Manchester United staged one of the most dramatic comebacks in Saturday's Matchday 8 clash with Newcastle. The Red Devils, who have endured a three-game winless run at Old Trafford, nearly saw their plight magnified after the visitors opened the scoring in the seventh minute via Kenedy.
Summer signing Yoshinori Muto subsequently added another three minutes later to almost put the game out of reach for Jose Mourinho and his men. A test of strength, character, and hunger was, however, witnessed in the second half with the final 20 minutes housing all the action points.
Juan Mata pulled one back for the host via a superbly struck free-kick in the 70th minute before Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial combined to grabbed the equalizer six minutes later. Under-fire Alexis Sanchez, who came on from the bench, sealed all the three points by netting a header inside the 90th minute.
The win, although it barely fixes the 'crisis' at Manchester United, will be one to savor by the club's manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager who has tipped to face the boot regardless of the outcome of the game with Newcastle appeared embattled at most instances during the period his side trailed.
Having been pictured sprinting to the dressing room following the end of the first half, the Portuguese manager reportedly had a word or two to give to his boys. According to Marouane Fellaini's statement to BT Sport at full-time, Jose asked the players "to be men" and eradicate any sense of fear.
"The manager asked us to be men and to not be afraid and just play.
"That's what we did. The first half was a difficult moment for us, but we were more aggressive in the second half and we played more direct and created more chances."
While the win momentarily halts the pressure on Manchester United to deliver, the next round of matches does not appear to be simple rides in a park. The 20-time English champions face Chelsea, Juventus, and Everton after the international break.
