Jose Mourinho knew what he was doing.
Just when supporters expected the Manchester United manager to throw an extra defender on for the dying minutes of their Premier League clash against Watford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared on the touchline.
The Hornets had fought back from a three-goal deficit to make it 3-2 with five minutes remaining and, with the momentum with the hosts, Mourinho was expected to send on Matteo Darmian to nullify the opposition’s attacking threat.
But Ibrahimovic arrived and, apparently, it was for good reason.
According to journalist Kevin Affleck, the United boss was wary of the possibility that Marco Silva would order goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes into the Red Devils’ box for any set pieces in the dying moments.
https://twitter.com/KevinAffleck/status/935635096329228289
Given the potential aerial threat of the 6 ft 3 in ‘keeper, Mourinho wanted a big man marking him and he sent on the biggest he had in the form of Ibrahimovic.
As it turned out, there was no dramatic finish for Watford as Jesse Lingard put an end to their comeback with a stunning solo effort in the 86th minute.
“The second half should have been five or six-nil and it was even easier to score goals in the second half than in the first but we missed these chances and this is football,” Mourinho said after the win which narrows the gap between them and table-topping Manchester City to five points.
“Out of nothing, penalty and 3-1 and then the game is a different one. But it’s a match to win comfortably and in the end at 3-2 the game is in a grey zone and Jesse had that fantastic initiative and killed the game.”
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