- Ander Herrera replaced Adnan Januzaj in the Manchester United team for their match away at Swansea
- Swansea's Bafetimbi Gomis hit the post in the first half, while Gylfi Sigurdsson squandered a golden opportunity
- Juan Mata opened the scoring for United in the second half, firing home at the back post after some poor defending
- Andre Ayew levelled the scores just after the hour mark, before Gomis completed the comeback shortly after
By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
Louis van Gaal’s 50th game in charge of Manchester United proved to be much like his first.
Much like his 31st, too, for that matter, as Van Gaal watched his team lost 2-1 against Swansea for the third time in little more than a year.
Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis scored the goals which turned the game after Juan Mata had fired the visitors ahead, early in the second half.
Williams almost sliced into his own goal to make it two, moments later, but Fabianski was alert to the danger.
Shaw, who has had his problems with fitness and form since moving to Old Trafford, looked much more comfortable in this solid and unspectacular system and yet the goals conceded by United came from his area.
The young left-back was trailing back from an over-lap when Swansea levelled from a cross delivered by Sigurdsson.
Garry Monk deserves credit, too, responding to Mata’s goal by replacing Wayne Routledge with Ki Sung-Yeung and giving Sigurdsson more freedom. Almost immediately, the Icelander had created an equaliser for Ayew, who arrived late to convert with a header.
It was Ayew on the right who supplied the second for Gomis, four minutes later, shaping a low pass towards the near post which took Shaw and Blind out of the game.
Gomis beat Smalling across the ground to finish his fourth in four this season. It was his ninth in his last 10 Premier League appearances, a contrasting number to Rooney’s last 10.
By the end, the crowd in south Wales felt confident enough to jeer United stars who ran out of idea and hit pass after pass into touch.
The thing for Van Gaal is that you take the thrill and flair from Manchester United at your peril.
Without the thrill and flair, you have to win, which they did against Tottenham and Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier League, and against FC Bruges, in Europe. But which they did not against Newcastle.
Against Swansea, they neither won nor drew not entertained and functioned like two disconnected units – a solid back six and four up front, who were able to create very little against a well organised Swansea side.
By way of an escape plan, Van Gaal resorted once against to sending on Marouane Fellaini at centre-forward and launching it long.
Javier Hernandez did not come off the bench and, with the transfer market closing soon, there must be concern at Old Trafford.
Fellaini had the usual unsettling effect, but Swansea held out without too much fuss, but for one wonderful recovery tackle by Ashley Williams on Wayne Rooney.
Captain Rooney was isolated and frustrated for most of the game. He scored a hat-trick in Bruges but has now gone 10 games without a Premier League goal for the first time as a United player.
Buoyed by the trip to Belgium, United started well. Lukasz Fabianski was called into action to beat out a free-kick from Memphis Depay which skidded from the slippery surface.
Juan Mata lashed one over from just outside the penalty box and then screwed an excellent opening wide, midway through the first half. Ander Herrera poked a pass to Mata but, coming onto the ball from United’s right, he pulled it wide with his left foot.
MATCH FACTS
Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Shelvey, Ayew, Sigurdsson, Routledge (Ki 58), Gomis
- Subs not used: Dyer, Nordfeldt, Tabanou, Eder, Rangel, Bartley
- Manager: Garry Monk
- Goals: Ayew 61, Gomis 66
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Romero, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Schneiderlin, (Carrick 70), Schweinsteiger, Mata (Young 70), Herrera (Fellaini 77), Depay, Rooney
- Subs not used: Johnstone, Hernandez, Carrick, Young, Valencia, Fellaini, McNair
- Manager: Louis van Gaal
- Goal: Mata 48
- Referee: Martin Atkinson
- Stadium: Liberty Stadium
Swansea stirred, with Jack Cork and Jonjo Shelvey taking control in the centre of the pitch and overwhelming Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger who, for all his poise and experience still looks a yard short of Premier League tempo.
Schweinsteiger was dispossessed in midfield before Ayew released Bafetimbi Gomis, who missed the target.
Gomis ought to have done better, as should Gylfi Sigurdsson when he failed to test Sergio Romero followed an effective quick free-kick taken by Shelvey.
He had not conceded a Premier League goal when he arrived in Wales but Romero does not ooze calm and authority. His distribution was erratic and was almost made to pay when one clearance landed at the feet of Shelvey.
The Swansea midfielder quickly manufactured a long-range effort on goal but the Argentina goalkeeper had recovered to save on his line. He was beaten when Gomis hit a post after rolling clear from Daley Blind and Chris Smalling.
The home team were on top. Rooney smouldered up front, disconnected for long periods and yet, when Herrera found him before the interval, the United captain could produce nothing more than a tame stab at goal with the outside of his boot.
Another glimpse of goal vanished with a poor touch volleyed over by Rooney, but Mata eased some of the tension soon after the restart.
Luke Shaw’s powerful run down the left created the chance. Both Rooney and Neil Taylor missed Shaw’s cross at the near post and Mata beat Williams at the back-post to fire the ball high into the net.
Williams almost sliced into his own goal to make it two, moments later, but Fabianski was alert to the danger.
Shaw, who has had his problems with fitness and form since moving to Old Trafford, looked much more comfortable in this solid and unspectacular system and yet the goals conceded by United came from his area.
The young left-back was trailing back from an over-lap when Swansea levelled from a cross delivered by Sigurdsson.
Garry Monk deserves credit, too, responding to Mata’s goal by replacing Wayne Routledge with Ki Sung-Yeung and giving Sigurdsson more freedom. Almost immediately, the Icelander had created an equaliser for Ayew, who arrived late to convert with a header.
It was Ayew on the right who supplied the second for Gomis, four minutes later, shaping a low pass towards the near post which took Shaw and Blind out of the game.
Gomis beat Smalling across the ground to finish his fourth in four this season. It was his ninth in his last 10 Premier League appearances, a contrasting number to Rooney’s last 10.
