Partizan Belgrade 0-1 Manchester United: 3 Talking Points
Manchester United registered their first away win since they beat Paris Saint-Germain in last season's Champions League Round of 16, second leg. Their 1-0 win against Partizan Belgrade will perhaps feel unreal even to them. Manchester United did not appear to be in control at any point during the tie.
Both sides struggled to get a foothold in the game at the start, but United's midfield was often so open that Partizan were able to play through with ease and United were mostly saved by the fact that the movement was so chaotic that it put off the home team's play. Asano and Soumah looked particularly threatening for the home side but not really creating too many goalscoring chances.
Both teams would then go on to hit the post within the space of a few minutes before Brandon Williams was brought down in the box and Antony Martial dispatched the penalty to give his side the lead.
The second half was a completely different proposition. The brief to Partizan was clear, that they had manchester united at their mercy and that they had a chance not only to claw back that lead but maybe also get something more from the game. The result, though, never materialised as they were left to rue what may have been at the end of the game.
#1 Partizan Frustrated, Manchester United Fortunate
While it was all-in-all a frustrating night for the home team and their supporters, they will feel particularly aggrieved with some of the decisions that weren't given in their favour. They had three penalty shouts in the second half alone that were denied. Two of which clearly struck a Manchester United player's hand in play but the home team were denied.
McTominay and Williams were lucky that their perhaps unintentional handballs weren't caught by the on-field referee. Had Partizan breached the Manchester United goal once from the spot, the story of the game might have been different.