Villarreal 0-2 Manchester United: Ronaldo and Sancho send Red Devils into last 16

With
Solskjaer
having
departed
as
manager
after
the
4-1
embarrassment
at
Watford
last
weekend,
Michael
Carrick
was
tasked
with
leading
the
Red
Devils
in
their
fifth
Champions
League
group
game
of
the
season.

After
a
largely
uneventful
77
minutes
at
Estadio
de
la
Ceramica,
in
which
Manu
Trigueros
and
Jadon
Sancho
had
the
best
of
the
chances,
Cristiano
Ronaldo
lofted
in
his
799th
senior
career
goal
to
put
his
side
in
front.

Sancho,
who
failed
to
score
under
Solskjaer,
made
certain
of
United’s
place
in
the
knockouts
with
an
emphatic
finish
at
the
end
of
a
flowing
counter-attack.

United
fans
sang
boisterously
in
support
of
Solskjaer
and
Carrick
as
kick-off
was
delayed
due
to
an
apparent
problem
with
the
referee’s
communication
system.

Scott
McTominay
headed
into
the
side-netting
but
the
best
of
the
early
chances
fell
to
the
home
side,
David
de
Gea
saving
from
Moi
Gomez
and
Yeremi
Pino
hitting
the
wrong
side
of
the
net
from
a
loose
ball.

De
Gea
saved
superbly
one-handed
to
tip
away
Trigueros’ first-time
shot
before
Ronaldo’s
first
sight
of
goal
saw
him
head
straight
at
Geronimo
Rulli
from
an
Alex
Telles
cross.

Neither
side
seemed
eager
to
force
the
issue
but
De
Gea
was
called
upon
to
make
another
brilliant
save
from
Trigueros
after
a
loose
ball
deflected
to
him
in
the
United
box.

Rulli
saved
well
from
Sancho
as
United
began
to
look
the
more
likely
to
find
a
winner,
but
the
Villarreal
keeper
turned
villain
when
his
lazy
pass
was
pounced
upon
by
Fred,
allowing
Ronaldo
to
spin
and
lob
the
ball
into
the
unguarded
net.

Fred
was
again
instrumental
for
the
second,
winning
back
possession
to
trigger
a
swift
break
involving
Ronaldo,
McTominay
and
Rashford,
with
Sancho
applying
a
powerful
finish.