Why Manchester United must get ruthless and show no mercy

Manchester United registered an emphatic win in a six goal thriller at Vicarage Road in the Premier League over the course of the week.

It was a blast from the past for Ashley Young as the winger-cum-defender scored two wonder goals against his former side, while Anthony Martial struck before halftime to gift United a three-goal cushion.

Watford were able to marshal a comeback with two late goals in the second half, but a brilliant solo run from Jesse Lingard followed by a cool finish saw United win 4-2 on the road.

 

Improved side

Manchester United have improved in leaps and bounds compared to last season.

The Red Devils have collected 11 more points after 14 Premier games and scored 13 more goals after a similar number of games. Furthermore, United are second on the table compared to sixth at this point last season.

The win over Watford was the eighth time Manchester United have won by four goals in the current campaign, in stark contrast to Jose Mourinho’s maiden season where goals were hard to some by.

United are not the pittance they were last season and should as such keep picking up the wins without necessarily comparing themselves with their noisy neighbors.

 

Overshadowed by City

Victory over the Hornets reduced Manchester City’s advantage to just five points, but the Citizens- for the umpteenth time this season- restored their eight-point advantage over Manchester United with a hard fought win over Southampton.

Jose Mourinho’s charges should however draw encouragement from the fact that their current tally of 34 points after 14 games is similar to that of the 2012/13 campaign, in which they secured the Premier League crown.

Their improvement may be overshadowed but it shouldn’t be under looked.

 

Decisive Christmas

The Christmas period in England is characterized by congested fixtures, and this year won’t be any different.

It will however be of greater significance for Manchester United, who will face Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester and Burnley in four of the 10 games to be played out in 30 days.

For what it’s worth, Manchester United simply have to beat what’s in front of them without keeping a keen eye on City, whose weaknesses have recently been exposed.

 

Written by Brian Humphrey

Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum

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