"It was a very good team performance. It has been a good start to the new year with the wins over Everton, Derby and this one against Stoke. We knew that City had lost and we want to catch them. "We are just thinking about ourselves and that is it. We will just try to keep winning and winning, and see if they take a bad step."
"I think the first half was not very good, I think Stoke had a good and positive attitude. We scored an amazing goal, but it was not enough to hurt them because they had a very good reaction, they were very positive, they had the best chances in the first half, and then we were a bit lucky to score the second goal, another beautiful one. "Then in the second half it was different, the second half was harder for them, 2-0 is difficult for them to react, we are in control of the game. They just had the one chance at the end with Diouf and we were 3-0 with amazing goals. We had lots of chances to score the third goal and to kill the match before. But to say the match was out of control from the beginning - I wouldn't say that - because I think they were good."
You have to say that was a stroll in the park for United. You always expect a difficult game when Stoke City come to town, but that was not the case tonight. The result was never in doubt.
The scoreline tells the story of the game - it was a dominant performance from United. Valencia and Martial scored excellent goals, and Lukaku deservedly got on the scoresheet to make it 3-0. Pogba was colossal in midfield and United have bagged three important Premier League points.
9 Lukaku
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Goals by Lukaku 1
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Total Shots by Lukaku 3
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Touches in Oppo Box by Lukaku 4
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Passes Completed by Lukaku 14
11 Martial
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Goals by Martial 1
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Total Shots by Martial 6
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Chances Created by Martial 1
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Passes Completed by Martial 39
25 Antonio Valencia
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Goals by Antonio Valencia 1
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Total Shots by Antonio Valencia 1
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Passes Completed by Antonio Valencia 59
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Duels Won by Antonio Valencia 4
That's three wins from three in 2018, and United were excellent for much of tonight's game, against a low-confidence Stoke side. The visitors toiled admirably for much of the first half, but delectable strikes from Antonio Valencia and Anthony Martial opened up a healthy lead for United before the break, and Romelu Lukaku's 17th goal of the season ended any hopes the Potters may have harboured about a comeback.
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20 Total Shots by Manchester United 11 Total Shots by Stoke City
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9 Shots on Target by Manchester United 5 Shots on Target by Stoke City
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15 Chances Created by Manchester United 9 Chances Created by Stoke City
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32 Touches in Oppo Box by Manchester United 14 Touches in Oppo Box by Stoke City
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60% Possession by Manchester United 40% Possession by Stoke City
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760 Total touches by Manchester United 552 Total touches by Stoke City
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542 Passes Completed by Manchester United 326 Passes Completed by Stoke City
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311 Passes in Oppo half by Manchester United 205 Passes in Oppo half by Stoke City
| Position | Team | Games Played | Wins | Goals difference | Team points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position remains the same | 1 | Man City | 38 | 32 | 79 | 100 |
| Position remains the same | 2 | Man Utd | 38 | 25 | 40 | 81 |
| Position moved up | 3 | Spurs | 38 | 23 | 38 | 77 |
| Position moved down | 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 21 | 46 | 75 |
| Position remains the same | 5 | Chelsea | 38 | 21 | 24 | 70 |
| Position remains the same | 6 | Arsenal | 38 | 19 | 23 | 63 |
| Position remains the same | 7 | Burnley | 38 | 14 | -3 | 54 |
90 MINS + 3
Pogba takes, but his shot is way too high. The referee blows immediately for full-time, and that concludes a comfortable evening's work for a very impressive United.
90 MINS + 3
Free-kick to United, around 20 yards out. Can the Reds finish with a fourth?
90 MINS
We'll have just two minutes of added time here at Old Trafford, as the Reds stroll towards a comfortable three points.
90 MINS
Rashford weaves his way through the area, beating Stephen Ireland in the process, but his shot is weak and easily held by Butland.
87 MINS
Now it's De Gea's turn to pull off a blinder. Diouf volleys towards goal with his left around ten yards out, but the Spanish stopper kicks the ball away. It rolls straight back to the former United striker, but he skews his second attempt wide. It had been a straightforward second half for De Gea until that moment, but that save means he's still on track for a 16th clean sheet of the season in all competitions.
84 MINS
Great save from Butland! Rashford almost makes it four, with a near-identical imitation of Jesse Lingard's backheeled finish against Burnley. But the Stoke keeper gets down well and saves. He's been excellent tonight, despite the scoreline.
83 MINS
United make their final change of the evening, as Scott McTominay replaces Juan Mata in midfield. Under ten minutes remain, and the Reds are in cruise control.
Stoke
Away Team Stoke- Butland Shirt number 1
- Bauer Shirt number 2
- Zouma Shirt number 6
- Martins Indi Shirt number 15
- Tymon Shirt number 12
- Allen Shirt number 4
- Fletcher Shirt number 24
- Shaqiri Shirt number 22
- Ireland Shirt number 7
- Choupo-Moting Shirt number 10
- Crouch Shirt number 25