Good afternoon, happy new year, and welcome to The42‘s live coverage of Manchester United v Middlesbrough.
Can Jose Mourinho’s men continue their unbeaten run, make it five straight wins in the Premier League, and finish 2016 on a high?
We’re about to find out. Kick-off at Old Trafford is at 3pm.
TEAM NEWS: Here’s how United will line out
TEAM NEWS: And this is the Boro starting XI
Five changes for United, who are still missing captain Wayne Rooney with the thigh injury that kept him out of the win against Sunderland on St Stephen’s Day.
Chris Smalling wears the armband today.
KICK OFF: Zlatan gets us underway at Old Trafford. Lee Mason is the man in charge.
Ooooh, that was a brilliant chance for the visitors who should have taken the lead with their first meaningful possession. They break and Adama Traore has de Gea’s goal at his mercy – he can’t even hit the target though, never mind trouble the United keeper.
Mkhitaryan gets turned on the edge of the box and is able to slip the ball to Ibrahimovic, but Friend is quickly across to block the ball behind for a corner.
Mkhitaryan swings it in and Fellaini has a free header, but it’s easy for Valdes.
It looks like Middlesbrough might try to get Traore isolated against Daley Blind to see if the Spaniard can cause a bit of trouble with his pace. Blind does well to shield the ball out of play on this occasion.
Calum Chambers catches Martial as he cuts in from the left wing and tries to drive into the box. Blind crosses the free into the box but Smalling and Fellaini get in each other’s way a bit and the chance comes to nothing.
Brilliant by Martial who goes up one-on-one against Chambers again and absolutely roasts the Boro defender, leaving him on his heels as he glides by. Martial tries to cut the ball back but can’t pick out a red jersey and Middlesbrough are able to clear. There might have been a shot on there, you know.
A little bit of confusion at the back for Middlesbrough and Mkhitaryan pounces on a sloppy pass. He nearly slips Ibrahimovic through but Valdes is alive to the danger.
OOOOH — Pogba hits the post with an overhead! Mkhitaryan pulls his back-post header back into the danger zone and Pogba, with his back to the Boro goal, opts for the spectacular.
It would have been a great finish but, much like Mkhitaryan last week, Pogba was a yard offside and the flag stayed down. Did I miss a new directive whereby you can’t be offside if you score an outrageous goal?
CHANCE! This time it’s Boro who might have taken the lead and again, the trouble comes because they’re getting Traore into positions one-on-one against Daley Blind at left full.
Traore skips past Blind and gets all the way to the bye-line before pulling it back into space. Friend is unmarked about 10 yards out and has time — perhaps too much time because he takes a touch when he doesn’t really need to and by the time he pulls the trigger, United have enough bodies in place to block the shot.
Had he hit that first time, de Gea would have had his work cut out.
Nice change of pace by Martial who comes back inside and looks as if he’s about to have a go. He takes another touch though and draws the foul from de Roon.
Pogba and Ibrahimovic both stand over the free and eventually, it’s the former who hits it. Hits it high over Valdes’ bar.
It’s all a little bit pedestrian from United at the moment who are keeping possession comfortably but not really doing much to worry the solid Middlesbrough setup.
Pogba provides the creative juice on this occasion with a crossfield ball that Fellaini touches off to Martial. He lays it off to Mkhitaryan but Valdes is able to get down to stop the shot.
CLOSE! United commit the numbers forward and when Martial floats in a cross from the left, Fellaini is there. He gets up highest but the header is a foot or two too high and comes down on the top of Valdes’ net.
Meanwhile at the Bridge, it’s Chelsea 1-0 Stoke, Gary Cahill heading the league leaders in front on 33 minutes.
Back at Old Trafford, Fellaini tries to swivel and shoot but Ben Gibson has his positioning spot on and is able to block the shot before it causes any problems.
Mkhitaryan is finding plenty of opportunities in that free role just off the front for United. He drifts out left to collect the ball and then comes back in, trying his luck from 20+ yards. It skips a yard or so past the right post. Worth a try.
Martial has Chambers on his heels again, and again, goes by him like he’s not even there. His cross is deflected behind for a United corner but it comes to nothing.
GOAL… NO, WAIT, FREE OUT!
United think they have taken the lead but as Zlatan wheels away in celebration, referee Lee Mason whistles for a free out.
It’s a brilliant cross from Martial (again) and Ibrahimovic goes in for the 50/50 kung fu style. He gets there long before Valdes, and the only contact comes after the ball is past the Boro keeper, but the referee says it was a high foot.
Mourinho looks bemused to say the least.
Here’s the still – judge for yourselves.
In all that kerfuffle, I forgot to mention an absolute thumper from Martial which came back off the post about 30 seconds before Zlatan’s “goal.” The post might still be shaking.
We’re into the first of two minutes of stoppage time.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Middlesbrough
Back in five.
