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Manchester United suffered disappointment in their Champions League opener as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion in the Netherlands. A nightmare start to their Champions League campaign after a year of absence, United endured an early shock in the 15th minute as Luke Shaw was wheeled off the pitch after finding himself at the receiving end of a crunching tackle from PSV centre back Hector Moreno.
Though Memphis Depay scored on his return to his old club, Hector Moreno and Luciano Narsingh scored in either half to give PSV all three points. Here are our player ratings for the game.
PSV 2-1 Man Utd: Highlights and 5 Talking Points
PSV Eindhoven
Jeroen Zoet - 7
The 24-year-old Dutch custodian dealt with crosses and feeble long range efforts from United’s attacking contingent with confidence. He was forced to come into action on several occasions in the first half and was helpless in Memphis Depay’s spectacular first half strike.
Santiago Arias – 5
He struggled throughout the game against Memphis Depay and Ashley Young’s pace on the left flank and was shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Ashley Young.
Jeffrey Bruma – 7
Despite not being able to stop Memphis from scoring, the former Chelsea defender frustrated the United forwards and made strong tackles throughout the game to stop the Mancunians from taking anything away from the game.
Hector Moreno – 6
The Mexican’s continued presence on the pitch after that crunching tackle on Luke Shaw in the opening parts of the game is debatable. But Moreno’s header in the first half brought the scores level for PSV and he formed a good partnership with Bruma to keep United from scoring.
Joshua Brenet – 6.5
Brenet frustrated Ashley Young throughout the game with his clever positioning, forcing the former Villa man to switch wings in the second half. He made frequent runs down the left flank to assist Lestienne and created a few decent opportunities for Luciano Narsingh in the first half.
Jorrit Hendrix – 6
Given the big responsibility to keep Ander Herrera and Juan Mata at bay in his defensive midfield role, the 20-year-old Dutch U21 international did a fairly decent job and provided ample support to Bruma and Moreno to form a resilient PSV defence.
Davy Propper – 6.5
A summer recruit from Vitesse Arnhem, Propper did a proper job creating chances and freeing up space for Lestienne and Guardado to push PSV higher up the pitch. Up against United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, the 24-year-old did well not to get overwhelmed by the occasion.
Andres Guardado - 7
Guardado was instrumental in almost all of PSV’s attacks in the game. He looked dangerous with the ball throughout his time on the pitch and was involved in the buildup to Luciano Narsingh’s winner in the 57th minute. The former Valencia midfielder limped off the pitch with an injury in the 72nd minute.
Luciano Narsingh – 7.5
The Dutch international posed a constant threat to United’s defence and combined well with Guardado and Lestienne to give Louis van Gaal’s side a headache throughout the game. He also headed home PSV’s winner from a Lestienne cross in the 57th minute.
Maxime Lestienne – 7.5
PSV Eindhoven’s most potent attacking threat down the left flank, Lestienne’s frequent runs behind United’s backline caused plenty of problems for Louis van Gaal. The Belgian was involved in both of PSV’s goals. His corner in the first half found Moreno who equalised for PSV while his pin-point cross for Narsingh’s header gave PSV all three points.
Luuk de Jong – 5.5
It was an uncharacteristically quiet night for PSV’s talismanic striker. He did little to combine with Lestienne and Narsingh on either side of him and sometimes cut a forlorn figure up front.
Substitutes:
Stijn Schaars: 6
The 31-year-old Dutch international came on for Andres Guardado in the 72nd minute and slotted deeper into the midfield rather than continue where the Mexican had left off. He did well to counter the threat from United’s midfield.
Jurgen Locadia – N/A
Manchester United
David De Gea – 6
Confident and steady when called upon but the Spaniard had absolutely no chance with both of PSV’s goals. The first goal from Moreno took a deflection off Daley Blind, unsettling the United No.1 and the second goal from Narsingh was too well placed a header to save.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
It wasn’t the Italian’s best performance in the red of Manchester. Darmian’s lapse in concentration higher up the pitch resulted in a swift counter-attack from PSV that saw the ball end in the back of the net.
Chris Smalling – 6.5
Acting captain in the absence of Wayne Rooney, Smalling capped off yet another fine display continuing his rich vein of form since the start of the season. He tested Zoet in the first half after somehow finding himself at the other end of the pitch. The England international’s only noticeable dip in the game came in the form of a miscommunication with Darmian that led to PSV’s second goal.
Daley Blind – 6
With the boos of thousands of PSV fans reverberating in his ears because of his links with Ajax, Blind was forced to shift to left-back after Shaw was stretchered off the pitch. He provided the assist for Memphis’ goal in the first half.
Luke Shaw – 6.5
Perhaps United’s most dangerous attacking threat in the opening 15 minutes, Luke Shaw made a strong run inside the PSV box before meeting Moreno’s horror tackle that ended his game, and quite possibly his season.
Bastian Schweinsteiger – 6
European football veteran Schweinsteiger made a strong start to the game, dominating possession, spraying passes all across the midfield but gradually faded away as the game progressed. He also gave the ball away sloppily on more than one occasion. The German international’s delightful ball over PSV’s defence to find Juan Mata was one of the very few instances where he showed his true class.
Ander Herrera – 6
With Juan Mata starting in the no.10 position, Ander Herrera was deployed in a deep-lying midfield role. The Spaniard looked rather inhibited paying so deep and never quite got hold of PSV’s midfield. After trying a few shots from long range, the former Athletic Bilbao midfielder was hauled off the pitch with 15 minutes left.
Ashley Young – 6
Young managed to cause a few problems to the PSV full backs with his pace, but the final end product was missing. The former Villa winger was taken off in favour of Antonio Valencia in the 86th minute.
Juan Mata – 6
Starting in the no.10 role, a lot was expected from Juan Mata. Apart from a few important through balls to Memphis cutting from the left flank, Mata’s overall game was disappointing. He failed to control a delightful lofted pass from Schweinsteiger that could have and should have resulted in a goal for the Old Trafford outfit.
Memphis Depay – 7
Manchester United’s best player on the pitch, Memphis played a good game on a personal level against his former club. The Dutch international weaved his way past the PSV defence to give United the lead in the first half and posed a constant threat throughout the game. He should have scored again shortly after his opener, but his shot went wide off the goal.
Anthony Martial – 6
Martial tried and tried again throughout the game but to no avail. The Frenchman lacked support from the midfield and never did receive any quality service into the box. He battled for the ball all across the final third and even though his perseverance was admirable, it was’nt enough for United to take anything out of the game.
Substitutes
Marcos Rojo – 5.5
He came on for the injured Shaw in the first half and immediately settled into the centre-back position forcing Daley Blind to left-back. But the Argentine international looked shaky on the ball and failed to cut out PSV’s second goal.
Marouane Fellaini – 5
Came on for Ander Herrera in the 75th minute and failed to ignite that spark in United’s attack.
Antonio Valencia – N/A
