RB Leipzig 3-2 Manchester United: 5 talking points as the Red Devils are knocked out of the UCL | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Manchester City loanee Angelino scored a goal and was involved in two more as last season's semi-finalists RB Leipzig knocked Manchester United out of the UEFA Champions League with a 3-2 victory.
Marcel Sabitzer's defense-splitting pass evaded the Red Devils' disjointed backline, with Angelino applying a real striker's finish to fire home beautifully from distance.
Amadou Haidara doubled the hosts' lead with a fine first-time finish ten minutes later, before Willi Orban had a rebounded header correctly ruled out for offside after VAR review.
Manchester United were being swarmed in the opening exchanges and suddenly found themselves two goals behind, though it could've been three or four by half-time.
Emil Forsberg missed a golden opportunity while Luke Shaw made an important interception after a costly Aaron Wan-Bissaka mistake in their own half almost set RB Leipzig through again.
Manchester United's summer signing Donny van de Beek's introduction at the interval injected some energy into the midfield, though both sides made two alterations before a whirlwind 60 seconds with 20 minutes left.
Bruno Fernandes rattled the crossbar from a free-kick which substitute Brandon Williams won on the edge of the area before RB Leipzig's Justin Kluivert made it 3-0 59 seconds later.
Kluivert came on and instantly made himself a nuisance in the final third. He pounced with a deft chip beyond David de Gea after more lackadaisical defending by Manchester United as the players tried and failed to deal with Angelino's low deflected cross.
Fernandes eventually got his goal, albeit from twelve yards, after Mason Greenwood won a soft spot-kick after tangling with Ibrahima Konate.
Two minutes later, Paul Pogba - another Manchester United sub - leapt highest to head home during a goalmouth scramble. Suddenly, the visitors had a chance again after VAR review. Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Pogba all had chances to score a late equalizer, but it wasn't to be. Manchester United's sluggish start cost them.
Regardless of what happens in tomorrow's rearranged PSG-Basaksehir clash, last season's semi-finalists RB Leipzig will return to the knockout stages again in 2021. So, here's a look at five talking points after a truly dramatic finish in Germany:
#5 Justin Kluivert steps up as unlikely matchwinner against Manchester United
Justin Kluivert's only UCL goal prior to this match was for parent club Roma in a 5-0 thrashing against Viktoria Plzen during the 2018-19 campaign.
It's fair to say that the Netherlands international - still eligible and playing at the under-21 level - hasn't truly kicked on since. Inconsistency, questions over whether he fits into the Giallorossi's system and injuries have all hampered his development. He needed a run of extended minutes, something Leipzig were happy to offer him, in a competitive side. This led to the season-long loan deal struck in October.
After a fairly muted start with limited starts, he's now scored twice in two games - a similar sharp finish beyond Manuel Neuer during their frenetic 3-3 draw away at Bayern Munich on Saturday night.
Dani Olmo did okay in the false-nine role, but Nagelsmann needed fresh impetus and certainly got that from Kluivert. He was booked for an overzealous challenge on Fernandes but his direct running, skillful repertoire and tricky nature got both Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Williams carded shortly afterwards.
Those quick reactions proved decisive in the Manchester United box from Angelino's low deflected cross, as he deftly chipped the ball over a sheepish De Gea to make it 3-0. His off-the-ball pressing was easy to spot, harrying players out of possession and forcing them into quicker decision-making.
That goal was the first thing Maguire wanted to discuss after the match and although Manchester United rallied with quick-fire goals late on, you could sense the game was over after Kluivert's hammer blow.
From a neutral perspective, it'll be interesting to see whether the winger builds on this display. He adds another dimension to Leipzig's attack, but the next question is whether he can do so on a regular basis.
#4 Ineffective set-pieces stifle Manchester United's progress
Manchester United may have been 2-0 down early but still had chances to go into the break with the deficit halved - at the very least. However, they didn't do so because they seemed too busy complaining about questionable officiating decisions and playing for handballs in the RB Leipzig box.
Alex Telles was deployed in a left-midfield position but didn't find any joy with his deliveries, which is being generous to the Brazilian - a fullback by trade.
With 35 touches, he completed just six passes and had the lowest pass accuracy across both teams (42.9%), losing possession a whopping 15 times in 45 minutes. He made six crosses - only one was accurate. No wonder he was replaced, though he shouldn't have started to begin with.
Bruno Fernandes' deliveries, bar one in the second half, weren't much better either. The same could be said for most Manchester United players who fizzed in corners or free-kicks, which were frequently headed clear as Leipzig defenders relished aerial duels - even with Dayot Upamecano out suspended.
Shaw couldn't commit too far forward, otherwise, he'd be caught up the other end as the left-sided center-back in Solskjaer's three-man backline. The visitors made it too easy for their opponents to get settled, which is why a change of shape and personnel was key to unlocking a new dimension for Manchester United going forward in the second half.
#3 Angelino seizes the moment against a lackluster backline
Justin Kluivert was the matchwinner, but Angelino was RB Leipzig's game-changer. If Manchester United had a reliable attacking outlet frequently providing width like him, the complexion of this article would be completely different.
Funnily enough, he had the lowest pass accuracy (60%) of all starters bar the aforementioned Telles but that was largely down to two factors: his ability to mix risk with reward and struggling to find an out-ball when Manchester United swarmed their hosts early in the second half in search of a goal.
That changed somewhat when Yussuf Poulsen was introduced, though he only had 15 touches in 34 minutes as Manchester United dominated possession for large periods. He also added fresh legs rather than being a target man for Leipzig to hoof towards.
Angelino wasn't perfect by any means: shanking clearances, losing duels or seeming baffled in a one-man free-kick wall outside the area. However, the 23-year-old full-back continues to develop and quietly build confidence with regular minutes under Julian Nagelsmann in Germany - something Manchester City couldn't guarantee him. Remind you of anyone?
He's looked increasingly settled in that full-back role and although it's usually Nordi Mukiele, directly opposite him, bombing down the right-hand side, Haidara certainly did his reputation no harm with a serviceable job. They linked up for the second goal after Angelino fired home his seventh goal of 2020-21 already. We're not even at Christmas yet - he's already surpassed his goal tally for the last three seasons.
Angelino had this to say about his future last month:
"I really don't know for sure, but a few more games need to be played - if everything goes normally, it [the obligation clause] will happen. In any case, I hope that I'll be on the pitch for RB Leipzig for a long time to come."
That €20m (£18m) future fee is looking like a bargain with each passing week, one both Manchester City and Barcelona could regret in the long term.