Manchester United 1-0 Astana : 5 Things we learned from the game | UEFA Europa League 2019/20
Manchester United hosted Astana at Old Trafford for the first game in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a whole lot of changes to the side that faced Leicester City last weekend in the Premier League.
A total of 9 changes were made, starting from the back with Sergio Romero in goal. Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Diogo Dalot completed the back four. In midfield, Nemanja Matic and Fred started together for the first time, while Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford completed the attack.
Coming to the match, the home side were utterly dominant in the first half as they were controlling possession and creating chances. Most of those chances fell to Rashford, who didn't take any of them as the first period ended without a goal from either team.
In the second half, the match followed a similar pattern of play, with United having more of the ball. Around the 73rd minute, United opened the scoring and it was their 17-year-old starlet Greenwood who found the back of the net.
In this piece, we are going to take a look at the five things we learned from the match:
#5 Marcos Rojo can be a great option for United at left-back
For someone who hasn't featured in the starting XI for a long while, Marcos Rojo had a great game for United. He started at the left-back position and in the first half, he created a number of opportunities with his crosses. If only Rashford had taken any of them, the Argentine would have had an assist to his name.
Rojo's passing was slick, and as usual, he had some pops at goal from distance. The South American was a constant attacking presence on the left-hand side of the field as he bombed forward at every opportunity.
He also won some key aerial battles, whilst supporting Phil Jones ably. He was substituted later in the game for Ashley Young and Old Trafford gave a rousing reception to the Argentine. With Luke Shaw currently injured, and Young not really performing at the highest leve, Rojo could be considered as an option at left-back against West Ham this Sunday.
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