The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

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Manchester United
Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan
takes breath away with sublime moment
The Armenian midfielder produced a moment of pure magic with his spectacular back-heel volley
finish against Sunderland at Old Trafford
A cartwheeling Henrikh Mkhitaryan scores Manchester United’s third goal against Sunderland.
Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Life is sustained not just by what it is but by what it might be; if we weren’t continually hoping for
better, how could we carry on? And the tease works just as well when watching sport, a generally
disappointing activity that costs time, money, energy and patience. We keep coming back, though,
mainly because that’s what we do, but also because it gives us a shot at seeing the most incredible
earthly event on any given day. Your sunrises, your sunsets and your newborns are all very nice, but at
its best, sport is the best, and yesterday that meant your Henrikh Mkhitaryans.
A particular joy of football is the infinite number of ways there are to get the spherical thing into the
rectangular thing. Even so, most brilliant goals are riffs on eternal themes, but every so often we get a
Roberto Carlos against France or a Ronaldinho against Chelsea , recalibrating reality to remind us
that we haven’t seen it all.
Controversy in Armenia as Henrikh
Mkhitaryan is omitted from Top 10 list
Read more
And it reflects not just skill but character. After joining Manchester United in the summer, Mkhitaryan
began the season as a substitute, a move which seemed to reflect little more than United’s
comparative strength in wide attackers – and away to Hull City, he still catalysed an onslaught that
brought an injury-time winner.