Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a blockbuster 4-0 win over Sabah at Old Trafford on Thursday, 10 September. Goals from Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko, and Lisandro Martinez secured a fruitful midweek European night for the Premier League giants.
Michael Carrick made four changes to the team that was held to a disappointing 2-2 draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium by Everton last weekend in the Premier League. Senne Lammens continued in goal, but Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu were selected alongside Lisandro Martinez at the back.
Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw were afforded a rest, perhaps with the upcoming Manchester Derby in mind. Carrick, however, stuck with the midfield axis of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans, while Fernandes continued in the No. 10 role.
The only change in attack was Sesko replacing Marcus Rashford, with Cunha moving to the left-forward role. The English forward, who has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, was among the substitutes.
United secure comfortable lead
United had a slow start to the game, with Sabah showing intent and attempting to catch the home side off guard. However, it was the Red Devils who took the lead in the 27th minute, when Dorgu set up Cunha.
Fernandes then doubled the lead in the 42nd minute, after being fed by Tielemans. Sesko joined the party at the stroke of half-time after Mbeumo sent him through, with the English giants heading into the break with a comfortable lead.
Martinez got on the scoresheet in the 68th minute following some good work by Joshua Zirkzee, who had replaced Sesko in the 64th minute. United threatened to increase their lead as the game progressed, but it ended 4-0.
While the goalscorers will make the headlines after the win, Mainoo was once again indispensable for United in the engine room.
Magnificent Mainoo at it again
Mainoo retained his place in the starting XI after an impressive outing in last weekend’s draw. The Englishman continued where he left off against the Toffees, managing 93 touches of the ball, and registering 83 passes with an astonishing 98% accuracy.
The 21 year old attempted six long balls and all of them found their targets. He also managed one key pass in the game. Mainoo’s midfield dominance was evident from the fact that he was involved in six duels, coming out on top in four of them.
The Englishman registered one interception and two tackles, but was dribbled past once. He attempted two dribbles himself, one of which was successful.
Mainoo dictated the tempo of the game for 64 minutes before he was replaced by Andrey Santos. By then, United’s young talisman had ensured that the club was comfortably on their way to a memorable victory.
Kobbie Mainoo: Stats vs Sabah
| Statistic | Kobbie Mainoo |
|---|---|
| Touches | 93 |
| Accurate passes | 81/83 (98%) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses (accurate) | - |
| Long balls (accurate) | 6 (6) |
| Notes | - |
| Duels (won) | 6 (4) |
| Ground duels (won) | 5 (3) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 1 (1) |
| Possession lost | 5 |
| Fouls | - |
| Was fouled | - |
| Defensive actions | 3 |
| Clearances | 1 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Tackles (won) | 2 |
| Dribbled past | - |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Expected goals (xG) | - |
| Shots off target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 2 (1) |
Source: Sofascore.
Final Thoughts
Mainoo is already justifying United’s decision to hand him a new contract earlier this year. Despite investing over £150 million in the midfield this summer, the Englishman still looks like the Red Devils’ most important ingredient in the middle of the park.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
