Alexis Sanchez, on his home debut, scored his first Manchester United goal as the Red Devils beat an unadventurous Huddersfield Town 2-0 in their Premier League tie at Old Trafford on Saturday to trim the gap between themselves and leaders Manchester City to 13 points.
After City had been held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley earlier in the day, the onus was on Jose Mourinho’s men to respond and they did in a game that was dogged by controversy before kick-off.
The Portuguese tactician made a bold move with his team selection as he dropped star man Paul Pogba, who had been poor in their midweek loss to Tottenham Hotspur, in favour of academy graduate Scott McTominay.
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United began the first-half on a sluggish note, monopolising possession but struggling to break down a well-set Huddersfield defence but were denied a stonewall penalty when Terence Kongolo clattered McTominay inside the box in the 19th minute.
Match referee blew the whistle to allow the physios to attend the stricken player but despite having a clear view of the incident, did not award United a penalty and the home crowd could clearly not believe what they had unfolded.
The Red Devils, with Sanchez running the show, kept probing the Terriers’ back-line but Jonas Lossl in goal stood firm and at half-time the sides were deadlocked.
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Mourinho must have urged his players to press with more urgency during the break for United surged forward at every opportunity and looked like they would score soon.
The hosts were literally camped near the Huddersfield bow and it would be Romelu Lukaku who would open the scoring with a smart finish from Juan Mata’s cross in the 55th minute.
Sanchez would then complete the scoreline in the 68th minute after winning a penalty and he dusted himself off to score on his first game in front of the Stratford End, albeit on the second attempt from the spot-kick.
The Chilean had blatantly dived in the first-half to win a penalty but this time there was no doubt about the authenticity of the foul and the second goal was the guarantee Mourinho needed as he rung in the changes soon after.
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With the result, United have trimmed the gap between themselves and City to 13 points but perhaps more importantly, gone six points clear of Liverpool and Chelsea (Both sides have a game in hand).
Mourinho’s men next travel to Newcastle United and will look to build on Saturday’s win when they take on the Magpies on February 11.
The Terriers slip into the drop zone on the back of their fifth loss on the trot and they will look to return to winning ways when the host Bournemouth in their next Premier League on February 11.