Jesse Lingard calls on Manchester United to start opening the scoring again after Arsenal draw
United have only scored first in five of their 15 Premier League games so far this season
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Your support makes all the difference.Jesse Lingard hailed yet another Manchester United comeback after drawing 2-2 with Arsenal on Wednesday night but admits Jose Mourinho’s side need to start regularly taking the lead in games again.
Lingard found a near-immediate response to Marcos Rojo’s second-half own goal, just as Anthony Martial had equalised minutes after Shkodran Mustafi’s opener on a frenetic night at Old Trafford.
United have come from behind to win or share the points on several occasions already this season, including their victories over Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Juventus, and last weekend’s draw at Southampton.
By contrast, United c, and have fallen behind in 11 of their 21 games across all competitions.
Mourinho has called the character of his players into question of late, suggesting after the goalless draw with Crystal Palace that some players lacked ‘heart’, but the Portuguese commended United’s “great spirit” on Wednesday night.
Lingard echoed his manager’s thoughts on the comeback, which means United remain eight points behind fourth place in the Premier League table.
“I think it’s always been an area that we obviously never give up,” he said. “You’ve seen over the years the comebacks that United have made, so for us to just keep that spirit alive and never give up.
“Everyone that came off the bench showed their fighting spirit. We’re in it as a team. We had to put on a performance for the fans and show the passion on the pitch for them.
“I felt we deserved more. We worked hard throughout the game. We started off very well and I thought we probably did deserve more than that.”
United are currently on a four-game domestic winless run and when it was put to Lingard that opening the scoring in games more often might help ease their difficult start to the season, he agreed.
“Of course, that would help obviously. Leading the game, especially going in at half-time, always puts you in a comfortable position and we can do that now for the remainder of this season.
“There’s always pressure on people’s shoulders when it comes to Man United and it’s how you deal with the pressure. And as footballers, we just enjoy our football and want to win games. That’s the main thing.”
Lingard added that he and his team-mates remain confident of closing the gap on the top four, despite their failure to find any kind of consistent form this season.
“I think we believe as a squad,” he said. “It’s a long way to go in the season, so for us it’s about taking every game as it comes and trying to get the three points. That’s the main thing.
“Especially this month. There’s a lot of games, so we need everyone in the squad to be fully fit. Obviously there will be a lot of rotation but everyone is there to play and show 100 per cent in each game.”
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