rebound.  

It was a moment that emphasised the power and flexibility of the Reds' performance, qualities that have been too often lacking in this season's Premier League 2 games.      

Villareal increasingly showed the quality that brought them victory in this competition last year.  However, United's defence coped superbly with the pressure and only when Gonzalez stuck the post did they look in danger of conceding.

There was, admittedly, the scare of a free header for Fernandes deep into stoppage time, but the Reds held out for a fine win in a hugely absorbing contest.  

United 1 city 2

Last season these two sides played out a highly forgettable 0-0 draw in this fixture.  This time, a pulsating Manchester derby was won by city with a dominant first half display.  Although United strove to chase the game, ultimately the Reds paid for a lack-lustre first half hour or so and, despite the considerably greater entertainment value, Mourinho's men walked away with no points.

To say United were slow to get into the game would be an understatement.  It was like watching Bernard Manning trying to get out of bed after a big night on the ale and it wasn't long before they were made to pay for their sluggishness.  The movement of city's forward players had been caused problems for the United defence from the start but it was a more direct approach that brought the breakthrough.  Blind failed to deal with a long ball and header that De Bruyne ran through onto and the Belgian drilled his shot past De Gea from the edge of the area.

De Bruyne was easily the game's outstanding player and he was instrumental in bringing city's second when his shot hit the post, only for Iheanacho to tap in the rebound.  It was, sadly, no more than the visitors deserved.  United's game plan of using Mkhitaryan and Lingard to press on city's full backs just wasn't working and the opposition's busy midfielders denied Pogba any space in which to work while Fellaini was too often busy attempting to help out the Reds' ragged defence.

United got back into the game just before half-time when Bravo, making his debut in the city goal, fumbled a deep cross and Ibrahimovic seized his opportunity, brilliantly controlling his volley to score just inside the near post.  The big Swede then had two opportunities to level the scores before half-time, his far post header only finding the grateful arms of Bravo before yet more confusion between the Chilean keeper and his defenders allowed him another shot on goal, this time only to find Stones on the line.

Understandably, Mourinho took both Mkhitaryan and Lingard off at half-time, replacing them with Herrera and Rashford.  Rashford didn't take long to make the city defence aware of his threat, charging down the left and finding Ibrahimovic in the box, only for the striker to send his shot over the bar.

Later in the half, another run from the youngster looked to have brought the equaliser, but the linesman disallowed it, his shot having struck an offside Ibrahimovic on its way into the net.

United were by now seeking the equaliser with some determination, though they also left the back door open on a number of occasions and it took a couple of crucial saves from De Gea, a superb challenge from Bailly and a shot from De Bruyne that hit the post and ran along the goal line to prevent city from adding to their lead.

With Martial coming on as a late substitute, the Reds continued to press for a crucial equaliser, but this time the late goal never came and city celebrated victory in what will go down as one of the more memorable Manchester derbies of recent times, although those memories will taste much sourer for those among the Red contingent at Old Trafford. 

PL2: city 1 United 1

United's Under 23s were put under considerable pressure at the Etihad but managed to emerge with a creditable draw, secured thanks to an excellent save in the last seconds by Kevin O'Hara.

The Reds came close to going behind in the seventh minute when Poole's rare mistake at the back allowed Kongolo a run on goal, but the city youngster fired his shot high over the bar.  

City continued to enjoy the bulk of the possession, but failed to carve out another clear-cut chance in the first half and it was United who took the lead against the run of play.  Willock picked the ball up in midfield and held off a series of challenges from city defenders before drilling a fine shot low past O'Brien.

The home side pressed forward before half-time, but the Reds were solid at the back and O'Hara went into the interval without having to make a save. 

Sadly, his first action real in the second half was to pick the ball out of the net when city equalised just after the hour mark, substitute Diaz curling a superb shot beyond the reach of the United keeper.  

There was no question it was any more than city deserved and they looked determined to push for a winner.  Although another good run from Willock almost put in Harrop for United, the home side always carried the greater threat and United again had to defend resiliently to see the game out.  Indeed, city ought to have won the game deep in stoppage time when O'Hara did magnificently to spread himself and deny Diaz when he looked certain to score.

Although a draw at the Etihad can be considered a good result for the Reds, the performance again raised concerns about how United will cope this season with such a severe lack of forward options at this level.  Once again, however, defensively United coped admirably in the face of a stiff test from a lively city side.