- Ander Herrera replaced Adnan Januzaj in the Manchester United team for their match away at Swansea
- Swansea's Bafetimbi Gomis hit the post in the first half, while Gylfi Sigurdsson squandered a golden opportunity
- Juan Mata opened the scoring for United in the second half, firing home at the back post after some poor defending
- Andre Ayew levelled the scores just after the hour mark, before Gomis completed the comeback shortly after
Louis
van Gaal’s 50th game in charge of Manchester United proved to be much
like his first, with the old one-two at Swansea begging the question of
whether progress is being made at Old Trafford.
The
reign of Van Gaal started with a 2-1 home defeat against Garry Monk’s
team, and United went down by the same scoreline when they visited the
Liberty Stadium in February.
It
happened again in a damp South Wales yesterday, as the experienced
Dutchman was outwitted by Monk for the third time in little more than a
year, despite taking the lead through Juan Mata.
Scroll down for video
Bafetimbi Gomis
(centre) slots the ball under the body of Sergio Romero to secure
Swansea's comeback win against Manchester United
France international Gomis celebrated in typical fashion, roaring at the Swansea fans after netting the home side's second goal
Gomis wheels away in celebration after scoring Swansea's second - and match-winning - goal against Manchester United on Sunday
As Luke Shaw (right) shuts his eyes in disappointment, Gomis raises a fist in celebration at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea
Romero lies face down on the turf after conceding his second Premier League goal... the first had come just five minutes earlier
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI AND THE UPDATED PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Swansea (4-2-3-1):
Fabianski 6.5, Naughton 6.5, Fernandez 6.5, Williams 6.5, Taylor 6,
Cork 6.5, Shelvey 6.5 (Bartley 88), Ayew 7.5, Sigurdsson 6.5, Routledge 6
(Ki 58, 6.5), Gomis 7 (Eder 80)
Subs not used: Dyer, Nordfeldt, Tabanou, Rangel
Manager: Garry Monk
Goals: Ayew 61, Gomis 66
Manchester United (4-2-3-1):
Romero 4.5, Darmian 6, Smalling 6, Blind 5, Shaw 6.5, Schneiderlin 5.5
(Carrick 70, 6.5), Schweinsteiger 5.5, Mata 6.5 (Young 70, 6), Herrera 6
(Fellaini 76), Depay 4, Rooney 5
Subs not used: Johnstone, Hernandez, Carrick, Young, Valencia, Fellaini, McNair
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Goal: Mata 48
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Stadium: Liberty Stadium
This
is becoming a bad habit. Van Gaal praised Monk for a tactical response
to Mata’s strike and two goals in five minutes from Andre Ayew and
Bafetimbi Gomis turned the game on its head.
By the final whistle, a jubilant home crowd were cheering as stray passes drifted into touch and United ran out of ideas.
Van
Gaal’s claim that his team were dominant for 85 minutes was unfair on a
team who were everything his were not: quick, incisive and clinical,
even without speed merchant Jefferson Montero on the left wing.
Moreover, Monk’s team were cohesive, committed and fluent. When under
pressure, they resisted well. When on top, they threatened the goal from
different angles.
United,
even during an opening phase when they controlled possession, rarely
dazzled and, as a manager, you remove the thrill and flair from
Manchester United at your peril.
Swansea new boy Andre Ayew (third
left) powers his header past Romero as United pair Morgan Schneiderlin
and Chris Smalling watch on
Ayew wheels away after scoring his
third goal of the Premier League season, which set Swansea on their way
to victory over United
Juan Mata fires
high into the net at the back post, making the most of some poor Swansea
defending to open the scoring for Man United
| MINS | KM | MILES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea | 111.3 | 69.2 | |
| Jack Cork | 90 | 12.5 | 7.8 |
| Gylfi Sigurdsson | 90 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Andre Ayew | 90 | 10.9 | 6.8 |
| Manchester Utd | 112.5 | 69.9 | |
| Matteo Darmian | 90 | 11.6 | 7.2 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger | 90 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| Memphis Depay | 90 | 10.6 | 6.6 |
| Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League | |||
Without
it, you really must win. They did against Tottenham and Aston Villa in
the Premier League, and against Club Bruges in Europe. They did not
against Newcastle and in Swansea could not salvage a point to extend an
unbeaten start.
