Good evening, friends. Welcome to our coverage of a game that will certainly cough up some goals.
It’s all going rather well for Jose at the moment, isn’t it? The strength of the current top five has ensured Manchester United are still on the outside looking in but you can’t argue with their excellent recent unbeaten run that was, ironically enough, ended by Hull in the League Cup semi-final second-leg.
A win tonight, along with another tumble by their nearest and dearest rivals at the Etihad, would bring United into the top-five. And two points from the top-four.
TEAM NEWS!
Mourinho has changed things up considerably from the weekend Cup win over Wigan. Marcos Rojo and Henrikh Mkhitaryan keep their places but that’s it.
Wayne Rooney returns to the substitutes’ bench.
TEAM NEWS!
Changes for Hull too after their Cup defeat to Fulham.
Michael Dawson, Oumar Niasse, Harry Maguire and Josh Tymon are all included here. And Republic of Ireland international David Meyler is also in from the start.
Worth pointing out that Luke Shaw isn’t even in the United squad tonight. It will be Daley Blind at left-back again tonight, with Rojo and Darmian already trying their luck there at various times throughout the campaign.
Eric Bailly also not included. Mourinho said he was fit for this despite a knock picked up in a recent U-23 game against Everton.
An early winner in the ‘Most Obnoxious Fan’ competition running at Old Trafford tonight. There were a lot of entries but this guy is well deserving of the award.
For anyone contemplating a Hull victory, by the way, the last time it happened at Old Trafford was 1952.
The great Johnny Carey was in the United team that day for the FA Cup clash, as was Roger Byrne who would go on to captain the Busby Babes and who would lose his life in the Munich Air Crash six years later.
KICK-OFF!
We’re underway and Carrick attempts to play in Ashford with a raking ball into the left channel but it’s just a bit overcooked.
Good start from United, inevitably. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is superbly played in by Carrick but it’s a terrific challenge from Robertson just as the Armenian is about to pull the trigger.
Ibrahimovic has got a bit of a talking-to from Mike Jones after clashing with Maguire. Minutes later, the defender is on the end of a free-kick and heads just wide but he had creeped into an offside position so it wouldn’t have counted anyway. Probably Hull’s best chance of getting anything here, if they can deliver some quality from set-pieces.
United are looking to spring Rashford in behind the Hull defence. It’s happened twice in the opening 10 minutes and the guests will need to watch themselves.
BOOKING! Niasse has been dished a yellow card after catching Marcos Rojo late. He may have a frustrating evening ahead as he tries to lead the line on his own.
CHANCE! Ibrahimovic lets fly from about 25 yards and it’s tipped around by Jakupovic – pretty comfortable save but good pressure from United again. Tough spell here for Hull.
United really knocking on the door now. Valencia and Blind have pushed really high from the start and it’s the right-back who’s causing all sorts of problems at the moment. He teases in a cross that’s only half-cleared. It drops for Blind but he can’t control the volley and he blazes over the top.
There have been a couple of astonishing long-range passes from United players already – both to Valencia wide on the right. Ibrahimovic managed one earlier and now Pogba has just absolutely leathered one right onto Valencia’s boot. Lovely stuff.
Inevitable first-half lull at Old Trafford. But Niasse is fortunate to still be on the pitch after sliding in on Carrick and catching him with his studs.
Meyler has had a bit of a tough evening trying to keep up with Rashford but he’s done a solid job in the last while – essentially trying to push out and engage rather than sit back and invite him on.
Last 15 minutes have been very poor from United. Zero intensity and their ball retention has been awful. As I type, Ibrahimovic has a chance after Pogba tees him up but he’s never really convincing with the strike and it’s easy for the goalkeeper.
Mourinho would be perfectly within his rights to make all three substitutions right now. This is insipid, considering the talent on the pitch.
VERY CLOSE! It’s taken them an age to find a real way through but it’s United’s best move of the game. Carrick pings it to the feet of Ibrahimovic who instinctively back-heels for Pogba as he races through. One-on-one, he takes it on his left foot but it’s too close to Jakupovic, who pushes it away. A decent stop but Pogba needs to do better.
Mourinho has seen enough and has begun his walk toward the dressing-rooms. Plenty to discuss at the break.
HALF-TIME!
Dear me. Well, that was drab and boring for the vast majority of the 45 minutes. United started brightly and seemed energised and interested. Sadly, that dissipated and except for Pogba’s decent chance towards the end of the period, they created nothing of note. It seemed Rashford could be the game-maker but Meyler began to figure things out and the youngster has found the going tough after some early promise. Elsewhere, it’s been pedestrian for the home side – far too relaxed – and it will be an easy half-time talk from Mourinho.
SUBSTITUTION! Rooney (on) – Carrick (off)
SECOND HALF!
