Manchester United forward Anthony Martial celebrates after scoring on his debut against Liverpool. (Getty Images)
Anthony Martial stepped up once again to help Manchester United come back from a goal behind to pick up all three points at the Vitality Stadium against a resilient Bournemouth side last weekend.
United’s campaign so far has been plagued largely by the bizarre performances of the backline. It was the same old story against the Cherries as the Red Devils looked shaky at the back. The lack of communication across the backline was quite evident from the ease with which the Bournemouth attackers penetrated inside the penalty area.
To be honest, Bournemouth had as many as three clear-cut chances in the first thirty minutes and the Cherries could have sealed the game. However, De Gea’s heroics between the sticks kept the visitors in the hunt.
And Anthony Martial put them back on level terms from one of the very few opportunities that United created in the first half. The Frenchman showed good awareness and outsmarted the defenders with his subtle movement to get on the end of Alexis Sanchez’s cut-back into the box from the right. His finishing, which has been clinical this season, didn’t let the team down.
It was Martial’s fourth goal in the last five games across all competitions. The best thing about him was that he didn’t switch off after scoring that goal and contributed a lot to the build-up play in the second half as well.
Despite falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho in the earlier stages of the season, the Portuguese tactician recognized his good form backed the Frenchman to spearhead the attack in place of Romelu Lukaku, who has been in horribly out of touch this season.
Playing as the lead striker in United’s front three, Martial showed his talent as an all-around attacker. Not only did he put in the hard yards and make those incisive runs but he also drifted wide to play crosses into the box. The 22-year-old, who joined the club for £36m, showed the instincts of a perfect centre-forward with his knack of getting into the right place at the right time.
Let us go back to where it all started for the Frenchman. Drafted into the side for the game against Newcastle, Martial scored the all-important equalizer which helped the Red Devils complete a remarkable comeback from two goals down.
The win not only meant that Mourinho lived to fight another day as the club’s manager but also ensured that United carried that much-needed momentum into the international break.
And it showed in their performance against Chelsea and Everton. Martial was once again instrumental in United’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea, scoring the equalizer and putting his team in the driver’s seat in the last quarter of the game.
He carried his wonderful form into the game against Everton as well, earning a penalty which was converted by Paul Pogba in the first half and doubled his team’s lead early in the second half with a delightful finish.
United have performed way below expectations this season but Anthony Martial has been the brightest spot of their otherwise lacklustre campaign.
The Red Devils have a couple of big games coming up in recent weeks. The Champions League tie against Juventus will be followed by a trip to the Etihad and Anthony Martial will be United’s best bet to come away with a positive result from these away games.
Going by the form Martial has shown so far this season, United should do everything in their power to tie him down to a new contract at Old Trafford. A player of his calibre is invaluable to the team and he has all that it takes to propel the Red Devils to a top-six, if not, a top-four finish this season.