MANCHESTER: Javier Hernandez rescued Manchester United and manager David Moyes with an 80th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Mexican substitute’s winning goal capped a strong late flourish from United, who had equalised only two minutes earlier through the ever-dependable Wayne Rooney. But even in victory, and even with a fightback reminiscent of former manager Alex Ferguson’s glory years, United looked far from their championship-winning form of last season.
Robin van Persie marked his 50th start for the club with his 38th goal, cancelling out a Peter Crouch opener, only for Marko Arnautovic to restore Stoke’s lead just before the interval.
Hernandez, a second-half substitute, struck 10 minutes from time to bring United three sorely-needed points, heading in Patrice Evra’s left-wing cross from five yards and sparking touchline celebrations from Moyes and coach Phil Neville.
United had started the game with an apparent spring in their step after a midweek success over Real Sociedad in the Champions League, but they succumbed to the very first Stoke attack after three minutes when full-back Erik Pieters was allowed far too much space down the left.
Van Persie’s equaliser came in the 43rd minute, carved out on the right by Nani, whose cross reached Rooney for a powerful header. That should have been a platform for United to build upon, but in the final minute of the half Phil Jones brought Arnautovic down on the corner of the home team’s area and presented the Austrian with a free-kick.
The Stoke forward conjured up a superb shot that hit the underside of the United bar and crept over the line as De Gea collapsed vainly into the net.
Soon after, Rooney’s near-post shot was well covered by Shawcross but, before the hour had elapsed, Moyes had seen enough, throwing on teenage winger Adnan Januzaj in place of Nani, in a switch that was wildly popular with the home supporters. Eventually, it required a rare defensive error from the visitors to allow United a route back into the game from Van Persie’s 78th-minute corner. Rooney, having slipped away from his marker, did the rest with a well-judged glancing header into the top-left corner to make it 2-2, before Hernandez applied the coup de grace. (Agencies)
