Bruno Fernandes was sensational while Donny van de Beek and Edinson Cavani were impressive as Manchester United beat Istanbul Basaksehir 4-1 on Tuesday.
In a thoroughly dominant first half, Manchester United deserved their three-goal lead and more, with Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings effortlessly. The hosts could have been ahead just two minutes in when Marcus Rashford forced Mert Gunok into a fine save, but did break the deadlock in the 7th minute when Bruno Fernandes rifled his strike into the roof of the net.
Twelve minutes later, Fernandes doubled his and Manchester United’s tally when he pounced on a spill from Gunok, tapping the ball into an open net. Ten minutes from half-time Manchester United were three ahead when Rashford converted from the spot after earning a penalty when Boli Bolingoli brought him down inside the Istanbul Basaksehir box.
Post the interval, Manchester United were in energy conservation mode and amid that Istanbul Basaksehir pulled a goal back in the 75th minute when Deniz Turuc’s free-kick was palmed away by David de Gea, albeit after the ball had already crossed the net.
Manchester United, though, would add some gloss to the scoreline late on as Daniel James scored from close range after being set up by Mason Greenwood. The result keeps Manchester United atop Group H of the UEFA Champions League and The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.
David de Gea: 6/10
With Manchester United dominating the proceedings, de Gea did not have a great deal to do. The Spaniard was forced into just three saves, one of which – to deny Edin Visca – was right out the top drawer. However, de Gea was involved in an embarrassing moment when he saved Deniz Turuc’s free-kick, albeit from behind the goalline. Quite precise with the ball at his feet.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6/10
A largely uninspiring performance by Wan-Bissaka, who was hardly untroubled by Nacer Chadli and yet, he was hardly an outlet down the right flank. Misplaced just 6 passes, though, and was a solid presence on his side during the defensive phases, apart from one moment when he allowed Demba Ba a shot on goal.
Victor Lindelof: 7/10
On the pitch for just 45 minutes, as Solskjaer sought to manage his ongoing back issue. The Swede was a solid presence at the heart of the Manchester United defence bar a hairy moment or two. The standout moment for Lindelof, though, was when he sent Marcus Rashford clean through on goal before he earned the penalty that was converted for the third goal.
Harry Maguire: 6.5/10
Like Lindelof, Maguire was largely untroubled at the back, apart from one moment when he let Ba have a free header on goal. However, the Manchester United captain made amends with a fine block on the Istanbul Basaksehir striker. Had the chance to convert a dangerous Alex Telles cross, but could not put the finishing touches to it. Continues his solid run, though.
Alex Telles: 7/10
Alex Telles:
✓ 11 crosses attempted — most on the pitch
✓ 4 chances created — most on the pitch pic.twitter.com/Te6EIHsTg6— UtdArena (@utdarena) November 24, 2020
Telles seems to be grabbing his opportunity with both hands in the absence of Luke Shaw. While he did leave some space in behind him, which allowed Edin Visca a couple of sights on goal, Telles was excellent in the final third, creating the most number of chances (4) on the night. It was also his cross that eventually found its way to Bruno Fernandes for the opener.
Donny van de Beek: 8/10
A top-class display by van de Beek, who has surely staked a claim for a more regular role with this showing against Istanbul Basaksehir. The Dutchman did not try anything extravagant and still managed to find teammates in pockets of spaces. One such moment saw him release Mason Greenwood before Daniel James scored Manchester United’s fourth of the game.
On the defensive front, van de Beek was a steely customer, showing the discipline required to be a regular in the double pivot. Won 3 duels and made an important clearance all while retaining a solid pass completion rate of 88 per cent (56/64 completed). A big performance this by van de Beek.
