Well, that's it from us at VAVEL UK and myself, Jake Parker. Thanks for being with us for this game between Manchester United and Swansea. Thank you and goodbye.
FT: MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 SWANSEA. Well that is the end of the game and what a nervy end it was. The Swans keeper, Fabianski allmost made the headlines as he came up and almost drew the game level with the last touch before the whistle. Martial and Young were outstanding for United and either of them could win the man of the match for me. This is a good start to 2016 for United and Louis van Gaal.
90+5: CLOSE! Swansea keeper, Fabianski, who was up for the corner, dominated in the air and headed just wide of the post.
90+4: Last chance for Swansea as Montero is touched for a free-kick. The delivery isn't great and United get the ball away. Swansea come straight back though and earn a corner. The keeper is up.
90+3: Brilliant corner but no-one was able to get ito the six yard box to get onto the end of it.
90+2: SAVE! David De Gea with a brilliant save off of a powerful Williams shot from the edge of the United box.
90: UNITED SUB! Carrick on for Herrera.
90: United are so close to a very good win for van Gaal and Manchester United. There will be four added minutes.
85: BOOKING! Swansea haven't really threatnened since going behind for the second time but, Barrow was taken down by Blind who recieves a yellow card.
82: SWANSEA SUBS! Gomis and Montero are on for Ayew and Routledge.
79: UNITED SUB! McNair on for Young. Young seems to have taken a knock.
77: GOAL! MAN UTD 2-1 SWANSEA (ROONEY). Nope because he's Back. Such an instinctive finish from Rooney as he uses the pace of the ball to flick it in wirth his trailing foot. The goal was made possible by Martial's brilliant run down the left wing.
76: The last three times these sides have met, Swansea have won all of them 2-1,will this game have the same conclusion?
74: Martial won a free kick just over 25-yards away from goal after he was climber on by Williams. Rooney stepped up to the dead ball and struck it with power straight into the wall.
71: GOAL! MAN UTD 1-1 SWANSEA (SIGURDSSON). It was a brilliant looped header from the Icelandic international as van Gaal's Ghost club strike again. Barrow kept the ball as he ran down the right wing. He whipped the ball into the box and Gylfi provided a world class header to level the game up.
70: CLOSE! Martial ia making things happen or United as he runs through the defence but his shot with the outside of his foot went adrift from the target.
69: Taylor brings down Young next to the corner flag. Rooney took the free-kick but it didn't beat the man at the near post.
65: BOOKING! Angel Rangel has been booked for simulation agfter trying to get a penaty by throwing his leg towards Herrera.
64: OFF THE POST! Swansea almost found their way back into the game after Sigurdsson floated a ball into the box and Ayew powered his header straight onto the post. United were let off there.
62: SWANSEA SUB! Barrow on for Britton.
60: SHOT! United are really pushing foir a second goal as Rooney played the ball back to Herrera on the edge of the box but all he could do was hit it way over the bar.
59: Rooney was unlucky in the box as Young crosses the ball into the box but, the striker was surrounded by Swansea players and the ball was cleared.
57: SHOT! Rooney managed to turn his man on the edge of the box but when he was facing goal, all he could do is pea roll the ball straight into the hand of Fabianski.
55: CHANCE! Swansea try to get themselves back into the game with their first attack of the second half. A good chain of passes leads to Sigurdsson being played through, the Iceland international tries to cut it acroos to Ayew but it was cut out.
52: Ashley Young is threatening the Swansea backline once again as Williams has to tap a Young cross behind for a corner.
49: United have come out in the second half all guns blazing and Swansea seem a bit shell shocked.
47: GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 SWANSEA (MARTIAL). United finally have the lead an it was Martial who headed the ball into the back of the net as he was unmarked in the area. The goal was created by a great cross from, who else but, Ashley Young.
46: CLOSE! Rooney has started the second half on fire as he lets rip a shot from the edge of the box and Williams got in the way to deflect it wide.
45: UNITED SUB! Jones has come of at half time for Matteo Darmian.
45: The players are back onto the pitch ready for the second half.
HT: MAN UTD 0-0 SWANSEA. Same old, same old from United. They started out well put as the game carried on, Swansea grew into it. Young has been Uniteds best player by far, creating chances out of nothing. Ayew, I would saw has been Swansea's best player as he has looked threatening when he has had the ball.
