Tuesday night saw deja-vu struck for Manchester United as they defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the French capital. The Reds emulated the famous result of THAT night in Paris, to the delight of United fans watching at home.
The away side put on a spirited performance that frustrated the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Standouts of the match include Axel Tuanzebe—who made his first start in 10 months—Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, and David de Gea in goal. New signing Alex Telles also impressed on his debut.
Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer set up his United side to counter-attack, and the players executed it perfectly. Goals from captain Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford MBE sealed the deal, but United fans shouldn’t get overly excited. Here’s why.
PSG missed key players
Not many expected United to upset PSG on the night, but the task got easier thanks to the French side’s many missing men. Marco Verratti, Mauro Icardi, Thilo Kehrer, and Juan Bernat were all ruled out due to injury. Marquinhos and Julian Draxler also didn’t come off the bench. This begs the question, would United have still won the match if it weren’t for PSG’s injury crisis?
It’s only matchday 1
Despite United’s statement win, nothing is set in stone yet. Group H remains the competition’s grueling group, and Germans RB Leipzig are a strong side who look ruthless in the attack. Reigning Turkish champions Istanbul will also be tricky opponents due to their unfamiliarity. United can take hope in Istanbul’s horrible start to the new Süper Lig season.
A case of false dawn?
Last season, United beat Chelsea 4-0 in the Premier League opener. They then proceeded to tie both Wolves and Southampton, followed by a demoralizing 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Ole’s magic often appears when his job is under review, so United need to improve on beating the so-called lower sides and show some much-needed consistency.
Author: Hi guys! I’m Bikar Michael, an aspiring sports writer based in the DMV area. Follow me on Twitter @bik_meister23 and my footie podcast/show on Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram @RawFootballTalk