Manchester United played hosts to LASK Linz at Old Trafford earlier this evening hoping to pick up a win on their way to the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals. The Red Devils made a dominant start to the game but failed to break the opposition down in the first 45 minutes. Both teams fought tooth and nail but went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
To the surprise of many, it was the side from Linz that took the lead in the 55th minute courtesy of Philipp Wiesinger’s goal. However, Jesse Lingard equalised just two minutes later to set-up an exciting finale to this particular match. Anthony Martial came off the bench to score the winner in the 88th minute to give his team a narrow 2-1 victory over their Austrian counterparts. Man United ended up winning the Europa League last 16 tie with a 7-1 aggregate scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Man United player fared during the match against LASK Linz.
GK: Sergio Romero – 7/10
The Argentine goalkeeper made a solid stop in the first half to keep the scoreline level. However, he couldn’t do much about the opposition goal which ruined his hopes of a clean sheet.
RB: Timothy Fosu-Mensah – 5.5/10
He maintained a good shape at the back and produced an assured display defensively. However, he lacked the cutting edge going forward.
CB: Eric Bailly – 5.5/10
Bailly looked a bit nervy inside his half but did enough to restrict LASK to just one goal during the 90 minutes.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10
The English centre-back put in a solid performance at the heart of the defence but won’t be happy about not securing the shutout.
LB: Brandon Williams – 5/10
He was mostly untroubled defensively but failed to make a meaningful contribution in the opposition half.
CM: Scott McTominay – 5.5/10
It was not the best performance from McTominay at the centre of the park. He ended up being cautioned in the first half and was walking a defensive tightrope throughout the remainder of the contest.
CM: Fred – 6/10
The Brazilian talent kept the ball moving in midfield but struggled to make a telling contribution in the final third.
RM: Juan Mata – 7/10
The Spanish playmaker picked up two assists on his return to first-team action. He will be encouraged with his performance today.
CAM: Jesse Lingard – 7.5/10
The English attacker made some clever movement and enjoyed playing in the number ten role. He scored the equaliser before being subbed in the second half.
LM: Daniel James – 5/10
He struggled to get going and didn’t create anything of note in the decisive end of the field.
ST: Odion Ighalo – 5/10
The Nigerian striker squandered some decent chances to score and produced a toothless display up top.
Substitutes:
CM: Andreas Pereira – 6/10
He added some fresh energy in midfield.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6/10
The French international was neat and tidy when in possession of the ball.
LB: Tahith Chong – 5/10
He looked way out of his comfort zone at left-back.
ST: Anthony Martial – 8/10
The French marksman was introduced late in the game, but he still ended up scoring the winner.
RB: Teden Mengi – N/A
He hardly had any time to influence the game.
