Sunday 22 October 2017

Match report: Huddersfield 2-1 United

Huddersfield Town stunned a desperately poor United side and ended the Reds unbeaten start to the season with a full deserved victory.

This was a day to forget for an out of sorts United, who fell 2-0 behind by half time through goals from Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre.
Substitute Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back, but a draw would have been unfair on a Terriers side who lived up to their nickname with a tenacious performance.

United had conceded only twice in eight league games but that tally was doubled in five first half minutes after two sloppy defensive errors that were clinically punished. 

Romelu Lukaku had an early effort saved by Jonas Lossl, but that was the closest the Reds came for the rest of the half.

Phil Jones has enjoyed a superb season at the heart of United's defence, but he was added to our ever-lengthening injury list having hurt his knee in a coming together with Elias Kachunga.

Huddersfield opened the scoring shortly before the half hour mark when Juan Mata was caught in possession by Mooy, whom in turn picked out Paul Ince's son Tom.
He collected the ball and had a shot saved by David de Gea but the rebound fell to Mooy who followed up to score and send the John Smith's Stadium into raptures.

Five minutes later, United were exposed again as Victor Lindelof, who had come on for Jones, failed to deal with Lossl's long ball up the middle. 
The Swedish centre-back misjudged the bounce and Depoitre ran through, rounded de Gea and rolled the ball in.

Nemanja Matic had a shot deflected wide and Ashley Young - probably United's best player on the day - went close with a shot from distance shortly after the interval. 

The expected onslaught did not arrive until Ander Herrera had a header parried by Lossl after Young had picked him out. 

That belatedly kick-started United into life and the Reds gave themselves hope 12 minutes from time through Marcus Rashford.

The substitute headed home from close range on 78 minutes after excellent wing work from Lukaku.

Despite four added minutes, United were unable even to carve out another opportunity, until makeshift striker Chris Smalling had a shot blocked in the dying seconds.

Huddersfield proved resilient opponents who defendly doggedly in the closing stages and celebrated wildly at full-time, having inflicted United's first league defeat of the season.

Overall team performance: 0/10
United Faithful Man of the Match: Ashley Young was the best of a bad bunch




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