Manchester United Fan View: Three takeaways from the unconvincing victory away at West Brom

Jose Mourinho’s men completed another win away from home as they continue to sit in second place for another gameweek.

The gap from United to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is still 11 points, however, if things remain the same then it would be the second time that the club finish within the top-four position in the league after the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Here are the three things we learned from United’s latest win in the league…

Lukaku on the scoresheet but doesn’t celebrate again

Nearly everyone knows about the huge amount of criticism that Romelu Lukaku had received following his disastrous display in the Manchester derby, which dented his side’s chances of getting a point at least from the fixture. Though, the Belgian international has hit back quietly, with the important winner against Bournemouth few days ago as well as giving the team the vital lead away at West Brom today. Four out of Lukaku’s ten league goals have gone on to be match winners.

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Following the forgettable performance in the derby, Lukaku has gone on to scoring three goals in four games in all competitions, proving that he has the mentality to turn this so-called goal drought around. Of course he has missed some clear-cut chances here and there, but it’s normal for a striker to do so as they hardly receive enough attacking service from the flanks like other forwards do from rival clubs.

Matic bosses the middle of the park without the presence of Pogba

So far this season, the likes of David De Gea, Paul Pogba and Lukaku have been all over the United headlines, on the other hand, a certain Serbian central midfielder called Nemanja Matic has not received enough appreciation for his hard work on both sides of the pitch. Today at the Hawthorns, he was literally doing his own job as well as the duty of Ander Herrera, from snuffing out the danger to getting the side going on the counter attack.

It’s not regularly mentioned, but the former Chelsea and Benfica ace and his range of passing is simply amazing, especially when he makes everything look so easy. Not to forget that he has been playing with a minor injury, this is why his performance has decreased towards the end of the game. Once Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba return for selection, Matic should receive a rest of sort by the manager.

The Red Devils fail to defend as they concede from another cheap set-piece

It was another set-piece horror which cost David De Gea from earning a clean sheet in the league, as the ball somehow reached to Gareth Barry before he converted it into the back of the net. Sometimes, the question is raised between the United supporters and myself, regarding to how the side are so embarrassingly weak at defending corners or free-kicks, given how many individuals are aerially dominant in these situations.

If there’s one man that will not be happy with how the goal was conceded despite achieving the three points, it would definitely be Mourinho, who will surely point this error out before the next league game. United have only conceded 12 league goals, the same amount as Burnley and Manchester City, which is something to be proud of as the side’s centre-back partnership has never been convincing enough.