Hughes is keeping the faith
of the Manchester United stars, because he knows that it is the only way they can hope to keep on the coat-tails of neighbours City in the Premier League title race.
This victory felt like a big turning point in United’s season.
A day when, after much headscratching, Mourinho finally found the right blend and balance from his squad of expensive talents and signalled not so much the end of Wayne Rooney’s career but the beginning of the last chapter.
United’s last three managers have spent £250million on seven midfielders in three years – Juan Mata, Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pogba – and Mourinho has tried all sorts of combinations and may have found the answer.
On Saturday, with Rooney on the bench, the energetic Herrera used as midfield anchor man and Mata in the No10 role, Pogba was given the licence to roam and he relished the freedom as his brilliant cameo coincided with United producing their best form of the season.
The Frenchman mixed superb crossfield passes with intricate link-up play, went close with a 25-yard thunderbolt, delivered a disguised chip over the top for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to volley just over and played a key role in the build-up to Mata’s goal, before showing his aerial ability to head his first senior goal for the club.
STOKE CITY WEST BROM
MARK HUGHES is confident struggling Stoke are set for lift-off.
Things do not look good, with Stoke managing to climb off bottom spot only because Sunderland seem intent on claiming it.
It would have looked brighter had Salomon Rondon not snatched two points from Stoke’s grasp with a 90th-minute header. Top-10 finishes in the last three seasons make Stoke’s position all the more startling, but Hughes said: “Before the season started we looked at the run of fixtures and to be fair there weren’t too many points we felt certain we would get. It feels like a defeat but it’s not. We won’t be down there at the end of the season.”
Joe Allen had prodded them in front in the 74th minute. It looked like spoiling returning boss Tony Pulis’ 1,000th game in charge, then Rondon pounced.
Baggies defender Jonny Evans said: “We’re good at set-pieces. We had worked on that one.”