Mkhitaryan scores a super goal, Man Utd wins fourth consecutive match

Despite wasting many chances, Mourinho's students still scored three goals against Sunderland, thereby defeating their opponents with a score of 3-1.

Entering the match with a full squad, it was not unexpected that Man Utd quickly put pressure on the team in the red zone. However, they had to wait until the 39th minute to open the scoring after Daley Blind penetrated the penalty area and finished decisively.

In the second half, the game became easier for Jose Mourinho's students and they had two more goals thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 82nd minute and Mkhitaryan in the 86th minute. In the second minute of injury time, Fabio Borini scored a masterpiece to save Sunderland's honor but that was the only bright spot for the away team in this match.

Man Utd showed superiority over visiting team Sunderland. Photo: Reuters.

The home side created a number of scoring opportunities, especially in the second half. Before Blind opened the scoring, Pogba had a beautiful curling shot that hit the post. At the end of the first half, Man Utd created two dangerous situations, one was Pogba's volley after an impromptu combination with Ibrahimovic, the other was Juan Mata's free kick.

To be fair, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford played well, saving Sunderland from obvious goals, notably his save with his foot from Ibrahimovic's diagonal shot in the 65th minute. In this match, Sunderland's defenders did not play well, constantly letting Man Utd's strikers escape into open positions.

Paul Pogba played well in this match despite not scoring. He often went forward in the first half and had good coordination with Ibrahimovic. The two stars understood each other as they played, both being tall but skillful players. Pogba had at least three dangerous shots in this match, including a long-range shot that hit the post, a swipe of the ball and a header that went just over the bar.

As for Ibrahimovic, the Swedish striker scored one goal and contributed two assists. However, his performance would have been more perfect if it weren't for some rather awkward handling at the beginning of the second half. That was a bad ball control, wasting a good cross from Valencia and a pass to Pogba in an empty counter-attack. In addition, Ibrahimovic had two shots that failed to score despite being in favorable positions. However, the 35-year-old striker still showed good movement and ability to compete. He played hard even though he was on the ground twice after collisions.

Mkhitaryan's scorpion kick goal. Photo: Reuters.

Returning after two injury absences, Henrikh Mkhitaryan continued to delight Man Utd fans with his performance in the 30 minutes he was on the pitch. The Armenian midfielder still showed himself to be a constant threat with his speed and good individual technique even though he has not really found a common voice with his teammates.

Mkhitaryan's goal, which made it 3-0 for Man Utd, was a masterpiece. He met Ibrahimovic's cross, dived and fired a scorpion kick into the Sunderland net. The move brought to mind images of Ibrahimovic himself and former Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita. However, the post-match video showed that Mkhitaryan was offside when he received the ball from his teammate.

Borini also scored a beautiful goal in this match. Photo: Reuters.

Speaking of masterpieces, Borini's goal in the second minute of injury time was no less than Mkhitaryan's. The Italian striker had a classy stroke into the corner of the goal, leaving De Gea helpless. This was a kick that former Man Utd midfielder Paul Scholes was good at when he was playing.

This is Man Utd's fourth consecutive victory, helping them equal the points with the fifth-placed team, Tottenham. In the coming time, the "Red Devils" will face a difficult schedule and prepare to return to the Europa League arena. Therefore, maintaining a squad with depth, few injuries and in form like the current one is what Mourinho needs to do. Through this match, it can be seen that Man Utd's squad is starting to have better cohesion. That is a good sign for them before entering 2017.

According to VNE