Paris (AFP)

The Manchester United Blues in high profile: with a splendid strike, Anthony Martial improved his personal best goals record on a season in England on Saturday while Paul Pogba, brilliant in the game, signaled by gestures of support to the anti-racist movement.

- Martial, superb goal and course crossed -

Scorer of a superb shot at the entrance to the surface and who ended up in the opposite window against Bournemouth (5-2), Anthony Martial signed his 20th goal in all competitions in 2019-2020, including 15 in the Championship. An important milestone for him: he improved in passing his goals record over a season with Manchester United.

The French striker, who has 4 goals and an assist since the return of football to England, is one of the major players in the great series of the Red Devils (12 wins, 4 draws) and proves match after match that 'he is worthy of the position in the axis he coveted for so long.

Above all, he demonstrated that he was capable of being, in addition to an outstanding counter-attacker, a "killer" in the area and back-to-goal support for his partners, which could not leave coach Didier Deschamps unmoved. .

- Pogba, fist raised and match removed -

A closed fist, symbol of the anti-racist movement "Black Lives Matter": it is with this logo drawn on the back of the skull that the Paul Pogba, known for his elaborate hairstyles, appeared on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Before the meeting, the 2018 world champion also signaled himself with a strong gesture: he raised his fist and lowered his head while the 22 players put one knee on the ground, a gesture popularized by the demonstrations that followed the death by George Floyd, an African-American father who was asphyxiated by a white police officer on May 25 in Minneapolis, in the United States.

On the ground, Paul Pogba's return to form is confirmed. The French, more and more at ease, merged into a collective that was already running well before the interruption.

Far from overshadowing it, the emergence of an offensive leader in the person of Bruno Fernandes, who arrived this winter, seems on the contrary to give more freedom to the French. The agreement between the two players is refined game after game.

While the question of his future will inevitably arise in a few weeks, since he has only one year of contract, Pogba seems 100% focused on his game, and his power as his vertical passes are again wonderful. He only missed one goal on Saturday but his scorching free kick was deflected by the goalkeeper.

- Matuidi, controlled entry -

Blaise Matuidi was again a replacement on Saturday in the Turin derby, as in three of the four league games played by Juventus since the restart. The former Parisian had been established against Lecce, but in the position of left back.

On Saturday, Matuidi played the last 40 minutes of the match won against Torino (4-1) in place of Pjanic. His entry has shifted Adrien Rabiot, for his part titular for four matches, on the right side.

In a match easily dominated and mastered by the Bianconeri, Matuidi managed the left side of the midfield well but was very technically unclear on two Juve counterattacks that could have gone to the end.

© 2020 AFP