#4 One-way traffic in the second half
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After the first-half scare, it seemed as if Mourinho’s stern team-talk had its effect on the players. Jesse Lingard was brought on for an ineffective Marouane Fellaini at half-time to add more pace into United’s attack – which was secondary to their opponents until that point despite the lead; they got off to a bright start with Juan Mata seeing a point-blank shot well saved by Ruffier.
The second half saw St. Etienne’s attacking unit die out significantly as United were much more settled and organised at the back and Ander Herrera stuck to a defensive midfield role, sitting in front of his back four to make interceptions and ball-recovery tackles. This gave United’s frontmen the license to have a go at the St. Etienne defence and they were rewarded with a further two goals to get a firm grip on the tie.
Another substitute, Marcus Rashford, made his presence felt by driving past St. Etienne’s players using his pace and fleet-footedness, whereas Lingard used his pace to stretch the full-backs. It was a typical Manchester Untied display in the second half, but one can argue that they were lucky not to concede an away goal in the first half and go into the second leg with a clean sheet.
