MARTIAL'S SIMILAR FINISHES V STOKE

MARTIAL'S SIMILAR FINISHES V STOKE

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial scored his first goal of the season as a substitute in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Stoke City and, as you can see in our video, the Frenchman’s finish was remarkably similar to his previous strike against the Potters at Old Trafford in 2015/16.

On 2 February, Martial beat Jack Butland with a curled shot to provide the perfect climax to a superb counter-attack that included seven quick-fire passes up the pitch. It was later nominated for the club’s Goal of the Season award in May, which Anthony won with his famous debut effort against Liverpool.

Exactly eight months later, on Sunday afternoon, Martial dispatched another arching strike from the left flank that flew into the opposite side of the net, this time beating stand-in Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant. It provided a sense of déjà vu for supporters watching the match who had witnessed his previous effort.

Although the goal did not secure three points in the end, after Joe Allen notched a late equaliser for Mark Hughes’ Potters, the France international was singled out for praise by United manager Jose Mourinho. 

“He needs that,” the boss said on Sunday. “It was an amazing goal. He showed very good initiative and he was very confident. So it was good from an individual point of view for him.”