Stoke: Javier Hernandez made up for the absence of the still injured Wayne Rooney by scoring two goals to give Manchester United a 2-1 win at Stoke in the Premier League Sunday to end a turbulent week for the 18-time champions.
United spent most of the week scrambling to keep Rooney at the club, after the striker announced his intention not to sign a new contract. Rooney changed his mind and signed a five-year deal on Friday but is still nursing an ankle injury that kept him sidelined on Sunday.
Hernandez took advantage by scoring in the 27th and 86th minutes, tapping in the winner from close range after Stoke had leveled in the 81st through a spectacular curling strike from substitute Tuncay Sanli.
Hernandez scored his first from a backward header after Nemanja Vidic headed a Nani cross from the right across the Stoke goal.
The 22-year-old Mexican striker signed for United in July and has now scored four goals in his last five appearances for the club.
"He has good instinct; he knows where the goal lies," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "The goalkeeper is on the other side and all he needed to do was glance it and he has great spring for a little lad. It was a great header."
Ferguson did not address Rooney's decision to stay at the club.
Manchester United defender Gary Neville was fortunate not to be ejected after two fouls on Matthew Etherington in the first half but was only shown a yellow card for the first. He was replaced at halftime by Wes Brown.
"If that was a Stoke City player at Old Trafford, what do you think would have happened?" an angry Stoke manager Tony Pulis said. "If the shoe was on the other foot, it might have been different."
Turkey forward Tuncay appeared to have earned Stoke a draw when he received the ball on the right wing, cut inside United defender Patrice Evra and curled the ball into the far top corner.
But Hernandez made sure United avoided giving up a lead for the second straight week by converting a scramble in the Stoke goalmouth.
"When you lose a goal with 10 minutes left, you are concerned," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "You are thinking to yourself, 'not again.' I thought in that period, in the minutes leading up to the goal, we were playing well and stretching them a bit with nice football. We are just thankful Chico (Hernandez) got on the end of the ball across the box."
Comments
0 comment