Michael Carrick won his first game in charge 2-0 away to Villarreal, effectively qualifying United for the last 16 rounds with a game to spare
By Kehinde Okeowo
Man United went back to winning ways after losing 5 out of their last 7 Premier League games under former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The club’s hierarchy was pressured into sacking him after sticking with him for a while despite poor results. He was replaced by another ex-United player, Micheal Carrick on an interim basis.
The new manager got off to a positive start by defeating the Spanish side, Villarreal, their nearest rival in the group, and qualifying with a game to spare.
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Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the away side in the 78th minute after he lobbed the ball over the opposition keeper to make it 1-0 to United.
Jadon Sancho scored a second in the 90th minute to silence the very loud home fans at the Estadio la Ceramica Stadium and effectively put the game to bed.
The 40-year-old interim manager, Micheal Carrick, after the game praised the team for their resilience and commended the substitutes for the impact they made from the bench.
He said: “In some ways it was the best way to win for me. We had to show some character, we had to dig in, we had to fight. It went our way at times, didn’t go our way at others. The subs made a massive impact towards the end. It had a bit of everything.”
Reacting to Ronaldo’s goal, the gaffer praised Fred for his role in the build-up.
“Fred’s done fantastic to be fair, Fred’s done what Fred does there and won that ball back, we looked for that. And Ronaldo when he gets that chance he puts it away — ticks another one for him on his list,” he said.
On the second goal by Sancho, he said:
“To finish it off with Jadon [Sancho] was brilliant. I know how much Jadon loves having the ball at his feet, making things happen, it’s where he’s happiest. I thought the other side of his game tonight, he put a real effort in defensively for us.”
Bruno Fernandes provided the assist for Sancho’s goal, he has been United’s biggest creator of opportunities in Europe this season – four outright assists and 16 chances made.
Another United great, Paul Scholes, who had earlier said Carrick should have been sacked alongside Solskjaer, also praised the team for the win.
“I thought the discipline and team shape was there. It isn’t easy going to places like this. We won many games playing like that. This might be a way of Manchester United playing.” he said.
Michael Carrick, who had a stint with Tottenham Hotspur, is a former United and England player, who is currently the caretaker manager at the club.
He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and is best known for his 12-year playing career with Manchester United, whom he also captained.