Van
Gaal was defiant after the defeat and distanced himself from transfer
activity which may yet see David de Gea and Javier Hernandez leave Old
Trafford before the market closes.
Perhaps
most disturbingly, his United team function like two disconnected
units, with a rigid back six and four up front, left to their own
devices but unable to create much at all.
Bastian
Schweinsteiger, for all his poise and experience, is struggling to hit
the Premier League tempo, Memphis Depay, deployed wide on the left in
the absence of Adnan Januzaj, contributed very little, and goalkeeper
Sergio Romero does not ooze calm and authority.
By
way of an escape plan, Van Gaal positioned Marouane Fellaini at centre
forward and launched the ball in his general direction.
Oddly,
Hernandez did not come off the bench and the manager did not deny
reports that the Mexican would be allowed to leave, with West Ham and
Leverkusen in pursuit.
Van
Gaal already seems desperately short of attacking options. His team
have scored three goals in the first four Premier League games, and one
of those was an own goal. Fellaini had the usual effect of unsettling
defenders, although Swansea closed out the win without too much fuss.
Lukas Fabianski (centre) and Ashley
Williams (right) do their best to stop Mata, but they are helpless to
prevent the Spaniard scoring
Mata wheels away
in celebration after putting Manchester United 1-0 up, while Swansea
pair Williams and Fabianski lie on the turf
Mata (left) roars
with delight after scoring the opening goal, as he is joined at the
corner flag by his Manchester United team-mates
Wayne
Rooney refused to give up and was closest to a late equaliser,
wriggling clear only to be denied by a wonderful recovery tackle by
Ashley Williams.
But
Rooney cut an isolated and frustrated figure for most of the game. He
scored a hat-trick in Bruges but this blank means he has gone 10 Premier
League games without a goal for the first time as a United player.
New Swansea man - and scorer of their first goal - Ayew screams in pain after picking up an injury, but he was okay to continue
Bastian Schweinsteiger (centre) plays a pass in the driving rain at the Liberty Stadium, as Jack Cork (right) watches on
Daley Blind (bottom) is sent tumbling
to the turf as Smalling (left) and Gomis (centre) rise to challenge for a
header during the match
There
was a tame stab at goal when released by Ander Herrera, a sharp chance
volleyed wildly off target in the first half and a minor role in Mata’s
goal, which briefly eased a little tension.
Luke
Shaw’s powerful charge from left back pulled Swansea out of shape. Both
Rooney and Neil Taylor missed Shaw’s cross at the near post but Mata
nipped ahead of Williams at the back post to smash the ball high into
the net. Williams almost sliced into his own goal moments later, but
Lukasz Fabianski was alert to the danger.
Monk
deserved credit for his reaction to Mata’s goal, replacing Wayne
Routledge with Ki Sung-yueng, which gave Gylfi Sigurdsson more room to
manoeuvre in a midfield diamond and gave Ayew more freedom.
It
paid off instantly when the Icelander crossed for Ayew, who arrived
late to head past Romero. Ayew, drifting wide on the right, then
supplied the ball for Swansea’s second, shaping a low pass towards the
near post which took out Shaw and Daley Blind.
Gomis,
who hit a post in the first half after rolling away from United’s
central defenders, beat Chris Smalling to score his fourth in four
games. It was his ninth in his last 10 Premier League appearances,
compared to Rooney’s zero.
Romero
was slow to react, beaten low at his near post, raising more doubts
about his suitability to replace De Gea. These were the first goals he
has conceded in the Premier League, but this is due more to United’s
risk-averse style.
The
Argentine goalkeeper was erratic in the first half, slicing one
clearance to Jonjo Shelvey before scrambling back. He has the look of a
keeper who will cost United more points than he saves them if De Gea
departs for Real Madrid.
Romero let in his first Premier League goals at the Liberty Stadium as Swansea came from behind to get a result against United
Jonjo Shelvey (right), who has been tipped for a recall to the England squad this week, challenges Schweinsteiger for the ball
Smalling (left) looks to nick the ball
away from the foot of Cork during the Premier League match between
Swansea and Manchester United
The Manchester United players trudge
back towards the tunnel following the referee's final whistle, which
signalled their first defeat
Wayne Rooney (second left) has now gone 10 games without a Premier League goal for the first time as a United player
Louis van Gaal watches on alongside assistant boss Ryan Giggs (right) as Manchester United fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat
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SOCCER