Manchester United 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain: 5 Talking Points as Neymar leads PSG to crucial win | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Goals from Marquinhos and a Neymar brace helped PSG to an important 3-1 Champions League away win over Manchester United in their latest Group H encounter. The result keeps the group finely poised ahead of next week's final matchday.
Thomas Tuchel's men started well and raced into an early lead after six minutes through Neymar, when Kylian Mbappe's deflected strike spun towards the Brazilian. He fired low across goal from a narrow angle beyond David de Gea, and the hosts suddenly had a deficit to overturn.
Despite a sluggish opening half-hour, they did just that through fortuitous circumstances. Seconds after Keylor Navas saved from Anthony Martial, he saw Marcus Rashford's effort flash past him at the near post after it took a wicked deflection off Danilo Pereira's outstretched leg.
United grew in confidence and were the better side as time wore on, with PSG players bemoaning questionable officiating decisions and feeling understandably aggrieved. Fred was spared by referee Daniele Orsato after a VAR review showed he headbutted Leandro Paredes in an off-the-ball incident, though the Italian deemed it a yellow-card challenge.
Early in the second half, Martial missed a big chance, while former PSG man Edinson Cavani hit the crossbar with a chip as United's attacks and intensity increased. The visitors were surviving.
A backpedalling Marquinhos hit the crossbar with a header inside the area - a timely warning that the hosts couldn't rest on their laurels. Five minutes later, the PSG captain was on hand to slot home from close-range after David de Gea's save from substitute Mitchel Bakker forced a corner.
60 seconds later, Fred was sent off and couldn't complain. His risky challenge on PSG substitute Ander Herrera was the Brazilian's fourth in 70 minutes and United were down to ten men.
Paul Pogba came close with a venomous volley, and Bruno Fernandes had a header saved before PSG produced the killer blow in stoppage-time. Neymar combined with Mbappe and substitute Rafinha Alcantara, who provided the reverse pass in the area to present his compatriot with a tap-in he was never missing.
PSG extracted revenge in style, and Manchester United feature in a must-win clash away at RB Leipzig next week if they're to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
Without further ado, here's a look at five talking points from PSG's smash-and-grab victory.
#5 PSG's Verratti impactful in first UCL start of season
Within 30 seconds, you saw him after Fred's forceful challenge saw Orsato blow his whistle for the first time. Given the Italian's troublesome injuries in recent seasons, you could sense PSG's coaching staff breathe a collective sigh of relief as he got up and dusted himself off soon after.
When fit, Marco Verratti is their best midfielder and a reliable conductor with tenacity and defensive diligence that belies his 5ft 5in frame. The problem? He hasn't managed to stay available for a full campaign, with multiple issues (adductor, ankle, calf, knee and more) limiting his progress.
After making a cameo in their 1-0 win over RB Leipzig on MD4, this was Verratti's first Champions League start since mid-February and proved a welcome return. As usual, he controlled the game's tempo as the midfield metronome and produced the guile PSG often lack in his absence.
It was sometimes subtle, but you knew Verratti was there and he always made himself open for a pass no matter the situation - something Idrissa Gueye and Ander Herrera aren't as comfortable, or as good, at doing. His presence provided Porto loanee Danilo Pereira with more conviction alongside him, while Leandro Paredes retained possession perfectly (41 passes, 100% success) in 65 minutes too.
Verratti made a cynical but necessary foul on Martial as United looked to break in numbers early in the second half after Marquinhos was elbowed in an aerial challenge. It was typical of his character, willing to take one for the team, during a second half that felt on a knife-edge.
No PSG player made more tackles (4). Verratti won 11 of 18 duels and despite being outmuscled at times, acted as the dependable bridge between defence and attack the visitors have longed for.
#4 How did Cavani fare against his former club?
Across both teams, only PSG's Moise Kean had less touches (17) than Edinson Cavani's 33 in a frustrating match that promised plenty but didn't finish the way the Uruguayan hoped for.
After a match-winning contribution off the bench against Southampton, the 33-year-old was always going to start here. Seven successful years and 301 appearances across all competitions followed his £58m move from Napoli, but Cavani was released by PSG in August.
He was a deadline day acquisition in the red half of Manchester, largely with the short term in mind, but was determined to make his former employers pay the way others have recently. The striker didn't need touches to be an ever-present threat without the ball, pressing players out of possession, making multiple attacking runs into the box, and ghosting past Marquinhos and co.
Dove-tailing well with Rashford and Anthony Martial, he'll wish he was on the end of the former's low ball across the box rather than exchanging passes in a well-worked move before it. Martial blazed wide from close-range while Cavani rattled the crossbar with a brilliant chip over Keylor Navas minutes later, and United were eventually made to rue their missed opportunities.
Given the circumstances, Cavani did fairly well and will be hoping to feature more regularly. It's easy to forget that this was only his second start - both in the Champions League - and the experienced forward needs a run of regular minutes under his belt to truly progress.
#3 Fred was walking a thin tightrope, until it snapped
Two and a half years after his £53m move from Shakhtar Donetsk, Fred remains a divisive figure at Manchester United. Why? Matches like these amplify the Brazilian's weaknesses and when you have a stacked bench packed with multiple midfield options, it's hard not to want someone else.
Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata were unused substitutes, Pogba and £35m summer signing Donny van de Beek only came on after Fred's dismissal - and you're left wondering why.
As mentioned in the previous point, Fred was in Orsato's mind less than a minute into the match against PSG due to a forceful sliding foul on Verratti. He made another two in the first half, both of which went unpunished, but should've been given his marching orders after headbutting Paredes.
Somehow, he got away with it. Paredes himself was actually booked for a 50-50 challenge on Fred, even though replays showed it was the other way around. The Brazilian overstretched his leg in the duel and rolled the Argentine's ankle.
Solskjaer didn't replace him after half-time and that faith ultimately proved naive, as he was penalised for a sliding challenge on former United man Ander Herrera. You couldn't make it up.
Although you could debate whether that was truly a yellow-card tackle, Fred was already on a booking and committed to yet another challenge he really didn't need to make. He trudged off towards the touchline looking bemused, and while players argued, it was futile.