Manchester United beat Zorya Luhansk which saw them move on to the knockout rounds of the Europa League. While United managed to score 2 goals in unusual weather conditions (a low 2 degree Celsius) it was certain individuals who stood out rather than the team as a whole.
It is unfair to expect the same level of performance considering the pitch and weather conditions. However, it is easy to say that some individuals stood out for United, for certain reasons.
Stars
United had two players to thank for their win. Eric Bailly and Henrik Mkhitaryan were superb and United fans can thank their stars to see their stalwart defender return.
Eric Bailly
It is hard to believe that he returned from a long-term injury and put in such an effective performance almost immediately, earning another Man-of-the-Match award in the process. He even attempted an acrobatic shot (it was on target) which left many surprised but most importantly, the defender managed to mark his men superbly, defying them all in the process.
Mkhitaryan
The Armenian has been superb for United since he has been a regular and it doesn’t look like he wants to stop. He went on to score a superb goal that the all the Zorya defenders could do was watch!
Duds
Ashley Young
The winger turned full-back may have played at a position he’s not used to but he still seemed clueless even in scenarios he should’ve done better. He was a liability in attack and was barely effective in any segment of the game.
Daley Blind
Blind is a smart player and many say he’s one of the best players to have joined the team in recent times. This point conveys why I found him a dud. The game is usually influenced by Blind, either in defence or attack. While he did his defensive work admirably, he didn’t offer anything in the attacking third. There were no crosses or long passes from Blind and those are some of his best traits. The absence of those was a sheer disappointment.
Too many disappointments possibly?
While I have pointed out Young and Blind as our worst performers, they aren’t the only ones. Fellaini was once again a pointless substitution and Ibrahimović was shambolic until that goal. Pogba once again was trying too hard and Herrera was by no means at his best.
Mata and Rooney were mediocre at best compared to the form they have otherwise been in.
My point is, the game eventually would be decided by individuals given the conditions in place and it would be unfair to say that this would carry on in the upcoming games. The good thing is that they saw the game through and are now in the knockout rounds. The Europa League is a priority now and the team can’t look back considering how far off they are in the league standings.
