MIDDLESBROUGH 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 3
- Goals by Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard put United in control
- Rudy Gestede’s late goal gives Middlesbrough hope
- Gestede in the middle of controversy after a set-to with Eric Bailly
- Victor Valdes slip in injury time allows Antonio Valencia to kill off Boro
- United started the day in seventh and moved up to fifth place
Victory at Middlesbrough ensured that Manchester United finally moved up from sixth place with their 600th Premier League win – a first in Premier League history.
It was Boro’s first game after the removal of Aitor Karanka from his job as manager and the home side.
United made seven changes from their Europa League victory over FC Rostov after Jose Mourinho criticised the fixture list which saw them playing at 12pm on the Sunday after their gruelling win over the Russians on Thursday night.
This was their third game in six days and Mourinho rang the changes with only Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia, and Juan Mata stayed in the team from last Thursday.
Wayne Rooney was still injured while Paul Pogba missed out with a hamstring strain and both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera missed out through suspension.
The win took United within three points of Liverpool in fourth before their game at Manchester City but while victory kept the Reds in the hunt for Champions League qualification through the Premier League Mourinho was in no doubt about where his priorities lay this season.
He said: “[the win] was very important to keep us alive [in the race for fourth place in the league].
“I prefer to win the Europa League. It gives us a trophy, Champions League football, and prestige.
“Maybe we won’t win the Europa League so we will continue to fight for fourth place and that’s what we did today without many players.
“It was a great result in terms of attitude and desire from the boys. It was a massive victory for us.
“We organised the team to do what they did until the second goal. We were dangerous in the counter attack until 2-0.
“We made a mistake and allowed them to push our defensive line, maybe it was fatigue.” admitted Mourinho who had earlier declared that the Reds would be lucky to return from the Riverside with a point after their gruelling recent schedule.
Mourinho also paid tribute to his friend, Aitor Karanka, insisting that he knew that his friend could have left for other jobs at several points during his Middlesbrough tenure.
He explained that getting the sack would not delete the achievements of his friend, adding: “I was sacked by Chelsea, people might not like me but they cannot delete what I did there.
“Aitor came here with eight to ten thousand people in the stadium, almost went into League One but stayed in the division, got to the playoffs, got promoted the next season.
“He could have left the club but in the end he loses his job. That’s football.”
Ashley Young’s 30th minute cross was converted with a trademark header at the back post by Marouane Fellaini for his first Premier League goal of the season – his third overall.
Jesse Lingard doubled the advantage after 62 minutes after Juan Mata passed him the ball and the young midfielder advanced unopposed in the Boro half before firing a rising shot past Valdes into the roof of the net from the edge of the area – it was also his first Premier League goal of the season.
Middlesbrough staged a comeback of sorts after Marten De Roon’s header fell kindly for Rudy Gestede who beat De Gea from six yards out to reduce the deficit with 13 minutes to go.
The fact that it was Boro’s first Premier League goal in 509 minutes of action – only their 20th all season – could be what dooms Boro who had earlier only had Gaston Ramirez’ early effort and a couple of Alvaro Negredo half-chances to trouble De Gea.
There was controversy as the game went into injury time when Gestede appeared to make a biting movement towards Bailly but that was quickly forgotten after Valdes slipped while trying to clear a backpass allowing Antonio Valencia to kill off Boro at the death with his first United goal in three years – one of the easiest hell ever score.
It was hard on Valdes, who had kept Boro in the game with saves from Marcus Rashford and Valencia but the result was a fair reflection of the difference between the teams.