WATFORD 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Memphis Depay’s early goal puts United into the lead
The Reds lost Ander Herrera to a first half suspected hamstring injury
Herrera joins Rooney, Martial, Carrick, Fellaini, Valencia, Shaw and Wilson in the Old Trafford treatment room
United’s Premier League clean sheet record ends on 641 minutes after Troy Deeney’s 86th minute penalty.
Deeney deflects Bastian Schweinsteiger’s last minute drive into his own net
Memphis Depay’s first half goal was good enough to put Manchester United back on top of the Premier League for a few hours at least as the Reds beat Watford 2-1 with a huge slice of luck.
Troy Deeney hit a late, late penalty as the game came alive in the second half but the Watford captain deflected Bastian Schweinsteiger’s last minute drive into his own net to gift the Reds all three points.
Victory came at a cost, however, as Ander Herrera, who had provided the cross for Depay’s goal, later went off with what seemed like an injured hamstring.
On an emotional day for two French midfielders at a cold and blustery Vicarage Road, the French national anthem was played prior to the match as Etienne Capoue and Morgan Schneiderlin wholeheartedly sang La Marseillaise.
Chris Smalling captained United in the absence of Wayne Rooney (virus) and Michael Carrick (injured), and the Reds were also without potent French teenager Antony Martial after he sustained a foot injury in France’s friendly match with Germany last Friday. Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson were also unavailable due to injury.
Youngsters Sean Goss, 20, and Marcus Rashford, 18, were on the bench for the first time alongside Rojo as Phil Jones, Ander Herrera and Memphis Depay and Schneiderlin came into the starting line-up.
Louis Van Gaal had urged Memphis to be more consistent prior to the game and the Dutch youngster answered his critics with his second Premier League goal after just 11 minutes.
Memphis volleyed in after converting Ander Herrera’s cross from close range past a static Watford defence after a carefully judged movement.
United were cruising against a tentative Watford side but they had an early blow when Herrera went down with a suspected hamstring strain trying to track back and and hobbled off after to be replaced by Rojo after just 25 minutes.
The Argentine slotted in as a third centre back as Daley Blind and Ashley Young were pushed further forward as wing-backs.
The enforced change didn’t seem to knock the Reds off their stride as Schneiderlin spurned two half chances to extend their lead with a volley over from an angle in the 27th minute and failing to connect with Bastian Schweinsteiger’s flick on from Juan Mata’s corner in the 33rd minute.
Memphis himself had a 25 yard low drive tipped away by Heurelho Gomes as Watford, who had only a couple of half chances before Rojo’s introduction, found themselves struggling with five United defenders before the break and an increasingly marauding Ashley Young.
United were denied again early in the second half after Memphis laid on a chance for Jesse Lingard but Gomes was athletic in denying the England man.
There were also chances for Schweinsteiger, Jones and Memphis again as United strived to increase their slender lead but poor finishing and a solid performance by Gomes kept the scores down.
Watford had their own chances to equalise but were kept out by some inspired goalkeeping by David De Gea as both Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo tried their luck.
One of their best chances came after Chris Smalling’s block from a Watford attack, with the loose ball being sent back in by Almen Abdi and deflected by the United captain only for De Gea to spring across and push the ball away.
Jesse Lingard spurned a late chance to ease United’s nerves when he shot tamely at Gomes when a lob might have beaten him and there was an air of uncertainty as Juan Mata was substituted late in the game.
United’s clean sheet record finally ended in the 86th minute when Rojo brought down Ighalo in the area and Troy Deeney smashed the ball past De Gea to end the Reds’ clean sheet record on 641 minutes.
It was the Watford captain’s first Premier League goal at Vicarage Road but United were not going to be cowed by a late blow this time.
Smalling’s toe ender was clawed away by Gomes as United threw the kitchen sink at the Hornets to win a corner.
Jesse Lingard’s shot was then beaten away by the Brazilian but Bastian Schweinsteiger’s shot across goal took a wicked deflection off Deeney deflate the home side and make sure of victory for United in the last minute.