Manchester United secured a crucial 3-0 victory courtesy of goals from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. Swiss Champions Young Boys provided a bit of a scare but lacked the required output in the final third and ultimately were outclassed by Jose’s team.
Manchester United player ratings from their first Champions League encounter of the season.
David de Gea: 6/10
De Gea was hardly tested against Young Boys but he did make a couple of good saves when called upon. The Spaniard kept out a fierce shot from long range by Christian Fassnacht. He distributed the ball well on the night.
Diogo Dalot: 7/10
The Portuguese fullback brought more stability and balance in United’s attacking gameplay as he was industrious and effective from the right flank. Dalot crossed the ball four times and played six accurate long balls. A solid debut.
Chris Smalling: 7/10
Smalling was commanding in the air and used his strong physique to win the ball back. He put in 3 successful tackles and cleared the ball effectively on eight occasions.
Victor Lindelof: 7/10
Lindelof was confident on the ball, as the Swede made some darting runs into the midfield before distributing the ball to the flanks. He made seven clearances and two crucial blocks in addition to the one key pass that he played.
Luke Shaw: 8/10
Shaw made an inspiring return to action as he made three key passes and completed five successful tackles too. He won a single aerial duel but crossed the ball thrice and even earned a spot-kick for the team.
Nemanja Matic: 6/10
The Serb shielded the backline, tracking back whenever the opposition broke on the counter. He had 2 successful tackles, cleared the ball thrice and even played a key pass in the match.
Fred: 5/10
Fred struggled to get into the groove and it was clear that he requires more time to adapt to the team’s gameplay. He played some incisive passes but was a bit erratic while defending and misplaced certain passes at crucial junctures.
Paul Pogba: 9/10
United’s captain in the match, Paul Pogba scored twice and assisted once to lead his team to a convincing victory. Pogba was disciplined, tenacious yet creative and hence his contributions were vital in each goal. The Frenchman should look to maintain this level of performance going ahead in the season.
Anthony Martial: 7/10
Though he was sporadically involved in the earlier part of the match, Martial made some good runs and was aware enough to track back and provide defensive cover when Shaw overlapped on the left flank. His goal was created by Pogba, but Martial’s finish was delightful.
Marcus Rashford: 5/10
Rashford played from the right wing and he struggled to find the natural space and angle that he finds while cutting in from the opposite flank. He crossed the ball thrice and drifted centrally at times but his discomfort in that particular position is clear.
Romelu Lukaku: 6/10
Lukaku held the ball well and laid it for Martial and Rashford smartly at times. He won two aerial duels and provided one key pass but his strong figure upfront was crucial to how United set up tactically.
Substitutes
Marouane Fellaini: 6/10
The Belgian was brought on for Marcus Rashford but did not have any notable contribution in the match. He played some simple passes and saw the game out.
Andreas Pereira: N.A
Pereira completed one dribble and played one accurate long ball.
Juan Mata: N.A
Much like the other substitutes, Mata did not have much impact.