45+1: CLOSE! Young, AGAIN, creates an opening for United and Rooney but his shot was right into the middle of the goal and didnt trouble Fabianski.
45: ONE ADDED MINUTE!
42: BOOKING! The first yellow card of the game goes to Chris Smalling as he blocks off the run of Ayew.
41: CLOSE! Just like the United of old, the wings are the best outlets. Young creates an opening as he beats Britton and pulls it back for Mata, whose shot towards the near post is saved well by Fabiaski.
39: The United fans aren't to happy with what they have seen as Herrera has now made three fouls. The crowd are now expressing their views by consistently groaning.
37: CLOSE! United almost scored the opener there as Young passsed the balll into the box from the right, Rooney rose well to get the ball but the header was poor and in the end, not threatening.
35: Swansea took quite comfortable in the game now as United sit deep within their half. Ki tried his chance at goal from an acute angle and it flew wide.
33: CLOSE! Martial has been fouled outside the Swansea box and the free-kick is taken instantly. Nobody but Taylor noticed, and he blocked Mata's shot from 10 yards out.
31: PENALTY? Swansea attacked cleverly as Routledge crosses the ball into the box. Schneiderlin volleyed the ball out but it struck his hand on the way. Looking at it again, the referee made the right call letting play carry on.
29: CHANCE! As cork comes back onto the pitch, Routledge tested De Gea for the first time this game with a volley from 20-yards out. Easy save for the Spaniard though.
28: There is a break in play as the Swansea medical staff go onto the pitch to treat Jack Cork. Not sure why he is down but he was pointing to his eye.
25: Swansea have started pressuring the United side and Schneiderlin felt that as he misplaced his cross field pass. Ayew got the ball and put a cross in, Sigurdsson and Cork tried to connect in the box but it as cut out.
23: Swansea have won their second free-kick of the game after Herrera presses Ki once again in the Swansea Half.
21: CLOSE! Young whips a ball in from the right wing and it goes past everyone in the middle. Rooney controlled the ball on the left side of the bo and unleashes a shot but it hi ts the side netting.
18: Rooney treis his best to get some pace into United's attack and he is brought downnon the edge of the box. Rooney with the free-kick but doesn't manage to get the ball past the wall.
17: The ball is being kept in the middle of the park at the moment and it is still United who are dominating possession.
15: The game has calmed down now but it is fair to say that United have been the better side in the opening quarter of an hour.
13: United have the first corner of the game as Taylor blocks Youngs cross. The corner is hit towards the near post but Taylor headed it away.
12: Bastian Schweinsteiger went down in the 12th minute after he beat Jack Cork to a 50/50 tackle. In the follow through from Cork, his studs clashed with the German's knee which looked painful.
11: Gylfi Sigurdsson swung in the free kick but it was way too deep.
10: Swansea win the first free-kick of the game after they keep hold of the ball for a minute. Ki Sung-Yeung tempted Ander Herrera into the back of him and it was a clear foul 30-yards out from the United goal.
7: Swansea are struggling to get the ball now as United start to run the game, Ayew dragged the ball forward for their first chance of the game but nothing came of it.
5: United have made a much better start to this game than they have done in the past few weeks. Anthony Martial picked up the ball on the edge of the box from Wayne Rooney but he was dispossessed in the box.
3: Both sides seeem to have already settled into the game. Swansea are set out with s diamond in the midfield with Andre Ayew and Wayne Routledge up front.
1: CLOSE! Ander Herrera comes out with the first chance of the game as he is played in by Juan Mata but, Fernandez was able to block the shot and clear the ball.
0: The visitors get the game started at Old Trafford.
0: The players are out the tunnel. Louis van Gaal seems to be happy with the crowd as he sticks his thumb up to the crowd as he walks out.
Swansea manager Alan Curtis hasn't said anything on the subject of Shelvey, but he did say: "We changed it around last Monday to rest some players and the last couple of games there has been a freshness about us. The spirit has been fantastic and we need to carry that on for the rest of the season."
Jonjo Shelvey has been left out of the Swansea side all together, not due to injury, and it has made the fans think that he may not be staying with the club past January. According to reports, Newcastle have been interested in signing the player this month.