SECOND HALF: No changes for either side as we get back underway.
Pogba sprays a pass out to Valencia on the right and he crosses for Ibrahimovic. Gibson gets up highest to head it behind for a corner, and Pogba is penalised as the set piece comes in. As you were.
Lovely footwork by Blind who sells an over-eager Calum Chambers a pup before sending over a cross. There’s too much on it though and the chance is wasted.
CHANCE! Great stuff from Pogba on the edge of the area. He pokes the ball through to Ibrahimovic but he can’t get a true connection on it and Valdes spreads himself to deflect the stubbed shot away.
Another Pogba overhead kick but this one misses the target to the left.
ANOTHER CHANCE! Pogba bounds forward, his loping run from midfield leading the United break as Boro scramble to get numbers back. He plays it outside to Ibrahimovic who rolls it tantalisingly back across the face of Boro goal. Mkhitaryan stretches a toe at it but can’t make contact – he was offside anyway.
Middlesbrough are sitting back and doing their best to withstand the United onslaught, but they’re still dangerous. Forshaw has half a chance that rolls just past de Gea’s left post.
Adama Traore turns to run at Daley Blind, and Daley Blind slides in to chop him down on the halfway line. Yellow card for Blind — the first of the game.
Pogba lines up a 30-yarder but there are far too many blue jerseys between him and the Boro goal, and it’s blocked by de Roon on the edge of the box.
Wild slice there from Ben Gibson, and those wearing red-tinted glasses in the Old Trafford crowd clamour for a backpass as Valdes grabs it. Never.
Martial and Pogba try to play an intricate one-two inside the box but Pogba’s little flick is snuffed out.
Middlesbrough sub: Gaston Ramirez is on for Stewart Downing. Think that might be the first mention of Downing’s name today?
United double sub: Rojo for Blind, Mata for Fellaini.
Herrera puts United on the front foot and picks out Martial on the edge of the box. He tries to make an angle to curl his shot inside Valdes’ far post, but the keeper is equal to it.
GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 MIDDLESBROUGH (Leadbitter 67′)
Oh me, oh my — Middlesbrough lead and it couldn’t be more against the run of play.
Calum Chambers has had a horrific afternoon trying to contain Anthony Martial but he’s allowed to make a rare run forward and floats over an early cross from the right.
It’s perfect for Negredo who takes all the sting off the ball as he cushions it into Grant Leadbitter’s stride and he smashes it low past a helpless de Gea.
Well now.
Manchester United sub: It’s time for Mourinho’s last roll of the dice. Rashford comes on to replace Smalling as United go to three at the back.
Rashford makes his presence felt immediately as he twists and turns his way past two Boro defenders and into the box. The end product might be a shot or it might be a cross, it’s hard to tell, but it bounces all the way through and out again on the other side.
Again, it’s Rashford who draws the save from Valdes, flashing in a volley as the ball drops about 15 yards out. United wanted a free for a foul on Mkhitaryan on the edge of the box but they didn’t get it.
Middlesbrough sub: Adam Clayton on for Grant Leadbitter.
PENALTY SHOUT! Oh, that’s another big call for Lee Mason, and it’s another one that will do absolutely nothing to endear him to the Old Trafford faithful. Rashford goes to ground with Bernardo in very close attention — if it’s anywhere else on the pitch, it’s almost certainly a free, but it’s no peno here.
OOOOOH CHANCE! As United appeal for a handball, Mkhitaryan carries on playing and slides a pass through the Boro back four to Martial. He tries to pick his spot but Valdes saves it with an outstretched boot. How United must wish he was sitting on their bench out of harm’s way today.
Pogba with the knock down, Mata with the half volley, deflected behind for a corner. That’s United’s 28th attempt on goal this afternoon; Boro have had eight, but crucially, also have the only goal so far.
GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 MIDDLESBROUGH (Martial 85′)
It has been coming and — mercifully for United, heartbreakingly for Boro — it has finally come.
It’s route one with a touch of sophistication from the hosts as Pogba collects the ball back on the edge of his own box and rakes a 50-yarder to Ibrahimovic. He nods it into the path of Martial and the Frenchman, who has probably been United’s best player today, lashes in the equaliser.
Deserved.
GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 MIDDLESBROUGH (Pogba 87′)
WOW WOW WOW – surely United have won it?! And it’s Pogba who decisively breaks Boro’s resistance and hearts. A brilliant header from about seven yards out that leaves Valdes with no chance.
There’s going to be four more minutes here. Are we done with the drama?
FULL TIME: Manchester United 2-1 Middlesbrough
So that’s it from Old Trafford where Manchester United found a way to take the three points that looked like they might elude them. It’s set to be a very happy New Year’s Eve for Jose Mourinho and co as they can kick back to see how City and Liverpool get on in the evening’s late game.
Thanks for reading and for commenting. See you all in 2017.