So, Rooney comes in and seems to be playing off Ibrahimovic with Herrera and Pogba a central midfield duo.
A little no-look pass from Huddlestone there. Lovely.
Six minutes in and it’s much the same as it was in the first-half. United can’t get any rhythm going at all. Pogba is misplacing passes, Herrera too and there’s a disjointed feel to it all.
CHANCE! And there’s a reminder to United that this could get even worse. Robertson plays in a lovely ball over the top for Niasse and it’s finally worked back for Markovic but Rojo races back and makes a decisive tackle – just when it looked like he was about to pull the trigger.
SUBSTITUTION! Smalling (on) – Jones (off)
Another injury blow for the centre-back – it looks like a hamstring – and he’s straight down the tunnel for treatment.
VERY CLOSE! Ball is launched forward from United and Ashford is on it like a flash. He takes it down absolutely beautifully but with the goal gaping, he basically mis-hits the shot and it rolls, painfully, towards the far corner but is watched wide by Michael Dawson. That’s a big chance.
It looks like Mourinho will play all his cards by the hour mark, here. Juan Mata is being called for.
That’s a metaphor for the entire game, really. Valencia sends in the cross, Rashford knocks it down for Rooney, who completely mis-kicks. It breaks awkwardly for Ibrahimovic and he thumps it wide of the near post. Scrappy and aesthetically unpleasant.
SUBSTITUTION! Mata (on) – Mkhitaryan (off)
Confirmation of United’s final change and that says a lot. Still 30 minutes to play here. That’s how badly they’ve struggled to create anything.
Niasse dives in again – this time on Daley Blind – and it’s another clumsy, studs-up challenge. Already been booked, remember, and had a similar foul on Carrick in the first-half that went unpunished.
SUBSTITUTION! Ranocchia (on) – Tyman (off)
A debut for the former Inter captain and is there a shock on the cards here? You get the feeling United have really ran out of ideas. Can Ranocchia make it a debut to remember?
SUBSTITUTION! Hernandez (on) – Niasse (off)
Niasse should really have been sent-off, not taken off. But, he’s off the pitch now and the game is certainly safer because of it.
SUBSTITUTION! Elabdellauoui (on) – Evandro (off)
VERY CLOSE! United should be 1-0 up but, because of Jakupovic, they’re not. Smalling delicately heads across goal for Mata who must score but there’s the keeper to block superbly at his near post. Magnificent stop.
Hull seem to be tiring a bit. It’s been a tough shift for them but they’ll have to step out and push higher because they’re dropping far too deep and inviting United onto them.
Ibrahimovic goes down in the area after a tussle with Huddlestone but the replay shows the striker steps into the midfielder and initiates contact. Certainly no penalty and the Swede doesn’t even remonstrate.
Only Middlesbrough have drawn more games that United in the league this season. This would draw United level on 9.
BOOKING! United want a penalty after Herrera’s shot is blocked but Mike Jones waves play on. After Herrera gives away a free-kick moments later, Rooney – stupidly – gets in the referee’s ear, gives some abuse and ends up with a yellow card.
OFF THE POST! Incredible. Hull should be in front. On the counter attack, Huddlestone slips in Markovic who steadies himself, gets onto his right foot, gives de Gea the eyes and curls the shot towards the near post. It smacks the upright and bounces across goal and United cleared. What a let-off for the home side.
BOOKING! Meyer picks up a yellow for what I can only assume is time-wasting. If Hull see this out it would be a terrific point for them.
BIG CHANCE! Good grief. United are all over the place. Just a ball over the top and Hernandez is clear. He just needs to push his first touch in front of him and he’s through on goal. But he makes a mess of it. He has to check back, Herrera shadows and the eventual shot is dismal. What an opportunity.
Five minutes of added time, by the way.
CHANCE! Rojo thinks he’s got the winner as he rises to head towards the corner but Jakupovic is there again to make the stop.
VERY CLOSE! Pogba shifts onto his right foot and looks to bend it to the far corner but Jakupovic pushes it away. Again, not inch-perfect in the corner but the keeper gets the job done nonetheless.
FULL-TIME!
Well, more dropped points for United and owing to Manchester City’s win, Jose Mourinho’s side now lose ground on the top-five. They’re now four points back. They never really got going this evening and it could’ve been a lot worse had Lazar Markovic’s late, late curler not smacked off the upright and bounced across goal.
That’s a ninth draw of the league season for United now – the highest tally in the top-flight along with Middlesbrough.
They had a late flurry of chances – Mata forcing a superb save from Jakupovic while the keeper was also called upon to push away Pogba’s drive to the far corner. But it was all too scrappy and disorganised. United failed to penetrate enough or create enough clear-cut opportunities. And Mourinho’s decision to empty his bench with a half an hour still remaining said a lot.
Thanks for staying with us tonight. Lots more to come on the site from the top-flight action this evening.
