If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try – you know what I’m not typing this 140 times – just keep trying till it works, that’s what Manchester United have done.
Finally, after 139 failed attempts this season, United have actually scored a goal that came from a corner, as Harry Maguire headed them in front against Leeds United.
Plenty has gone wrong for Ralf Rangnick’s side this season, and before him Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and one of the funniest has been their inability to score from a corner.
The Old Trafford side even hired a set piece coach in the summer, and that clearly hasn’t worked for them at all, but finally it paid off.
In the 34th minute of Sunday’s game, Maguire headed home from Luke Shaw’s corner to put Rangnick’s side 1-0 up against their rivals from across the Pennines.
Harry Maguire breaks the deadlock! ⚽
The Manchester United captain gets on the end of Luke Shaw’s corner to nod the away side into the lead! pic.twitter.com/4fxDOJ6MqY
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 20, 2022
MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE SCORED FROM A CORNER! 😱
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 20, 2022
Manchester United’s corners this season:
🚩 140 attempts
⚽️ 1 goal
🤔 0.7% conversion rateHarry Maguire’s goal vs Leeds is United’s first league goal from a corner since March 2021. pic.twitter.com/aCoLaxHw8b
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 20, 2022
Manchester United finally score from a corner for the first time in the Premier League this season after taking over 100 corners. YESSS!!!
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) February 20, 2022
Where were you the day Manchester United scored from a corner?
— Annemarie Dray (@AnnemarieDray) February 20, 2022
Maguire had actually been the scorer of the team’s most recent goal from a corner, when he headed home against Sheffield United in January 2021!
The United captain has been under pressure this week, with calls for him to lose the armband, not for the first time, amidst a reported ‘power struggle.’
Claims in the media have said that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to be the captain but the former Leicester City centre back is determined to remain in the position.
It was Ronaldo who missed United’s easiest opportunity, and the best chance of the game, before Maguire’s goal, when he missed from just yards out.
Paul Pogba got beyond his marker and hit a brilliant pass across the box but it was just behind Ronaldo, and the striker could only hit it into Ilan Messier.
On the stroke of half time, Bruno Fernandes made it 2-0, as he headed home from Jadon Sancho’s goal but it was Maguire’s goal that deserved the headlines and Red Devils fans at Elland Road will be able to say ‘I was there!’