UEFA Champions League 2018/19: 5 talking points from Manchester United 0 Juventus 1
Juventus beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in what was the headline fixture of this week's Champions League action.
Cristiano Ronaldo made an anticipated return to the club that nurtured and thrust him into the spotlight, whereas Paul Pogba faced his former side after he left them in 2016 for a then world-record fee.
Paulo Dybala opened the scoring on 17 minutes, as he pounced on Ronaldo's deflected cross to beat David De Dea from close range. Juventus controlled large parts of the game but failed to add to their lead. United did ramp up the pressure in the closing stages, but they couldn't make a dent in the scoreline.
Here are 5 major talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester United only starting playing after the interval
The referee got proceedings underway at 8 pm local time, but it seemed as though the home side were unaware of the same. United were completely listless in the first half, and Juventus were in total control of the tie.
The Serie A leaders had it too easy in the first half, as they maintained possession with ease. United sat back, which allowed the likes of Miralem Pjanic to dictate play. Jose Mourinho's men had just 30% of possession before the interval, a number which rose to a healthy 49% in the second half.
The possession was backed up with forays at the Juve goal, and their shot tally went up from 1 to 5 in the second half. Despite the marked improvement, United were unable to alter the score. They have been better in the second half in quite a few of their games this season, notably, in recent games against Newcastle and Chelsea. But why they are not starting off with the same intensity, is a problem for Mourinho to ponder upon.