Donny van de Beek’s game by numbers vs. İstanbul Başakşehir:
100% dribbles completed
88% pass accuracy
73 total touches
2 chances createdAbsolutely quality. ? pic.twitter.com/lnCT4aD7Ju
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 24, 2020
Fred: 7/10
Fred is well and truly Manchester United’s first-choice defensive midfielder now and he continues to show why. On Tuesday, the Brazilian midfielder kept things simple on the ball while displaying trademark industry off it. Won 7 duels and completed 5 tackles, but it was his foul on Ba which earned Istanbul Basaksehir the free-kick that Turuc converted. A rare blip that, though.
Marcus Rashford: 7.5/10
Deployed in an unfamiliar right-wing berth, Rashford produced an intriguing performance. The Englishman was not always stationed on the right flank, with the Manchester United attack having a fluid look to it. However, when he did charge from the designated side, Rashford carried a significant threat, including when he won the penalty for the third goal.
Interestingly, it was Rashford who stepped up to take the spot-kick instead of Bruno Fernandes, who was on a hat-trick yet had no qualms in handing him the ball. Earlier in the first half, the star forward had also linked up with Fernandes for a sensational team goal that was pulled back for him being offside. Nevertheless, a promising display on the right-wing.
Bruno Fernandes: 9/10
?? Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 34 goals in 35 appearances for Manchester United (21 goals, 13 assists) ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/QA9wbEB4VO
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 24, 2020
Manchester United’s talisman made the difference for the umpteenth time on Tuesday. Bruno Fernandes scored two goals against Istanbul Basaksehir – the first a peach of a strike from just outside the box, while the second was an easy conversion into an open net.
Apart from those two moments, Bruno Fernandes typically pulled the strings in an enterprising manner, stitching together 3 key passes while also creating that chance for Rashford which was ruled out for offside. Selfless of him to let Rashford take the penalty. Showing good chemistry with Edinson Cavani as well.
Anthony Martial: 6/10
Stationed on the left-wing, with Cavani starting through the middle, Martial seemed to be in good touch early on after receiving time and space to run at the Istanbul Basaksehir defence. However, after a bright enough start, the Frenchman faded. Indeed, he did not aim a single shot at goal or created a chance. In need of some inspiration.
Edinson Cavani: 8/10
Edinson Cavani vs. İstanbul Başakşehir:
• 24 passes attempted
• 23 passes completedHeld the ball up, manipulated space and chased down absolutely everything. ? pic.twitter.com/rPTBig4OJT
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 24, 2020
Six weeks after joining Manchester United, Cavani finally made his full debut for the club. Showed a lot of promising signs with his excellent hold-up play, which brought the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes into the game. Pressed relentlessly, which aided United in winning the ball high up the pitch. Should be nailing down his spot soon, amid Martial’s struggles
SUBSTITUTES
Axel Tuanzebe: 6/10
On for Lindelof at half-time, Tuanzebe was solid enough at the back, winning 4 duels while making a couple of clearances as well. However, after seeing a yellow card for a foul early in the second half, the youngster now misses the game against PSG next week.
Mason Greenwood: 7/10
Replacing Bruno Fernandes, Greenwood took up some dangerous positions higher up the pitch while also putting in a shift off the ball. The teenage prodigy made a decisive impact on the game as well, setting up Daniel James for the fourth Manchester United goal after being released by van de Beek. A step in the right direction.
Mason Greenwood in the #UCL this season:
⏰ 108 minutes
⚽️ 1 goal
?️ 1 assistEfficient. ? pic.twitter.com/2aDiVVosAL
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 24, 2020
Daniel James: 7/10
On for Rashford, James was hardly involved and barely saw the ball until he scored his goal. A fine finish for his strike, though, and should derive some much-needed confidence from it.
Brandon Williams: 6/10
On for Wan-Bissaka, Williams hardly saw the ball, with most of Manchester United’s moves either flowing through the middle or via the left flank from Alex Telles. Decent enough at the back, but will mainly be glad to get some minutes under his belt, amid renewed interest from Southampton.
Nemanja Matic: N/A
A late introduction, Matic helped see the game out.
I like the way the team played yesterday and i suppose that is our winning squad so we must stick to it no much rotations.