Manchester United vs Stoke City. Premier League.
Old TraffordAttendance75,251.
Manchester United 1-1 Stoke: Joe Allen cancels out Anthony Martial strike to grab late draw
Sunday 2 October 2016 18:36, UK
Joe Allen struck late to cancel out an Anthony Martial strike and grab a 1-1 draw for Stoke against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
United, who spurned a plethora of good chances throughout the game, finally made the breakthrough when Martial came off the bench to score on 69 minutes.
But absent-minded defending with eight minutes left allowed Allen to pounce on a Jonathan Walters cross that was deflected onto the crossbar and earn the Premier League's bottom side a point, Jose Mourinho's men now with just one league win in their last four.
Both sides remained unchanged with Wayne Rooney, who impressed in the Europa League win on Thursday, starting on the United bench for the third successive time.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic grabbed the winner against Zorya and he should have taken the lead with his seventh goal of the season when he was fed into the penalty area by Paul Pogba in just the first minute, but he dragged a low shot towards the near post.
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His effort was saved by the impressive Lee Grant, who made a string of good stops to keep the visitors - still without a win this season - firmly in the game at the interval.
Pogba missed the target completely with two excellent opportunities, the first a shot inside the box before an unmarked header from a corner, while Grant - making only his second top-flight appearance - tipped Juan Mata's cheeky chip over the bar.
Geoff Cameron had Stoke's best chance before the break, shooting tamely into the hands of David de Gea from the impressive Allen's cut-back.
And a lovely flowing move from Stoke found Allen in the box early in the second period, but the midfielder shot tamely at De Gea himself after shimmying past the last defender.
With United and Mourinho growing increasingly frustrated, Rooney and Martial were introduced on 67 minutes and had an immediate effect as Martial found Rooney before Cameron's interception provided the Frenchman with a first-time scoop into the far corner.
Potters 'keeper Grant continued to deny red shirts, saving well from Rooney and then Daley Blind, who was the man arguably at fault for allowing Stoke back into the game.
The left-back lazily hashed a clearance out for a throw in the defensive third, and United were caught napping as Bruno Martins Indi burst forward.
He saw his shot parried by De Gea to Walters, who clipped the ball up off the crossbar for Allen to smash home, former United man Mark Hughes's Stoke leaving Old Trafford with a point for the first time in 36 years.
Man Utd: De Gea (6), Valencia (7), Bailly (7), Smalling (6), Blind (5), Pogba (6), Herrera (6), Lingard (7), Mata (7), Rashford (7), Ibrahimovic (7)
Subs: Martial (7), Memphis (6), Rooney (7)
Stoke: Grant (8), Johnson (6), Shawcross (6), Martins Indi (7), Pieters (6), Cameron (7), Whelan (6), Allen (8), Shaqiri (6), Bony (5), Arnautovic (6)
Subs used: Walters (6), Crouch (5)
Man of the Match: Joe Allen