Granada vs Manchester United Summary
Manchester United earned a 2-0 win in Spain in their QF first leg against Granada. Goals from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes gives United a good cushion going into the second leg at Old Trafford. United struggled to break down Granada but dealt with their limited attacks very well. Ironically, the best chances Granada got were from United giving the ball away. United found the lead with a superb ball from Lindelof to Rashford whose touch and finish were excellent. United huffed and puffed as we expected but couldn’t quite find a second until a penalty was awarded in added time. Bruno converted and United finished the match on a high note.
A big step made in the first leg but the match is certainly not over as stranger things have happened. United will rotate but not heavily as Granada can still fight their way back. The suspensions will mean the back four picks itself but I expect a similar team to yesterday to face Spurs on Sunday. The team is still hurting from the 1-6 defeat and will want revenge against a rested but out-of-form and demoralised Spurs side. I expect them to turn up.
Granada vs Manchester United Player Ratings:
David de Gea 7/10
Comfortable night but did well to hold some of Kenedy’s efforts on goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 7.5/10
Solid defensively and offered some width in attack.
Victor Lindelof 9/10
Defended excellently and beamed a beautiful pass to Rashford for the opener. Another good game from the Swede.
Harry Maguire 8/10
Solid as a rock bar one moment. Got booked unfairly. Almost scored twice. Mixed results but a good game and will be missed in the second leg.
Luke Shaw 6.5/10
A poor performance by his current form but an average performance overall.
Scott McTominay 8/10
Solid game and did well under a lot of pressure. Some smart passing in advanced areas. Early yellow means he’s suspended for the second leg.
Paul Pogba 7/10
Struggled at the beginning but did pick out some great passes. Came off as he’s needed desperately on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes 7.5/10
Struggled to get into the game at the beginning but the more space he had the more he used it to effect the game. Lucky penalty as the keeper should have done better.
Daniel James 7/10
Played well and put in some excellent crosses but there was no one there for most of them.
Marcus Rashford 7.5/10
Excellent goal but seems to still be injured. I don’t doubt he’ll start on Sunday but must be rested in the second leg.
Mason Greenwood 6/10
Couldn’t get into the game. Some decent switches but a quiet night overall.
Substitutes:
Alex Telles 7/10
Defended well and put in some dangerous crosses.
Nemanja Matic 7/10
Composed and calm. Just what was needed.
Edinson Cavani 7/10
Great hold up play and some great distribution. Inches away from scoring number 50 in Europe.
Donny van de Beek 6.5/10
One good pass to James but not much time to make a difference.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 7/10
Put out a strong team to kill off the tie. It worked…eventually. Brought on subs that prevented problems for United and can affort to rest some players in the second leg. I think he’ll have an upward challenge to beat Spurs as they have had a week off and will want a response from the Newcastle game. It would be a big win mentally for this side so he has to get them going.
