Swansea beats Manchester United as Ayew and Gomis find the net

                                 Swansea 2 - 0 Manchester United

Louis van Gaal’s 50th game in charge of Manchester United proved to be much like his first, with the old one-two at Swansea begging the question of whether progress is being made at Old Trafford.

The reign of Van Gaal started with a 2-1 home defeat against Garry Monk’s team, and United went down by the same scoreline when they visited the Liberty Stadium in February.

It happened again in a damp South Wales yesterday, as the experienced Dutchman was outwitted by Monk for the third time in little more than a year, despite taking the lead through Juan Mata. 

This is becoming a bad habit. Van Gaal praised Monk for a tactical response to Mata’s strike and two goals in five minutes from Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis turned the game on its head.

By the final whistle, a jubilant home crowd were cheering as stray passes drifted into touch and United ran out of ideas.

Van Gaal’s claim that his team were dominant for 85 minutes was unfair on a team who were everything his were not: quick, incisive and clinical, even without speed merchant Jefferson Montero on the left wing. Moreover, Monk’s team were cohesive, committed and fluent. When under pressure, they resisted well. When on top, they threatened the goal from different angles.

United, even during an opening phase when they controlled possession, rarely dazzled and, as a manager, you remove the thrill and flair from Manchester United at your peril. 

Van Gaal was defiant after the defeat and distanced himself from transfer activity which may yet see David de Gea and Javier Hernandez leave Old Trafford before the market closes.

Perhaps most disturbingly, his United team function like two disconnected units, with a rigid back six and four up front, left to their own devices but unable to create much at all. 

Bastian Schweinsteiger, for all his poise and experience, is struggling to hit the Premier League tempo, Memphis Depay, deployed wide on the left in the absence of Adnan Januzaj, contributed very little, and goalkeeper Sergio Romero does not ooze calm and authority.

By way of an escape plan, Van Gaal positioned Marouane Fellaini at centre forward and launched the ball in his general direction.

Oddly, Hernandez did not come off the bench and the manager did not deny reports that the Mexican would be allowed to leave, with West Ham and Leverkusen in pursuit.

Van Gaal already seems desperately short of attacking options. His team have scored three goals in the first four Premier League games, and one of those was an own goal. 

Fellaini had the usual effect of unsettling defenders, although Swansea closed out the win without too much fuss.

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