Rooney withdrawal and Mata goal generate biggest United reaction

Wayne Rooney: Substitution received widespread applause

Wayne Rooney: Substitution received widespread applause

With Louis van Gaal’s tactics coming in for criticism from the Manchester United faithful, we look at how the crowd reacted during Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Brom.

United manager Van Gaal saw his tactics and substitutions barracked by the crowd during Tuesday’s Champions League win over CSKA Moscow and addressed the thorny issue ahead of the visit of West Brom.

Here, TEAMtalk tracks the reaction of Red Devils fans during the 2-0 win over Albion.

Pre-match: A relaxed-looked Van Gaal shakes hands with a fan as he makes his way to the dugout

9 minutes: The Old Trafford faithful show it is not only attacking football that gets their juices flowing, raising the roof for a brilliantly timed Chris Smalling tackle on Salomon Rondon.

15m: An opening for Wayne Rooney ups the decibel levels but Juan Mata bends a shot way after being played in by the England captain.

20m: The first boos of the afternoon, but they are reserved for James McClean, taking the field without a poppy on his shirt once again.

24m: Calls for Rooney to shoot when he picks up possession 25 yards out and minor deflation when he turns to shield before giving a short square pass.

38m: With the game still locked at 0-0 a small section of the Stretford End unveils the first “attack, attack, attack” chant of the day.

45m: Gentle applause – with no notable dissent – greets the half-time whistle despite a lack of goals. Van Gaal signs a young fan’s shirt as he heads inside.

52m: Jesse Lingard curls a wonderful opener past Boaz Myhill, roared in by the home fans, who come to life in the subsequent minutes.

62m: In stark contrast to the midweek clash against CSKA Moscow, Old Trafford cheers a defensive change – Phil Jones replacing the more attacking Ashley Young at right-back.

77m: With the volume turned down again, the away end pipes up to criticise the United support in song.

81m: Rooney exits the field to universal acclaim from the stands – and one of the loudest cheers of the day at Old Trafford.

91m: The biggest cheer of the day comes as Juan Mata’s injury-time penalty hits the back of the net to seal the points. A content crowd greet the final whistle.

 

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