What. A. Strike.
Manchester United went into half-time with a one goal cushion this evening after Juan Mata topped off a lovely team move with a clinical finish, but they were by no means comfortable. Derby had threatened to break through their defence on several occasions, pushing for an equaliser.
That equaliser came in the 59th minute, when Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson scored the most spectacular free kick since Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunner against Portsmouth in 2008. You know the one. Up and over the wall.
Wilson’s was similar, in the sense that it swerved and dipped, with Sergio Romero rooted to the spot. But the swerve was so dramatic that it flew into the opposite corner of the net. ‘Unstoppable’ is thrown around too much in football discourse, but you’d be hard pushed to find a goalkeeper who would have the reaction speed and the leap to stop this from going in.
The on-loan Liverpool player was playing for Frank Lampard’s Derby County side as they drew in normal time with Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Wilson’s stunning free-kick was the equaliser that clawed the game back for the Rams.
https://twitter.com/MrNickMason/status/1044684897858846722
Everyone noticed the goal – its bending, Ronaldo-like trajectory made it impossible not to – but what a lot of people didn’t notice was Wilson’s celebration.
Running past the home crowd to celebrate the stunner, the Wrexham-native – clearly delighted to score against his parent club’s bitter rivals – raised five of his fingers, a celebration which many believe was a not so subtle hint to the Reds’ five European Cup titles.
https://twitter.com/TheKopMagazine/status/1044683668160229382
Sergio Romero was later sent off for handball, and was replaced by Lee Grant, with Juan Mata the fall guy for Romero’s error.
United went onto lose on penalties.
