Manchester United came back from a goal down against Villarreal to get their first points in the Champions League group stage. Goals from Alex Telles and Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Alcacer’s opener. So let’s take a look at five things we learnt from this encounter.
1. Ronaldo rescues the win
Cristiano Ronaldo took matters into his own hands yet again to grab all three points for the Reds. With yet another frustrating result on the horizon Ronaldo came up with the goods late on. The Portuguese international was quiet throughout the game, but got the all-important winner with the last kick of the game. Fred put a delightful ball to the back post where Ronaldo rose highest. The 36-year-old played a one-two with Jesse Lingard before thundering the ball into the roof of the net. This is exactly why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought Ronaldo back home. United’s number seven is made for moments like these. Having featured in just five games Ronaldo already looks to be the signing of the season.
2. David de Gea back to his best against Villarreal
The Europa League final last season was one of de Gea’s lowest moments in a United shirt. However the Spaniard has come back better than ever. Already this season he has won points for United on his own and this game was no different. In the first half the Red Devils were all over the place defensively. De Gea made numerous saves in the first half including a one on one save. If it wasn’t for United’s number one, Villarreal could have had the game put to bed before half time. During the second half David de Gea was called into action again. He made a remarkable save late on from point blank range to prevent Villarreal from going ahead. The Reds went up the other end in stoppage time and found the winner. De Gea’s performance was simply breathtaking.
3.Defensive disaster-class on show
Although United came away with all three points, the Old Trafford faithful must not get carried away. Villarreal were unlucky not to come away with the win let alone a draw. If it wasn’t for the brilliance of Telles and Ronaldo, the Yellow Submarine would have got the better of Solskjaer’s men yet again. Varane was the only defender who had a sense of control in his defending. Even the Frenchman made one glaring error in the first half that almost led to a goal. Dalot was the worst of the bunch. The Portuguese defender didn’t win any of his duels against the electric Danjuma. Dalot and Lindelöf were both at fault for Villarreal’s goal. Although Telles produced a piece of magic to get the Reds level, he was clumsy in his defending. Injuries to Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire look even worse now.
4. Lingard makes impact against Villarreal
Jesse Lingard has had a very controversial season so far. He went from villain against Young Boys to hero against West Ham in the league. Lingard was brought on in this game late on in place of Mason Greenwood. Immediately, the 28-year-old brought more energy to the United team. The attacking midfielder also had a massive role in United’s winner. Lingard selflessly put the ball on a plate for Ronaldo instead of going for goal himself. This was Lingard’s third goal contribution of the season. The Englishman has definitely made a case to start the game against Everton on Saturday.
5. United get their revenge against Villarreal
Despite the fact, Solskjaer played down claims of going for ‘revenge’ in his pre-match presser, it was evident that the United players were out to make a statement. In the first few minutes the Reds were pressing the Yellow Submarine into submission. However, the press soon died off and United put in yet another questionable performance. Although, United were poor on the night, they got the vital three points. As shown in the Europa League final, Villarreal are extremely tough to break down. Therefore this win, lucky as it was, will give United a massive boost in their quest to make it out of the group stages. It is likely that Solskjaer prioritises the points over performance on Saturday, however after the international break the performances must improve.
