United Beyond Manchester

With the composure of a seasoned pilot in a storm, Kobbie Mainoo slotted home the 90+7’ winner against Wolves. It was an incredible way for him to open his Premier League scoring account and a moment he won’t soon forget. This wasn’t some ordinary goal. From the movement to the dribble to the finish, Kobbie and the surrounding players showed what football at its finest looks like. So, let’s break down the goal.

The Movement

Omari Forson was credited with the assist on the goal as he was the one who passed to Mainoo before he took off. The real assist from Forson was his movement once Mainoo had the ball. As Mainoo cuts inside to look for a shot, Forson makes a beautiful clearing run toward the byline that draws defenders away and opens up the space that Mainoo uses to score his goal. This intelligent run from Forson deserves more credit than it got.

The Dribbling

Kobbie Mainoo plays flawless, simple football. This is one of the main reasons he has not relented his spot since coming into the first team. It is also the likely reason that no Wolves defender expected the 18-year-old to nutmeg Max Kilman with a quick slip, take quality touches to set the shot, and bury a finish to break their hearts. The meg itself would be enough to make it a nice little highlight, but the touches that follow were just as good. Mainoo picks his head, sees the space Forson creates, and takes his opportunity. Too many times this season, the touches to set up a strike have been too poor to create a real finishing opportunity for United. Here, Mainoo makes no mistake.

The Finish

It’s no secret that United has lacked quality in front of goal this year. To date, United are 13th in scoring in the Premier League and have a negative goal differential. But what Mainoo showed in this moment exhibits a maturity that the rest of the squad could benefit from. He picks his head up, looks to the far corner, and slots it with finesse into the far corner. Too many shots from United this year have been pounded into oblivion. Power may give you a nice goal here and there, but finesse and composure win games. This type of finish shouldn’t be something to write home about but for an 18-year-old player, in this moment, in this team… it’s world-class.

All of these elements combined to create a stunning goal and earn United a critical 3 points that had even Fergie smiling. It hasn’t taken long for Mainoo to become a staple at Manchester United and boy his future looks bright.