PSG 1-3 Manchester United: 5 men who were brilliant for Solskjaer
Manchester United fans will not forget this night in a hurry. Down and defeated by a superior side in the first leg, United were looking at a certain exit from the UEFA Champions League. It was impossible to overturn a 2 goal deficit in an away match, it had never been done before. Yet, Solskjaer relished these kinds of challenges, because nights like these define Manchester United.
The road was not easy. Paul Pogba's suspension made things pretty complicated. Injuries to 4 other first-team members made it seem like an unassailable dream. United were missing their first-choice midfield and all of their creative outlets in the team.
Solskjaer had maintained that he would have no problems putting a strong team out and he seemed relaxed and confident. Perhaps he knew the abilities of his team and maybe that put the belief in him that this was possible.
United had a dream start to the game, scoring through Lukaku in the 2nd minute. PSG got one back through Bernat in the 12th before the Belgian scored again in the 30th. The score remained the same until the last moments of the game, when United won a penalty, via VAR and Rashford slammed the ball home.
Manchester United had done the impossible, they had qualified for the Quarter Finals when no one had given them a chance. While every player played their heart out on the pitch, there were a few who rose above the rest and inspired the team on the night.
Today, we take a look at the 5 men who won the battle for their Norwegian manager and sent United to the next round.
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#5 Fred
The Brazilian got a chance to impress his boss because United missed all three of their first choice midfielders. Fred had done little of note since making the move in the summer and was a part of a handful of players who had failed to click under Solskjaer. As such, Wednesday night against PSG was arguably his last chance to impress his boss and the Brazilian did a pretty good job of it.
Fred took some time to get off the mark, as is the case with players who are short of confidence. However, he grew in stature with every passing minute and was soon busy as a bee.
He held the fort with McTominay in the center of the park and complemented the youngster well. Fred ensured that Marquinhos and Verratti did not get into dangerous positions and instead, had to do most of their work from a deeper area. It unsettled the PSG team, and allowed United to stay in the game.
While he was not world class, Fred was decent with his passing and moved the ball well. He kept things simple and that helped United stay compact in the midfield, on the night.