On the first day of the New Year, Manchester United broke their three-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Everton, climbing back to second place in the Premier League standings. Paul Pogba, who provided two assists in the match, reflected, “We did what we needed to do.”
Since the start of the busy Christmas schedule, Manchester United had failed to secure a win, a situation unimaginable during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. Even in Louis van Gaal’s second season, the team’s results were better at this point. The only way out of the pressure was to secure a win. Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard’s second-half goals helped United claim their first victory after three consecutive draws, though they still trailed Manchester City by 12 points, with one game in hand. In the 57th minute, Pogba seized an opportunity after winning the ball, providing an outside-of-the-foot pass to the top of the box, where Martial drilled the ball into the top right corner, marking his first goal in nearly nine games. In the 81st minute, Lingard struck a shot from the edge of the box that found the bottom corner, becoming the second United player to score double-digit goals this season, following Romelu Lukaku. In the past month, Lingard has scored six league goals, second only to Harry Kane, who claimed the Golden Boot for the year.
With the win providing some confidence, Mourinho addressed Manchester United legend Paul Scholes’ criticism of Pogba’s “slow walking” on the pitch. “Scholes only criticizes. He doesn’t even offer proper analysis, just criticism,” Mourinho said. He also defended Pogba, stating, “Pogba earns far more than Scholes, and that’s not his fault; that’s just modern football.”
Pogba’s performance this season has been a significant improvement from last year, with nine assists in 12 Premier League matches this season, compared to just four in 30 appearances last season. More importantly, Pogba has become Manchester United’s lucky charm. The last time he played and United lost in the Premier League was 435 days ago, on October 23, when they lost to Chelsea. Since then, Pogba has played 34 league matches, with United winning 21 and drawing 13.
Mourinho also speculated on Scholes’ potential coaching future: “If Scholes ever decides to become a coach, I hope he achieves a quarter of my success. That would be six trophies, and I believe he would be thrilled with that.”
Mourinho added that Lukaku’s injury wasn’t serious, and he would return soon. “Lukaku will miss a week, but it’s not a big issue, just a precaution. It’s nothing serious.”
Currently, without Lukaku or Zlatan Ibrahimović in the attack, Mourinho was asked if this would affect United’s style of play. “We have to play without a central forward, but we trust our players, and they give everything,” he responded.
Much like a high-stakes BD Cricket Match where strategy and determination lead to success, Manchester United is adapting to their challenges, with Pogba continuing to play a crucial role in their journey.