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The honeymoon for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come to an end at Manchester United. The Norwegian, who has won ten of his last eleven games has been handed out a 2-0 defeat by Thomas Tuchel's Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.
It was an equally balanced first half, but the visitors put in a completely different display to take a two-goal cushion into the second leg at Parc Des Princes. Just when PSG were tapping on the door since the second half kick off, they opened the scoring through their defender Presnel Kimpembe through a set piece in the 53rd minute.
Thomas Tuchel's side soon made it two within seven minutes to put the game beyond the reach of the Red Devils. World's costliest teenager Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net through an exquisite defense-splitting ball from Angel Di Maria.
To make things worse for Solskjaer, Paul Pogba was sent off for an ugly challenge on Dani Alves later in the game. This means that the French International will not be available for the second leg at his home country. The likes of Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier will be starting the next leg on March 7th, but Neymar remains a doubt for the second leg too.
There were plenty of standout performances in this game. In this article, we shall look at the five hits and flops from this PSG's easy victory over Manchester United.
#1 Hit - Marquinhos
Marquinhos was told to operate in his secondary position following the injury crisis they are facing currently. The Brazilian was the best player on the pitch and was an easy winner over Paul Pogba in the middle of the park.
With supreme positional sense, the 24-year-old was bossing in the midfield department. His partnership with Marco Verratti eased the burden on the defenders who did not have much to do throughout the game.
He was gliding past the opponents for fun by completing 100% takeons which speaks about his mouthwatering display. People often pick some moments, but PSG's #5 was phenomenal from minute one to the end of the game. Even though Thiago Silva won the man of the match award, Marquinhos had to do more than his compatriot.
#2 Flop - Ashley Young:
Ashley Young was given the task to shut down his former teammate Angel Di Maria who operated through the attacking part of the left flank. The English International looked unsettled in the first half, but he was completely exposed by the Argentine during the second part of the game.
Thomas Tuchel decided to overload both the flanks and cause total disruption through that part. Juan Bernat and Angel Di Maria were constantly providing a headache for Young throughout the game.
When the French outfit were breaking through a counter-attack, Ashley Young was caught out of position which gave enough time for Di Maria to pick out Kylian Mbappe who slotted the ball behind the back of the net. Even though Young gained fans by pushing Di Maria to the advertisement board in the first half, his lackluster presence in the defence was exposed once again.
#3 Hit - Angel Di Maria:
Angel Di Maria did not enjoy good reception at Old Trafford, but his standout performance speaks volumes about the game he has in his locker despite being used as a backup for either Neymar or Mbappe through the flanks.
The Argentine International was relentlessly tormenting Ashley Young through the left wing and was one of the best players on the pitch. The former Manchester United forward created three chances throughout the game which is the most by any other player on the pitch. Out of those three chances, the 30-year-old set up his team twice when Kimpembe and Mbappe scored to lead the game.
It was a tough task to fill in Neymar's shoes, but Di Maria stood up to the task to cause serious disruption to the opponent's defence. With two interceptions, he was pivotal in stopping the supply from Manchester United's full-backs.
#4 Flop - Alexis Sanchez:
Manchester United were dealt with a severe blow when Jesse Lingard was forced to be substituted due to an injury. But, his replacement Alexis Sanchez did not do any favours to his own team.
The Chile International completed just 14 passes out of attempted 16 after coming on moments before the half time. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was completely unhappy with the performance of Sanchez after the game and told him to look up to his display.
As the picture suggests, he looked completely clueless with the ball and his movements without the ball has also taken a huge dip which directly has an effect on his performances. The former Barcelona player who has been blowing hot and cold since Solskjaer as taken over will be looking to put a good display when he is handed out a chance. Arguably, Alexis Sanchez was one of the awful players on the pitch.
#5 Hit - Kylian Mbappe:
Kylian Mbappe rose to the occasion when Paris Saint-Germain needed him the most in the absence of Edinson Cavani and Neymar. The French International had an excellent game and worked his socks off to combine well with Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria.
The 20-year-old totally took three shots and converted one when Angel Di Maria rounded off with an excellent ball to find Mbappe inside the six-yard box. He had an excellent chance to make it three, but David De Gea made himself big to stop the ball from bulging the back of the net.
It was a hard call to pick between Thiago Silva and Kylian Mbappe, but the forward has won the race for it as Marquinhos produced a masterclass in the middle of the pitch to shield the backline. Mbappe's three shots to Manchester United's one explains the story of the game.