Both sides have changed their starting 11's since the last game; Manchester United with one change, Phil Jones in for Matteo Darmian, and Swansea with seven changes, and it has sparked some rumours on players leaving the clubs.
https://twitter.com/SwansOfficial/status/683270089584603136
The Swans bench: Nordfeldt, Naughton, Amat, Grimes, Montero, Barrow and Gomis.
Swansea are starting with Fabianski, Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Britton, Ki Sung-Yeung, Cork, Sigurdsson, Routledge and Ayew.
On the Bench, they have Romero, Darmian, McNair, Carrick, Pereira, Fellaini, Memphis.
And the teams have been announced. For Manchester United, they are strating with De Gea, Young, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Herrera, Martial and Rooney.
After admitting that he wants his side at the top of the Premier League, he shared his plans on how he is going to attack against Swansea, “It’s always the same,” said the Dutchman. “You make a game plan to beat your opponent. We have lost three times to Swansea but then you have to analyse why you have lost. It’s always like that. And then you continue with the same vicious circle of working. It’s not any magic. It’s looking to what has happened and what you can improve as a team but also as an individual player.”
The manager also admitted that he has been under pressure by the fans and their negative attitudes towards his ‘philosophy.’ “I don’t know because the pressure is also what you experience by yourself and also by your players. Players have to perform at a certain time and that is the most difficult aspect of a player’s function. You have to cope with the pressure, that’s what I’m explaining. The way we played under that pressure was fantastic.”
Van Gaal went on to talk about what he thought about Manchester United in 2015: “We have fulfilled the wish and our aim in the first season that ended halfway through 2015. After that we have managed to give balance to the team and that resulted in October and November in us being first in the Premier League. Then we are out of the Champions League and that gives us a big blow, and we are still in that period, so when you don’t assess December, it was a very good year.”
In the pre-match press conference with Louis van Gaal, he said that United are always the dominant side, no matter the result. He started the conference by talking about the Chelsea game: “We’ve had many games like that. The way we’re playing, we’re almost always the dominant team. The way we played, under that pressure and in the style we want to play, was fantastic.”
After United manger Louis van Gaal hinted at leaving Manchester for good after the Stoke City match, he seemed pretty contempt with the way his side played against Chelsea and seemed to be in a better mood after the game. Some fans on the other hand seemed to think differently as one fan was selling scarves outside the ground with both Jose Mourinho’s name on them and his nickname on a red scarf symbolising a done deal that he will be the next manager for the club. After the game, he was the centre of attention but no one was buying them.
Swansea City also have four players out injured but two of them may be back for the United game. Both Wayne Routledge (Knock) and Federico Fernandez (Ankle) should be fit to play this weekend and Eder (Ankle) and Franck Tabanou (Hip) should be back in the side for next week’s fixtures
Manchester United are struggling at the moment with injuries to there starting 11 and they have had to play with weakened sides in the past few games. Luke Shaw is still out with a long-term leg injury and he is not looking like he will return to the side until April of this year. Both Jesse Lingard (Hamstring) and Marcos Rojo (Shoulder) have no return dates set but Antonio Valencia (Ankle) will be back by the end of February.
In Swansea’s final game of the year, Crystal Palace held them to a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park. Both Wilfried Zaha and Patrick Bamford had brilliant chances to score in a game that was struggling to chances but the deadlock was never broken and Swansea’s best chance came from a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick but Wayne Hennessey dove to make a superb save.
In their last fixture of 2015, Manchester United managed to gain a point against Chelsea in a goalless draw at Old Trafford. United haven’t scored in five out of their last eight games but, the players performances improved in that game and they were unlucky not to get a goal. Both teams created a good number of chances but the keepers for both sides kept the game interesting until the final whistle. However, no matter how good the side played, it left them in sixth position in the Premier League, five points behind the last Champions League spot and rivals Manchester City.
This Manchester United - Swansea fixture is one of six fixtures at 15:00 but the early game is between West Ham and Liverpool. There is also one game with a late kick off and that is between Watford and Manchester City.
Manchester United - Swansea City Live Score Commentary
Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live minute-by-minute commentary and coverage of the midday fixture on Saturday afternoon between Manchester United and Swansea City. Today’s game kicks off at 15:00 GMT but there’s plenty to discuss before then. Keep following the football live with VAVEL UK.
