Manchester United 1-1 Stoke City: Joe Allen rescues point for Potters to deny Red Devils
Stoke City secured a hard fought point against Manchester United after drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Joe Allen scored a late equaliser to ensure the Potters left with something from the game after second half substitute Anthony Martial looked to have sealed all three points for the Red Devils with 20 minutes left to play.
It had been 40 years since the last time Stoke City beat United at Old Trafford and will perhaps count themselves unlucky not to have taken more from the game. Both sides were guilty of wasteful finishing on a day where Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant produced one of the performances of the season.
Manchester United nearly took the lead with their first attack of the game. Paul Pogba, slightly off balance, played an incisive through ball for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to chase, but the striker was denied by a fantastic double save by Grant in goal.
Marco Arnautovic passed up the chance to put the Potters ahead after fine work by Joe Allen on the quarter hour. The Austrian held his position in the penalty area after Allen burst past Daley Blind, but the striker hit a tame effort into David de Gea’s arms.
Jose Mourinho’s side seized back the initiative as they threatened the Stoke goal once again. After a delightful Ibrahimovic flick freed Jesse Lingard, Pogba found himself bearing down on goal before dragging his effort wide of the left post.
United continued to drive forward as the Stoke defence enjoyed another lucky escape. More fine work by Ibrahimovic gifted Lingard a chance to tap home - however - Grant was there to stop the effort, much to the midfielder’s frustration.
Minutes into the second half, Ander Herrera caught Allen with a nasty looking challenge that saw the Spaniard receive a yellow card. Picking himself up, Allen then charged forward to latch onto Arnautovic’s pass, but his weak effort saw the Potters waste another opening.
The hosts were growing increasingly frustrated and made a double substitution with 25 minutes to play. Wayne Rooney and Martial replaced the ineffective Juan Mata and Lingard and the duo combined immediately to give United the lead.
Martial cut inside from his left flank position to link up Rooney on the edge of the box. The Manchester United captain’s loose touch saw the ball fall nicely for Martial, who produced a stunning curling effort to leave Grant with no chance to finally open the scoring.
But Stoke were in no mood to take defeat lying down as they snatched a deserved late equaliser through Allen. Blind’s lazy clearance was seized upon by Bruno Martins Indi but de Gea could only palm the effort into path of Jonathan Walters, whose shot hit the crossbar before Allen could tap home.
United pushed for the winner as they desperately tried to claim all three points. Pogba once again was the man who United’s decisive chance fell to, but the record buy could only hit the crossbar, as his close range effort ricocheted off his shoulder.