Having gone 11 games unbeaten under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, many Manchester United fans had high expectations that their team will put up a great showing against the Ligue 1 champions at Old Trafford prior to yesterday’s game.
That wasn’t the case as the Premier League giants were outclassed by PSG in a tension-soaking affair on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s men recorded an important 2-0 win at Old Trafford thanks to Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe whose goals were enough to condemn the Red Devils to their first defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Apart from the two goals scored by the Ligue 1 side, there are some talking points from the game and we’ve come up with the top three…
Di Maria had an eventful return to Old Trafford
Despite all the boos from the home crowd, former Manchester United forward Angel Di Maria was the liveliest player on the pitch last night.
The Argentine’s corner in the 53rd minute of the encounter gave PSG the lead as Kimpembe slot home from close range. The manner with which the corner was taken showed the Argentine’s class and quality from set pieces.
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As if it wasn’t enough, the 30-year-old was on ground to assist the second goal of the night. He found space at the left side of the attack and he held on to the ball before releasing a well-timed square-pass to Kylian Mbappe who slot home from close range in the 60th minute.
The Argentine — who was released by United last season — put up a man-of-the-match display.
Mbappe has got Pace, talent and determination
It isn’t a surprise seeing how great the 19-year-old has become in just two years. This is because he has the talent, quality, and he backed them up with huge determination to succeed.
Mbappe didn’t just score a goal against last night, he was a nightmare to all United defenders, especially Eric Bailly.
His pace were too high for the Ivorian defender to cope with while his hunger for greatness left Ashley Young and Victor Lindelof wondering if Mbappe is really 20 years of age.
United need a miraculous comeback at Parc des Princes
United will travel to Parc des Princes stadium next month for the return leg of the fixture and they will need a miraculous comeback to progress to the next round of the competition.
Solskjaer’s men will need to score two goals without conceding to stand a chance of taking the game to extra time.
Should PSG score a goal in front of their own supporters, then, United will need to score four goals to win the tie on aggregate — that seems impossible if you would ask me.
However, this is football and anything can happen. The Red Devils will draw inspiration from Barcelona’s incredible comeback against Unai Emery’s PSG two seasons ago… I believe you still remember that record-breaking display from the Catalans.