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Just when you thought Jose Mourinho was spent and out of tricks, he reached into the depths of his gunny and whipped out a pony and let it march around Turin. It's a place from where only Real Madrid have been able to come away smiling in the last 5 years and with the way things were going till the business end of the match, that record looked set to stay on without further blemishes.
Juve will rue their missed opportunities - about 3 of them - gilt-edged and afforded to them courteously by the Red Devils. Juventus were the better side for the best part of the game but their inability to make their dominance count fell like a poison-dipped sword into the hands of football's favourite villain, Jose Mourinho.
It was Ronaldo who looked primed to slot into the front pages tomorrow with a truly remarkable finish in the 65th minute. However, he ended the night with a grimace instead of a grin.
Juan Mata's delectable freekick in the 86th minute restored parity and 3 minutes later, a scramble inside the 6-yard box at the end of yet another set-piece culminated in Alex Sandro nudging the ball home with his belly button.
And at the final whistle, there was this:
Without wasting another second, let's take a look at the 3 reasons why Manchester United won against Juventus.
#3 Wasteful Juventus kept Manchester United in the game
There is no running past this. Juventus had plenty of opportunities to bury the game but their sloppiness in front of goal cost them the chance to seal their qualification to the knockout rounds.
It still is perhaps just a matter of time before they do secure a knockout spot but given how the game unfolded in the first 25 minutes of the second half, United shouldn't have been on the property, let alone have a gander at the backdoor.
Sami Khedira hit the outside of the post after Ronaldo found him unmarked near the 6-yard box towards the latter part of the first half. In the second half, Paulo Dybala was given too much space to operate in and Mourinho's men almost paid for it but the Argentine's curler bounced off the woodwork.
Subsequently, Pjanic and Cuadrado missed gilt-edged chances to extend the Old Lady's lead and they then ended up on the losing side against a team that's making mincemeat out of adversity a truly remarkable quirk of theirs.
#2 The right combinations emerging for Manchester United
Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof had quite commendable outings yet again. Against an intimidating Juventus attack, they held their own for large periods. Lindelof, in particular, is really starting to grow into his role as United's dependable man at the back. There was little that he could have done about that Ronaldo finish and should count himself privileged to have had the best view of that piece of magic.
Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez are combining well up front. The Shaw-Pogba-Martial combination on the left side is helping United play some slick football as Lukaku's exclusion makes sense increasingly as the games pass by.
Jesse Lingard, returning from injury, looked off the pace but Ashley Young put in a solid shift at right-back and helped stifle the attacking impetus of Alex Sandro. Paul Pogba took some time to grow into the game but he made his presence felt in the second half and won the freekick from which United would go on to equalize.
There is a sense of stability about Manchester United once again. They don't look as vulnerable at the back as they used to about a month ago. The goals are starting to come and there are fewer things to worry about for the manager and the players after a string of impressive displays just when everyone had written them off.
#1 Jose Mourinho's tactical masterclass
Say what you want about Jose Mourinho, say what you want about the cupped ears, the brickbats or the scowls... the Special One can still outwit the very best in the business and he proved that again today with his astute game-management, timely substitutions and the sheer sticktoitiveness mentality that he has instilled in his players.
Yes, they often leave it late to shift to fourth gear but you won't catch the traveling fans or the Stretford End covering their face in horror on going behind anymore. Today was quite unexpected though, it needs to be said. United would have, in fact, counted themselves lucky if they came away with a 1-0 defeat the way things were going at the 70 minute mark.
But Mourinho was going for the kill and made positive changes by bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata for the last quarter of an hour. Mata's spectacular freekick brought them level and it was Fellaini's menacing presence inside the area and a crucial touch at the end of a sumptuous Ashley Young set-piece delivery that helped bundle the ball into the back of the net in the 89th minute.
Juan Mata is writing yet another chapter in his United career. Anthony Martial was in quite the mood down the left flank once again and would have bagged an assist if Rashford had put the ball past Szczesny in the dying embers of the game.
Paul Pogba is starting to show his quality with great consistency and Smalling and Lindelof are building a formidable partnership at the back.
Those early season woes look heavily overstated now as Manchester United travel back to England with the wind in their sails to take on City in the Manchester derby this weekend. Pep Guardiola better pull out all stops to ensure they paint the city blue as this United side will not go down without a fight.
