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Mourinho's game-changing run continues

Wayne Rooney extended not only Manchester United's unbeaten run but Jose Mourinho's 'super subs' streak at Stoke. Henrikh Mkhitaryan,Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Marouane Fellaini and Rooney have all effected games positively in the last month through goals, assists and man of the match showings, sometimes clutching victory or a draw from the jaws of defeat.

Like the Liverpool match, the arrivals at the Britannia were not consistently threatening and Rooney and Jesse Lingard did not improve United's fluidity as they continued to attack the hosts predictably.

Yet Rashford struck narrowly wide, Lingard clipped the bar and then Rooney beat Lee Grant. They were getting closer and closer and eventually got the breakthrough.

Transfer window risk backfires

There was so much wrong with Stoke's opener it is a pity Gary Neville won't be on Monday Night Football duty to dissect it. Chris Smalling was beaten easily in the air, Antonio Valencia was caught ball-watching, Ander Herrera failed to cover and Mata got his skates on too late.

It began with Smalling, though. United's best defender last season has regressed under Mourinho and his seniority could not distort how surreal it was to see him captain the side at Stoke. United's defence was deprived of leadership without Marcos Rojo, watching on from the away end at the Britannia for the second season running.

Eric Bailly, United's other stand out defender this term, was also absent at Stoke. Four of the back five started in the hapless Boxing Day defeat in The Potteries last season and it said much about how jittery they were Stoke did not even muster a shot on target in the first 45.

Mourinho will attempt to sign a centre-back in the summer but it is days like Saturday when United drop points after a rival succumbed to a surprising defeat which have a huge bearing on the final standings.

"I wait for Bailly," Mourinho said earlier this month. "And I hope the three [Phil Jones, Rojo, Smalling] can control the situation in these matches." Smalling rarely had control.

Pressure gets to United

Last week United squandered a chance to beat a Liverpool team devoid of their talismanic playmaker, Sadio Mane and Nathaniel Clyne. Fast-forward six days and United passed up another opportunity presented by Liverpool, who surprisingly lost 3-2 at home to Swansea at lunchtime.

Stoke is hardly a cakewalk but of the four occasions they have not lost to United at the Britannia this was by far their most uninspiring effort. United had 65 per cent of the possession yet were so cumbersome with the ball they made Stoke's artisans look nimble.

United remain marooned in six and if they are to escape it they need to kick their profligate habit. United had 49 shots at Stoke this season and dropped four points. City and Tottenham's draw, while positive, must have intensified Mourinho's frustration.

Rooney salvages another cameo

This was turning into another wretched Rooney substitution before his right-footed riposte to those who were unimpressed by his contribution up until then.

Against Liverpool, Rooney was wayward and peripheral yet played a pivotal role in United's equaliser. His direct free-kick against Stoke was swept in magnificently and salvaged another performance in which he was invariably a hindrance rather than a help to United's attack.

Despite his steady decline, Rooney provides an annual reminder of the genius he possesses: the volley at Hull in 2013, West Ham away in 2014, the Villa half-volley in 2015 and the Swansea flick last year preceded his whipped leveller on Saturday. It was only his sixth direct free-kick conversion in a United shirt.

Martial the latest introvert to suffer?

Marcos Rojo's wife had confirmed his squad absence on Friday evening on Instagram and it did seem peculiar a United defender headed to one of the coldest grounds in the league to sit in the stands while unwell.

Another glaring absence was Anthony Martial. "Martial was not selected," was all Mourinho said. United could have done with his dynamism in a listless first 30 minutes as Mata floundered and Mkhitaryan struggled to acclimatise to the bitter conditions.

Mkhitaryan, Martial, Luke Shaw and Morgan Schneiderlin are four introverts who have encountered issues with Mourinho. Martial seems to get easily penalised yet a regular run might see him regain the form he displayed for much of his debut campaign.

As United's finishing stats worsen, Martial would be a decent contender to play through the middle.

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