Chapter 386: Securing First Place in the Group Early
After a crushing defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, Manchester United managed to halt their losing streak by defeating the formidable Manchester City in the League Cup. This ensured that those eager to see their downfall didn't get their wish.
Three days later, on the afternoon of October 29th, Manchester United faced newly-promoted Burnley at Old Trafford in their final match of October, during the 10th round of the Premier League.
United lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Ibrahimović, Lingard, and Rashford forming the attacking trio, and Mata, Kanté, and Bruno as the midfield trio. At the back, van Dijk and Maguire were the center-backs, with Luke Shaw and Darmian as full-backs, and De Gea as the goalkeeper.
United started the match with aggressive attacks.
In the opening 24 seconds, Ibrahimović stopped abruptly at the edge of the penalty area and shot, but Heaton saved it.
In the 3rd minute, Mata passed the ball to Bruno, who shot from distance, but it went wide of the right post.
In the 6th minute, Rashford and Ibrahimović combined on the left, with Rashford entering the box and passing back to Mata, whose low shot was saved by Heaton.
In the 17th minute, Mata sent a perfect through ball to Ibrahimović, who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Heaton made a heroic save.
Burnley had their first shot in the 23rd minute when Vokes attempted a long-range effort from outside the box, but it went wide of the left post.
A minute later, Mata and Ibrahimović combined again in the middle, with Ibrahimović's shot being saved by Heaton.
In the 30th minute, Mata broke through and crossed, but a defensive error led to Ibrahimović heading the ball weakly, allowing Heaton to make the save.
As the first half entered stoppage time, United finally broke the deadlock.
In the 45th minute, Ibrahimović passed the ball back, and Bruno hit a stunning long-range shot that clipped the underside of the crossbar and went in. Heaton, who had been performing exceptionally, couldn't stop Bruno's shot.
This goal was the only one of the match. In the second half, despite United's continued dominance, Burnley's goalkeeper Heaton made several incredible saves, denying United's attackers at least four clear scoring opportunities.
During the match, United had a staggering 39 shots, with 15 on target, created 27 chances, had 75% possession, completed 698 passes, and earned 13 corners, all season-high records. Despite these statistics, Heaton's heroics made him the standout player.
Ultimately, United won 1-0 at home.
In midweek, European competition resumed, with United traveling to face Fenerbahçe in the fourth round of the group stage.
Everyone was surprised by United's starting lineup as their strongest players didn't start. Bruno, Ibrahimović, N'Golo Kanté, and van Dijk were all on the bench, with Mata, Gündoğan, Ashley Young, and Schneiderlin starting instead. Rooney led the attack with Rashford and Young.
Mourinho's strategy was clear, and the players understood that a draw would be a satisfactory result.
Having won their first three group matches, United led Group A in the Europa League. Fenerbahçe, with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, sat second with 4 points, while Feyenoord was third with 1 win and 2 losses.
Even if United drew this away match, they would still lead Feyenoord by at least 4 points with two matches remaining. Losing wouldn't be a disaster either, as United's remaining fixtures were at home against Feyenoord and away against group minnows Zorya.
The match started unfavorably for United, with Fenerbahçe using their home advantage to control the game and possession, reaching 60% in the first 20 minutes.
However, United's defense, consisting of Darmian, Maguire, Blind, and Luke Shaw, stood firm, with Maguire particularly imposing as a formidable barrier.
Mata, Gündoğan, and Schneiderlin also performed well in midfield.
Despite Fenerbahçe's dominance in possession, United had more threatening chances due to their solid defense and quick counter-attacks. Fenerbahçe struggled to create significant opportunities.
Bruno watched from the bench, feeling a sense of relief. This was the difference in overall team strength.
At Udinese, he had to give his all in European matches, often facing tough challenges. At United, even with a largely rotated squad, they weren't at a disadvantage on the field.
Fenerbahçe's domestic dominance meant little against United's strength.
Kanté, confident in their counter-attacking ability, noted, "If Zlatan were here, we could use him as a target, and our teammates would fight for the second ball. We would have scored by now."
Bruno agreed, recognizing the difference in strength. "Fenerbahçe values man-to-man marking, especially in open play. If they push forward, it's good for us. We need to make more runs and stretch their defense to create openings."
Kanté nodded. Soon, assistant coach Faria signaled Kanté to prepare to come on. Mourinho gave him instructions, then turned to look at Bruno before nodding at Kanté.
With Kanté on, United began to control the game, a puzzling phenomenon for Bruno.
This substitution stabilized United's midfield, leading to more organized attacks.
Just five minutes later, Rooney had a great chance from a well-timed run and shot, nearly scoring.
Ten minutes after Kanté's introduction, Ibrahimović replaced Young. Three minutes later, Mata crossed from the right, Ibrahimović shielded, and Rooney's shot went wide.
Rashford also had a shot from the left.
As time ticked away, both teams used their second substitutions. With Kanté and Ibrahimović on, United's attacks intensified but still fell short of scoring.
In the 82nd minute, Mourinho made his third substitution, bringing on Bruno for Mata.
As Bruno entered, he could hear the boos from the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium stands. The fans were nervous and fearful of him.
Bruno didn't disappoint. Mourinho instructed him to run and disrupt the defense to create scoring chances.
Bruno's first touch led to a powerful left-wing run, but his cross was cleared by former Liverpool player Škrtel.
Three minutes later, Bruno received a pass from Gündoğan on the left, cut inside, and saw Ibrahimović moving back to draw Škrtel out. Bruno's diagonal pass found Rooney, who controlled it and scored smoothly.
1-0!
In the 89th minute, Bruno's assist led to captain Rooney scoring the winning goal.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord drew 1-1 with Zorya.
With four group matches completed, United's perfect record gave them 12 points, an 8-point lead over both Fenerbahçe and Feyenoord, securing their spot in the knockout stages two matches early and clinching first place in the group.
The other qualification spot remained open for Fenerbahçe, Feyenoord, and Zorya, as Fenerbahçe and Feyenoord had 4 points each and Zorya had 2 points.
However, this no longer concerned United. Having secured their qualification and group top spot early, they could now shift their focus away from the Europa League.
(End of Chapter)
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