Partizan Belgrade 0-1 Manchester United: 3 reasons why the Red Devils won | Europa League 2019-20

Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Victory at last!
Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Victory at last!

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United are back to winning ways, breaking a sequence of 11 winless games away from home. The Red Devils saw off Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, thanks to a lone goal from Anthony Martial.

The last time United were victorious away from home was in the heart of Paris against Neymar's PSG, thanks to a penalty as well.

Solskjaer made a lot of changes to the side, choosing to rest a host of his first-team stars after the battle against Liverpool at Old Trafford last weekend. Harry Maguire sported the armband for this one, and he was flanked by Marcus Rojo and Phil Jones in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

It was a tense affair in Belgrade, as the very noisy crowd inside the Partizan Stadium egged their team on in a bid to score a famous upset.

United were tame in front of goal, with a paltry five shots and just one on target, which turned out to be the decisive goal. Partizan, on the other hand, had 15 shots but failed to trouble the United keeper on several occasions.

Overall it was a very lethargic performance from the frontmen on both sides of the divide.

At the tail end of the first half, Brandon Williams was brought down in the box by Nemanja Miletic. Martial stepped up to confidently send Vladimir Stojkovic the wrong way, putting United ahead and on top of Group L.

In this article, we discuss three reasons why United won the game.


#3 A wasteful Partizan Belgrade attack

Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Sadiq Umar battles with the United rearguard
Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Sadiq Umar battles with the United rearguard

United got the win but they failed to dazzle, as they were largely second best when it came to creating goal-scoring opportunities.

Partizan Belgrade took the fight to Solskjaer's men, with the likes of Sadiq Umar and Seydouba Soumah leading the charge against the expensively assembled United rearguard.

The Partizan forward line threatened to breach the United goalmouth on a couple of occasions. However, the strikers were just not clinical enough, as they either sent wayward looking shots towards the United goal or were thwarted by Sergio Romero.

In the final analysis Partizan had an attempt count of 15, with just two on target. With a little bit of calmness when it mattered, they could have come away with at least a point.

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#2 The safe hands of Sergio Romero

Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Sergio Romero clears
Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United - Sergio Romero clears

Manchester United's last line of defence for the evening was Sergio Romero, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chose to rest his number one David de Gea for this game. We rarely see the Argentinean shot-stopper in action, but whenever he does make a cameo appearance he proves to be a capable hand.

In this encounter he was rarely troubled directly by the Partizan Belgrade frontline. But he rose to the occasion in the few instances his undivided attention was needed, commanding his backline with aplomb and showing cat-like reflexes.

In the 53rd minute, Seydouba Soumah outfoxed United's £80 million man Harry Maguire, before unleashing a powerful shot. But Romero was on hand to spare Maguire's blushes.

He also saved a Takuma Asano header late in the encounter to secure United's first away win in ages.

#1 Clinical Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial celebrates
Anthony Martial celebrates

This was Anthony Martial's first start since August, and he rewarded his manager's faith with a well-taken penalty.

Manchester United were once again lackluster going forward, as they failed to make any headway in the final third despite hugging the ball way more than their hosts. The visitors failed to hit the target from open play for the second time in as many Europa League games, making Martial's goal even more vital in retrospect.

Brandon Williams was recklessly brought down in the box by Nemanja Miletic late in the first half. And Martial displayed nerves of steel as he deftly played the ball beyond the reach of Vladimir Stojkovic and into the bottom left corner.

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Edited by Musab Abid