Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were the worst of an appalling lot as Istanbul Basaksehir beat Manchester United 2-1 on Wednesday.
Manchester United had the bulk of the possession right from the word go and had a couple of half chances early on. However, it was Istanbul Basaksehir who broke the deadlock in what was quite an embarrassing moment for the visitors, as Demba Ba finished off a swift counter-attacking move in the 12th minute.
Thereafter, Manchester United continued to see most of the ball, albeit without much in way of penetration. Istanbul Basaksehir, on the other hand, constantly posed a threat on the break and on one such instance, the hosts doubled their lead, as Edin Visca was left unmarked inside United’s box.
PL defeat on Sunday.
UCL defeat on Wednesday.Manchester United ? pic.twitter.com/bDenTXtH9N
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 4, 2020
A couple of minutes later, Manchester United pulled a goal back, as Anthony Martial headed in from Luke Shaw’s pinpoint cross. However, that was it for the visitors, who failed to breach the defence of Istanbul Basaksehir, who grabbed their first-ever Champions League win. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, meanwhile, have lost a second successive game and we now run the rule over the visiting players.
Dean Henderson: 5/10
Making his Champions League bow, it was a nightmarish European debut for Dean Henderson, albeit not due to his own doing. The Englishman was sold short by the dreadful defence that sat in front of him for both the goals he conceded. Otherwise, there was very little he had to do and the youngster passed the ball precisely more often than not as well.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 3/10
In a game that saw Manchester United hog the ball for the most part, Wan-Bissaka’s poor crossing ability was found out once again. The young full-back completed none of his attempted crosses and frustratingly lost possession 13 times. Not at his best at the back either, he was nowhere to be seen when Istanbul Basaksehir countered for the first goal and was generally sub-par defensively.
Axel Tuanzebe: 4/10
Making his second start of the season, Tuanzebe did a 180 after a stellar showing against PSG on Matchday 1. Not at fault for the first goal that Manchester United conceded, Tuanzebe was sucked out of position for the second while constantly struggling to cope up with the movement of Demba Ba. Hooked off at half-time for Scott McTominay.
Harry Maguire: 3/10
Maguire was not directly culpable for either goal that Istanbul Basaksehir scored. However, he was definitely at fault for not having the Manchester United defence organised at different junctures of the game. Saw a lot of the ball, but did nothing to quickly move it forward. After hitting back at Roy Keane for his jibe, it was Maguire’s own leadership abilities that have come under question now.
Luke Shaw: 4/10
A game of hits and misses once again for Shaw. In this one, the negatives far outweighed the sole positive. To round off the good first, the English international provided the assist for Anthony Martial’s goal. As for the negatives, Shaw was nowhere to be seen when Edin Visca scored the match-winning goal. Lost the ball an alarming 25 times and always looked suspect defensively.
Nemanja Matic: 3/10
The one who was directly at fault as Demba Ba opened the scoring for Istanbul Basaksehir. The veteran Serb was positioned horribly and effectively allowed Ba a free run at goal. Surprisingly uninspiring with the ball at his feet as well, playing the wrong pass a number of times and restricted to playing square passes quite regularly.
Donny van de Beek: 5/10
Donny van de Beek’s game by numbers vs. İstanbul Başakşehir (61 minutes played):
93% pass accuracy
81 total touches
2/2 take-ons
2/2 tackles
1 key passContinues to impress. ?? pic.twitter.com/UMOdnuXJlD
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 4, 2020
Donny van de Beek started the game strongly, creating an early chance. The Dutchman was also accurate during the build-up play, misplacing just 5 passes all game. However, he shied away from taking risks after a bright start, which in turn contributed to Manchester United’s drab gameplay. Taken off for Paul Pogba with an hour on the clock.
Juan Mata: 3/10
Back into the starting lineup, Mata was a surprise pick for many. The Spaniard’s performance on the night showed exactly why. While the veteran midfielder has made a strong start to the season, he did not have the cutting edge to make a difference on the night.
Despite Manchester United’s dominance on the ball, he played just 28 passes, completing 26 of them and delivering 1 key pass. Lost the ball in the build-up to Visca’s goal, although to be fair to him, he was sold short by a poor Bruno Fernandes pass.
Bruno Fernandes: 2/10
Bruno reacts to a disappointing night for United.#MUFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/CcbgVu02bE
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 4, 2020
Speaking of Bruno Fernandes, this was perhaps the worst performance he has produced since joining Manchester United. At times, it seemed as if he was on a different wavelength as compared to his teammates. The other times, he just appeared to be too eager to make things happen. Along the way, he lost the ball 34 (!) times. Missed a few shooting opportunities as well. Just never got into it.
Marcus Rashford: 2/10
Much like Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford was quite disappointing, to say the least. While not quite as sloppy and wasteful with the ball at his feet, he failed to create space with his movement and was not quite willing to take on Rafael. Just one shot taken all game is quite a damning number for the Englishman. Developing a habit of going missing against teams that are happy to sit back.
Anthony Martial: 5/10
Back into the starting lineup, Martial was the standout among those who featured from the kick-off for Manchester United, although that hardly says much. Nevertheless, his headed effort gave the visitors hope of a comeback, which unfortunately never came to be. His hold-up play left a lot to be desired, though, as he lost the ball in dangerous areas.
Anthony Martial’s last two #UCL appearances:
⚽️?️ vs. RB Leipzig
⚽️ vs. İstanbul BaşakşehirMaking up for the OG against PSG. ? pic.twitter.com/POiA9pmElF
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 4, 2020
SUBSTITUTES
Scott McTominay: 5/10
On for Tuanzebe at half-time, McTominay was heavily involved in the middle of the park after coming on the pitch. The Scottish international, while determined to make an impact, did not really alter the course of the game. Should be back in the starting lineup next time out.
Paul Pogba: 4/10
Given the final half-hour to make an impact, Pogba looked to open up play with long balls. However, while he looked like a man on a mission after a horrible performance against Arsenal, very little of what he tried came off. Sorely lacking quality on the ball.
Edinson Cavani: 4/10
Cavani, in theory, could have been the player to drag the Istanbul Basaksehir defenders out of position. However, the Uruguayan never really got into the game and got a mere 10 touches on the ball.
Mason Greenwood: N/A
On for the final 15 minutes, Greenwood hardly saw the ball, playing just 4 passes while losing possession 3 times in short stay on the pitch.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah: N/A
A late introduction, Fosu-Mensah’s substitution would have left many scratching their heads.
