Champions League football returned to Old Trafford tonight as Manchester United hosted Azerbaijani side Sabah Baku.
Looking at the Red Devils’ Champions League phase fixtures, this was arguably their easiest game on paper. From the outset, Michael Carrick and his players should have been eyeing three points.
Fortunately, that proved true. The Red Devils hammered Sabah 4-0, with Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez finding the net.
There was plenty to take from this match. Here is what we learned:
Carrick appears to have settled on his midfield
Andrey Santos‘ absence from the starting line-up surprised many. This fixture gave Carrick the perfect chance to test the Brazilian and see how he fit into his tactics.
Instead, the United head coach stuck with Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo, and how right he was.
The pair have clicked. Tielemans thrived, picking out passes from deep midfield with real authority, while Mainoo ran the show alongside him and delivered crisp, progressive distribution of his own.
Arguably, United’s midfield has not produced such a complete half for a long time, as the engine room managed in the first half of that game before Tielemans was subbed off for Mason Mount. Pairing Tielemans and Mainoo with Fernandes feels almost like a cheat code; they are unbearable for opponents.
Santos and Carlos Baleba now face a stiff challenge if they are to force their way into this midfield unit.
Dorgu returns to left-back and delivers a fine display
Carrick has insisted on deploying Patrick Dorgu at left wing. The experiment worked initially, yet the Dane has struggled to produce consistently recently. Calls to restore him to left-back grew louder, and against Sabah the United technical bench finally bowed to that pressure.
In doing so, Carrick may well have reminded himself that he possesses a high-quality left-back option beyond Luke Shaw. Dorgu’s technical quality and athleticism, his ability to surge up and down the flank, shone through against the Azerbaijanis, especially with Cunha seemingly playing a key role, mostly occupying central areas.
While he has often struggled to convert chances higher up the pitch, this performance underlined that he is far better suited as an overlapping left-back than as a winger.
Operating from full-back does not dilute his influence in the final third; like in the first half alone, he created the most chances (three) and recorded the most touches in the opposition box (eight).
Restoring Dorgu to left-back looks the right call. Hopefully Carrick stays bold enough to keep him there and allow Marcus Rashford and Cunha to compete for the left-wing position. In recent games, Cunha has looked less effective when asked to lead the line; he needs to revert to playing on the left-hand side of attack like he did last season and against Sabah, where he shone.
Yoro auditions impressively in central defence
Leny Yoro’s last few appearances have come at right-back. Many supporters urged Carrick to restore him to his natural position at centre-back, arguing that playing him at right-back was impeding his development. The United boss listened, and he had no reason to regret it.
Yoro produced an excellent audition in central defence. Beyond his solid defensive work, he highlighted something often missing when Martínez and Harry Maguire start: the athleticism to cover for full-backs who push high or get caught out of position. At the same time, he has clearly added physical presence, refusing to let attackers roll him when he engages tightly.
First clean sheet of the season
United secured their first clean sheet of the season. After shipping six goals across the opening three matches, the Red Devils finally kept the opposition at bay; a welcome sight.
This result also offers the perfect confidence boost for Senne Lammens. Hopefully it marks the start of more stubborn defensive play and turns the Red Devils into a genuine nuisance for opposing attacks to break down.
Securing those three points lays a solid foundation for United’s push towards direct qualification for the Champions League knockout stages.
It is a result they can build on with confidence. As they look to maintain that momentum, the Red Devils must now quickly turn their attention to the Manchester derby.
Manchester City head to Old Trafford this Sunday, and all eyes will be on how Carrick’s side respond after last weekend’s draw with Everton.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
