Lingard Delighted To Break Deadlock

Jesse Lingard was thrilled to strike Manchester United's all-important first blow against Stoke City at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

The 23-year-old stooped to head home from close range following a cross from Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, before a stunning team goal finished by Anthony Martial and a tap-in from Wayne Rooney completed a comfortable victory for the Reds.

Speaking to MUTV after the match, Lingard was, like his manager, quick to emphasise the significance of an early goal. "It’s massive. It settles down the fans, the manager and ourselves.

"We started very brightly, and as soon as we got the first goal, we were confident of getting a second and third. We needed to score goals, attack and entertain the crowd really. When we do that, we make the game easy for ourselves, so I think we should carry that on now.”

The winger also had praise for his fellow scorers, telling MUTV: "If we keep feeding the ball to Antony Martial, he can make things happen. We knew from his goal against Liverpool what he could bring to the team, that pace, that power, and he’s got a great goal in him."

As for his captain Rooney, Lingard added: "He’s always going to score goals, and he leads the team by example. Seven goals in seven matches is a great record and hopefully now he can get eight in eight.”

Stoke was the first fixture in a busy February for United with Barclays Premier League, Europa League and Emirates FA Cup games all on the horizon, but Lingard feels confidence is running high after a largely positive opening to 2016.

“It’s an ideal start for the run that we want to go on," he said. "We need to take each game as it comes, but we’re just enjoying our football at the moment and hopefully we can get the win at Chelsea.”