Wing Play
United's plan was simple and traditionally English - get the ball wide and deliver inviting crosses into the box for the strikers to attack. There are a few reasons why it was clear this was their game plan. Firstly lets look at the positions of Young and Di Maria. Both wingers were playing on the opposite flank to their preferred foot so naturally their tendency would be to drift inside into the number ten position and attempt incisive through balls or deliver in swinging crosses. Since this was not the case, it was clear that both players had been given strict instructions to stay as glued to their touchlines as possible. Despite this when one of them had the ball, the other was then given the license to roam inside towards the edge of the box or join Fellaini and Rooney in the box. With Fellaini in the position of shadow striker rather than a traditional number ten, he wouldn't occupy the area outside the box like a Juan Mata would for example, leaving the space open for either Young or Di Maria to exploit. This is exactly what happened leading up to the chance Rooney chipped wide in the first half. Di Maria was in possession of the ball on the right wing and delivered infield to Young, who had arrived in the number ten position vacated by the roaming Fellaini and his pass through to Rooney almost brought about the opening goal. The selection of Fellaini and Rooney as a partnership also suggests that United were aiming to dominant aerially in an attacking sense. As mentioned, Fellaini excelled playing just off the main striker at Everton as he could cause chaos in the box and it is often forgotten that Rooney is very able in the air. Reflecting back on his season in 2009/10 when he was tasked with being a lone striker following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, many of his goals came from his head. Unfortunately for United, this shift away from wanting to work through the middle of the pitch didn't pay dividends as the quality of the crosses into the box weren't up to scratch, Di Maria struggled to stick to his touchline - hence his half time substitution and Fellaini didn't support Rooney well enough, instead choosing to play neat passes from deeper positions.