The thoughts
of Manchester United’s fans may have been on the possible arrival of Alexis
Sanchez from Arsenal but the players stayed focused to beat Stoke City 3-0 on
Monday.
In the
English Premier League match at a rainy Old Trafford, full-back Antonio
Valencia blasted Manchester United into a ninth minute lead.
He had cut
inside on to his unfavoured — but still potent — left foot before scoring.
Anthony
Martial and Romelu Lukaku later wrapped up the victory for Jose Mourinho’s
side.
The result
leaves second-placed United 12 points behind leaders Manchester City who
suffered their first league defeat this season in a thrilling 4-3 reverse at
Liverpool on Sunday.
Stoke’s new
manager, Paul Lambert, appointed earlier on Monday to replace the
recently-sacked Mark Hughes, watched from the stands as Valencia put United
ahead.
Stoke’s
Stephen Ireland, making his first start since May 2016, then missed two good
chances as the visitors showed plenty of attacking intent.
But seven
minutes before the interval, United’s French winger, Martial, made it 2-0 with
a sweet first-time finish after being set up by Paul Pogba.
Lukaku
rounded off the win with a 72nd minute goal, wriggling to find enough space for
a shot into the bottom corner after good work from Martial.
Mourinho
omitted winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan from the squad amid reports that Arsenal were
interested in taking him to The Emirates as part of a swap deal for their Chile
forward Sanchez.
(Reuters/NAN)
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