Manchester United hosted CSKA Moscow in the last group stage match of the Champions League at Old Trafford as they sat at the top of the table with 12 points. The match ended 2-1 as the Red Devils progress to the knockout stage of the tournament. CSKA Moscow mark their spot in the Europa League with a 3rd place finish.
Player Ratings of Manchester United :
Sergio Romero: 6/10
Maybe one of the easiest duties between the sticks, as CSKA Moscow failed to register more than a few attempts on goal. A clean sheet would have made the night perfect for the Argentinian, but all he could do was watch helplessly as the ball sailed into the net in between a series of Manchester United defenders.
Antonio Valencia: 6/10
Valencia did his usual duty of solidifying the right wing, with timely attacking runs and winning back contested balls in defence. He was substituted off after 74 minutes.
Victor Lindelöf: 6/10
He held the defensive line well alongside Smalling while making a few brave runs into the oppositions half.
Chris Smalling: 6/10
Smalling played the centre position in the 3 men defensive line. He did not allow the Russian side any breathing room with his timely interceptions. He also won a majority of the aerial duels at the back allowing his side to launch counter-attacks at will.
Daley Blind: 5/10
With limited area covered, you could sense that Blind missed the freedom of a traditional left back position. But he held his discipline and almost had a decent performance.
Luke Shaw: 7/10
After a long period on the sidelines, Luke Shaw finally came back with heaps of confidence and enthusiasm. Our eyes feasted on his backdoor runs into the box as he almost assisted Marcus Rashford to an easy tap-in in the first half. He even connected his brilliant left foot to a floated ball in the box from Valencia, as the shot got saved by the keeper.
Paul Pogba: 8/10
Instrumental in almost every United attack, the Frenchman’s ability to dictate that tempo of the game left everybody speechless as the stadium roared in oos and “aahs” over his sublime skills on the ball. He lofted the ball perfectly over the Moscow defence to assist Lukaku and get the equaliser in the 62nd minute. Another exhilarating performance from Pogba.
Ander Herrera: 6/10
With very limited defensive responsibility, Herrera mostly spent his minutes in the opposition half trying to stop the opposition counters or linking the attacks together when required.
Juan Mata: 7/10
Mata still possesses his old flair with the ball, as he filled the attacking midfield position mostly operating from the right, to link up the constant array of attacks for Manchester United. He lobbed the ball over to Rashford in the 64th minute, as Rashford smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Marcus Rashford: 9/10
The 20-year-old was the brightest spark for the Red Devils as he terrorized the Moscow backline with his remarkable maturity and skills on the ball. He went past defenders at will as nobody could catch him or his runs. After hitting the woodwork in the first half, he did not miss his second opportunity as he volleyed the ball for a goal 2 minutes after Lukaku’s equaliser. A performance deserving of the Man of the match honour.
Romelu Lukaku: 8/10
He worked well with the few touches he had during his time on the pitch and combined with Rashford and Pogba, to get United the equaliser. The Moscow defender could not match his strength as he slotted the ball into the back of the net calmly.
Substitutes :
Scott McTominay: 3/10
Got on in place of Ander Herrera. Could not catch up to the pace of the game and earned himself a yellow card over a rash tackle.
