Why United Are Scoring So Many Late Goals

Manchester United have developed a penchant for scoring late goals this season and that is no coincidence according to Jose Mourinho, who states his players will always fight until the end.

The Reds drew 1-1 with Liverpool in last weekend’s Premier League match at Old Trafford after Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed an equaliser in the 84th minute. That was just the latest example of the team netting result-influencing strikes in the latter stages of games in recent weeks and months.

Other examples include Ibra’s 88th-minute winner at Crystal Palace, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba netting in the 85th and 86th minutes to beat Middlesbrough on New Year’s Eve, plus Marouane Fellaini’s finish to wrap up the EFL Cup semi-final first leg win against Hull City just last week.

During MUTV’s interview with Mourinho at the Aon Training Complex on Friday afternoon, the manager agreed that a positive team spirit underpins United’s continued run of late goals, as well as his own willingness to sacrifice defensive players when pressing forward in the closing stages.

“We also conceded late goals and I have to say when I look to the Arsenal game, when I look to the Everton game, we lost four points in the last minutes when we didn't deserve,” he said. “But yes, lately we are scoring late goals and some of them have been important: the victory against Crystal Palace, the second goal against Hull, the victory against Middlesbrough, the goal against Liverpool.

“I think the team goes until the end and when you go until the end and you have the public behind the team, believing the same way, everybody believes, I think it can happen. It can also happen because I am gambling quite a lot by playing with less defenders. Against Middlesbrough we took off Chris Smalling. In the last match against Liverpool, we took off Matteo Darmian.

“We are gambling quite a lot so maybe one day it goes the wrong way. But lose by one or lose by five, the mentality that I want and the mentality that I also think the fans want is to fight for the result and have no problem to risk. If one day it goes wrong, it goes wrong.”