Manchester United must mount a miraculous recovery operation to keep their Champions League campaign alive after they were overpowered by Paris St-Germain at Old Trafford.
Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe secured victory for the French champions, with Paul Pogba sent off for two yellow cards late on.
United’s revival with 10 wins in 11 games under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer raised hopes that this was the night they could reclaim their place in Europe’s elite.
Instead, they were outclassed by PSG to suffer their first European home defeat by a margin of more than one goal and will now need to produce something remarkable in Paris on 6 March to stand a chance of advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Solskjaer’s hopes were hampered by first-half injuries to Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial but PSG made light of the absence of injured Brazilian superstar Neymar and striker Edinson Cavani.
Former Manchester United misfit Angel Di Maria was their tormentor, his 53rd-minute corner allowing Kimpembe, arguably fortunate to still be on the pitch, to escape the attention of Nemanja Matic and sidefoot past David De Gea.
And it was fitting that the brilliant Mbappe, whose searing pace was a threat all night, enhanced PSG’s position of superiority when he turned Di Maria’s inviting cross past the exposed De Gea on the hour.
If United’s plight was not bad enough already, it was made worse when Pogba was sent off for a second yellow card in the final minute of normal time and will miss the second leg.
Reality bites for Solskjaer
Solskjaer has done a remarkable job in transforming the mood and performances since succeeding sacked Jose Mourinho in December – but this was his toughest night since he arrived back at Old Trafford.
It was no reflection on Solskjaer that United lost, they were simply the victims of a better team that still possessed an outstanding attack in the shape of Di Maria and Mbappe, even in the absence of Neymar and Cavani.
Solskjaer and United’s cause was not helped by injuries to Lingard and Martial in the opening period, the latter particularly damaging given his brilliant recent form.
United could not be faulted for effort or character but they simply did not have the weapons to trouble Thomas Tuchel’s side as they exposed United’s defence through the width and delivery of Di Maria and the irresistible speed of Mbappe.
Solskjaer will not give up hope ahead of the second leg in Paris but logic suggests this is the end of the road for Manchester United’s Champions League ambitions.
Di Maria answers the jeers
Di Maria’s frustrating spell at Manchester United after a then British record £59.7m move from Real Madrid was reflected in the barrage of jeers that accompanied him throughout this Champions League tie.
The Argentine, often poorly utilised by manager Louis van Gaal, lasted only a year before leaving United for Paris in a £44.3m deal having never produced his finest form.
Here, to their pain, Manchester United and their fans witnessed exactly what they could have had.
Di Maria shrugged off the abuse, and a needless barge from Ashley Young that sent him flying painfully downhill and into Old Trafford’s cinder track in the first half, to make contributions of real significance in PSG’s win.
And how he enjoyed it.
It was his corner that fell to Kimpembe for the opener and he showed what he was really all about when he outpaced United’s retreating defence and put the second on the plate for Mbappe as he arrived with perfect timing.
Di Maria was given a standing ovation by PSG’s fans when he was replaced late on after finally showing his real worth at “The Theatre Of Dreams.”
Man of the Match – Angel Di Maria (PSG)
‘Mountains are there to be climbed’ – what they said
Manchester United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer to BT Sport: “They had the momentum after the first goal and controlled the game. You could see that we hadn’t played at this level for a while and we will have to learn. It was an experience that can go either way, it’s not going to be a season defining one, it’s one we have to learn from.”
Asked about injuries to Lingard and Martial:“You can’t say that’s a reason, we had quality players to come on but Lingard and Martial give us something and let’s hope they are not too serious. They are muscle injuries, we have to wait a couple of days.”
On Pogba’s sending off: “Paul Pogba is trying to get his body across and Dani Alves is clever enough to put his foot in there. Paul wants to shield the ball, he’s unlucky.
“Mountains are there to be climbed, you can’t lay down and say this is over We will go there, play our game and improve from today.
“Today is a reality check for us.”
PSG boss Thomas Tuchel: “We lost too many easy balls in the first half but the second half was really excellent.
“We deserved to win, and to do so here at Old Trafford just now, I congratulate my team – but it’s only half-time and we still have to play at the Parc des Princes.”
Solskjaer suffers first defeat – the stats
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer registered his first defeat as Man Utd boss in his 12th game in charge in all competitions (W10 D1 L1), with this Man Utd’s heaviest ever home defeat in any European competition.
- Paris Saint-Germain became the first French team to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in any European competition (D4 L10 before tonight).
- Since the start of the 2016-17 season, only Cristiano Ronaldo (16 goals) has scored more goals in Champions League knockout matches than PSG’s Kylian Mbappe (7).
- Mbappe became the third player to score in his first three away Champions League appearances in England, after Luis Enrique and Edin Dzeko.
- None of the previous 34 teams to lose the first leg of a Champions League knockout match at home by two or more goals have progressed.
- Solskjaer is just the second Manchester United manager to lose his first Champions League match in charge, after Louis van Gaal (Ferguson, Moyes and Mourinho all won).
- Angel Di Maria registered two assists in a Champions League match for the third time, and the first time since September 2013 (for Real Madrid vs Galatasaray).
- Gianluigi Buffon became the fourth player to appear in the Champions League aged 41 or older (after Marco Ballotta, Mark Schwarzer and Oleksandr Shovkovskiy); he made his debut in the competition before two of the players starting the match were born (Marcus Rashford and Kylian Mbappe).
Source: BBC News
