Manchester United were made to rue for missing clear chances as PSG earned a hard-fought 3-1 win to throw Group H of the UEFA Champions League wide open.
The game had an open start, with PSG having the upper hand. Neymar handed the away side the lead with a moment of brilliance, getting on the end of a scuffed Kylian Mbappe effort in the sixth minute of the game. Manchester United though, slowly got back into the game and came close on a couple of occasions.
Lady luck favoured the Red Devils at Old Trafford as Marcus Rashford’s shot took a sharp deflection off of Danilo Pereira for the equaliser. Manchester United ended the half having recovered from the early attacking jolt that PSG had powered.
Manchester United came out swinging in the second half, with Anthony Martial having two glorious chances to give United the lead. Edinson Cavani hit the bar with a chipped effort soon after. However, a kerfuffle in the United box saw Marquinhos find the back of the net from six yards out.
Fred was given his marching orders soon after receiving a second yellow card. As Manchester United searched for an equaliser, Neymar piled on the misery in stoppage time to double PSG’s lead and confirm the result. Group H’s fate will now be decided on Matchday 6 of the 2020/21 Champions League as we take a look at how the United players fared.
David de Gea – 7
Couldn’t have done much to save Neymar’s shot, which got a bad bounce from the ground. Had to make a few crucial saves from Alessandro Florenzi and other PSG players. Was more than up to the task. de Gea could have maybe dived with his hands instead of feet for the Marquinhos goal but was helpless for PSG’s third. A good effort overall from de Gea, who would consider himself unlucky to have conceded 3 goals.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7
Did provide the ‘assist’ for Rashford’s goal and covered the right side with aplomb, not letting PSG enjoy much freedom on his side of the pitch. Starting to step up in attack as well.
Victor Lindelof – 6
Could not really handle the movement of Kylian Mbappe, Moise Kean and Neymar all game and often found himself under pressure. Not really the performance we expected from the Iceman while naming him as the Player to Watch on Wednesday.
Harry Maguire – 7
As dominant as ever in air, Maguire had 5 successful aerial duels, the most on the night. Tried to take the initiative towards the end and almost aided in United getting the equalizer. However, his slip for PSG’s third was an ugly sight. Did complete the most passes (50) for a Manchester United player on Wednesday.
Alex Telles – 6
A decent game, but needs to do better to lock in his place at left-back, with Luke Shaw returning soon.
Scott McTominay – 7
?? #UCL stat leaders from midweek:
? Tackles: Scott McTominay – 7
? Interceptions: Cristian Romero – 8
? Aerials Won: Cristian Romero – 15
? Accurate Passes: Miralem Pjanic – 126
☄️ Accurate Crosses: Phil Foden – 5 pic.twitter.com/pmDwQ073St— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 3, 2020
McTominay put in a spirited performance against PSG, almost minimalising the threat posed by Neymar. Did a good job on the Brazilian, who was often left frustrated and agitated at McTominay’s persistence. Put in 7 successful tackles and was arguably United’s best midfielder on Wednesday.
His work-rate adds such a new dimension to United’s midfield that the Scottish international has become a key player for the club.
Fred – 4
Solskjær: “I thought Fred was lucky to stay on when I saw the referee going to look at the screen [in the first half]. The second yellow card is nowhere near and Ander [Herrera] knows that as well – he knows.” #mulive [bt]
— utdreport (@utdreport) December 2, 2020
Could have been sent off as early as the first-half and was lucky enough to only get a yellow card for his headbutt attempt in the scuffle that developed. Did not learn from it and continued to put in more risky tackles. Ander Herrera might have acted a bit more than the damage Fred did but the Brazilian deserved to go off.
Needed to carry himself more maturely in the second half, even after being advised by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to do so. His red card damped all hopes of finding another equaliser for United.
Marcus Rashford – 8
No-one has scored more goals than @MarcusRashford in the 2020/21 #UCL ??#MUFC pic.twitter.com/iSuH5v8oiK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 3, 2020
The best Manchester United player on the pitch against PSG, once again. Rashford might have gotten lucky with his goal in the first-half but he could have easily had two assists, if not for some shoddy finishing. Seems to step up in big games often. However, he did contract a muscle injury in his shoulder and could miss out during the weekend.
Bruno Fernandes – 6
Lost the ball too often in build-ups and was ineffective, despite providing 4 key passes, the most by a Manchester United player on Wednesday and level with Neymar overall. Might need some rest.
Anthony Martial – 4
Continues to scuff the lines, especially in front of goal. Struggled to put away two clear opportunities and his missed chances came back to haunt Manchester United as PSG got the lead through the corner kerfuffle. Just not clinical enough and might see his name fall down the pecking order, with Cavani showing positive signs.
Edinson Cavani – 6
Almost handed United the lead in the second half with a wonderful chipped attempt over Keylor Navas, only for the ball to hit the bar. Looks sharper than Martial and even has the pace to battle the young defenders and take on players. Ole should look into starting Cavani and bring in more creative players instead of Martial.
Substitutions
Paul Pogba – 6
Shot a bullet of an attempt on a half-volley that would have been a goal if on target, with Navas rooted to the spot. Pogba did well and could well start in Bruno’s place during the weekend, with the Portuguese visibly in need of some rest.
Donny van de Beek – N/A
Should have been brought in for Fred at half-time itself and while he did try his best to influence the proceedings, he couldn’t do much in such a short space of time and with PSG already having all their players behind the ball.
Mason Greenwood – N/A
Was lively after coming on and seemed likely to score for United. However, another one of those substitutions that had to be done earlier.
Odion Ighalo – N/A
Could not do anything to influence proceedings and in fact, had to see United concede another, with PSG hitting them on the break in stoppage time.
