Mason Greenwood found the back of the net and impressed in general as Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League.
With qualification and top spot in the group sealed, interim manager Ralf Rangnick fielded a completely experimental lineup filled with fringe stars and youngsters at Old Trafford. The changes made Manchester United look scratchy and disjointed. However, they played with high intensity and got the lead just nine minutes in, with Mason Greenwood firing in an acrobatic volley from Luke Shaw’s cross.
The Red Devils had multiple chances to double their advantage but failed to make them count as Amad Diallo spurned a couple of decent opportunities as he mishit one effort and then misplaced a final pass to Jesse Lingard. Juan Mata could have made it 2-0 after some fine work from Greenwood but could not beat Guillaume Faivre in the Young Boys’ goal.
The misses came back to haunt United close to half-time as Fabian Rieder capitalised on some sloppy play by Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to curl the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the area. Anthony Elanga should have put Manchester United in front after the break but fired his effort right at the opposition goalkeeper.
Young Boys were very much in the game in the second half and asked some questions of the United defence, but failed to carve out a clear-cut opportunity, while the hosts themselves did not create much in the second half as the game petered out to a 1-1 draw. Here are our player ratings for the Manchester United stars in Rangnick’s second game in charge.
Manchester United Player Ratings
Dean Henderson: 6/10
The Manchester United academy graduate made just his second appearance of the season. He looked positive early on, showing good confidence to get out of the box and sweep things up and also made a good stop to deny Aebischer. Not a lot he could have done to stop the equaliser.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 5/10
Back after missing the last two games, the Englishman tried hard to make an impact going forward but lacked that quality on the ball to hurt the opposition, while he was caught on his heels and failed to control Donny van de Beek’s leading to the equaliser. He was stretchered off late in the game and could be set for a spell on the sidelines.
Eric Bailly: 7/10
The former Villarreal defender put in another steady and rock-solid display at the heart of the Manchester United defence. Bailly made several key interceptions and clearances throughout the game, while some of his tackles were a treat to watch.
Eric Bailly please don’t ever change or leave my club ??? pic.twitter.com/LRi0DgzmTy
— Sachin “Paz” Narain (@sachgraphy) December 8, 2021
Nemanja Matic: 5/10
Captaining the side on the night, Matic started at the heart of the Manchester United defence and began well. He started the move leading to Greenwood’s goal with a good pass out from the back. However, his distribution got scratchy as the game wore on as his misplaced passes led to a few dangerous moments, while he did not always inspire confidence at the back.
Luke Shaw: 6/10
Back in the lineup, after a month having recovered from a concussion, Shaw gave a good account of himself. The England left-back got forward well and delivered a good cross for Greenwood to open the scoring. He did not do much of note after that, though. He was taken off in the second half for Teden Mengi.
Donny van de Beek: 6.5/10
The Player to Watch in our match preview, Donny van de Beek started as the only deep midfielder on Wednesday night and was given a lot of responsibility. The Dutchman saw plenty of the ball and showed good intent when in possession. However, his passing was not always up to the mark. In fact, it was his poor pass that put Wan-Bissaka under pressure leading to the equalising goal.
There were a few moments of quality while he pressed aggressively and put in the hard yards defensively, winning a game-high six tackles and completing three interceptions. However, the mistake and the sloppy passes cut into his rating.
?? Donny van de Beek against Young Boys:
? 92 Touches
? 62 Passes
? 3/4 Long Balls
?? 2/2 Dribbles
? 9/11 Ground Duels
? 6 Tackles
✋ 3 Interceptions
? 2 Clearances
❌ 1 Blocked ShotMade an error but he was solid most the game. ? pic.twitter.com/yqyxVkt40U
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) December 8, 2021
Amad Diallo: 6/10
The teenage prospect made his first start of the season and had several bright moments but was often found lacking with his final ball. Diallo delayed pulling the trigger on a fine counter in the first period and then misplaced his pass attempting to set Jesse Lingard up. He also worked hard off the ball, tracking back regularly. Needs a bit of polishing to flourish.
Juan Mata: 5/10
The veteran playmaker was deployed in a much deeper role than he is accustomed to and found it hard to get going as a result. There were a few nice moments with the ball at his feet, as one can expect from Mata, but he should have done better to put away the chance Greenwood created in the first period. Still, he will be happy to have gotten some minutes.
Jesse Lingard: 5/10
Another player who got a rare starting opportunity, Lingard, failed to make the most of his chance on the night. While he showed good intent in pressing the opposition, the England international often lacked the desired quality on the ball to make things happen in the final third. He faded quite drastically in the second half.
Anthony Elanga: 5/10
The young Swede was handed a start by Rangnick, but like Lingard, he too was unable to make it count. Elanga endured a passive first period during which he was not involved much, although he did have a hand in the buildup to Greenwood’s goal. He then had a great chance to put United in front after the break but failed to beat Faivre.
Mason Greenwood: 8/10
Only Cristiano Ronaldo [12] has scored more goals for Man Utd this season than Mason Greenwood [5] in all competitions.
What a finish. ? pic.twitter.com/PODVmQH7uF
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 8, 2021
The sharpest of Manchester United’s players on the night by far, as Greenwood buzzed around the final third posing problems to the visitors. He got the first goal of the night with a fine improvised volley and then went on a great run before cutting it back to Mata, who could not find the back of the net. He will have forced himself into consideration for a starting berth against Norwich at the weekend.
SUBSTITUTES
Teden Mengi: 6/10
The young defender came on for Shaw in the 60th minute and put in a decent shift. Mengi made a crucial block to deny the visitors a scoring opportunity.
Tom Heaton: 6/10
The veteran goalkeeper finally made his debut for Manchester United, having not featured for the first team during his first stint at the club. He did not have much to do.
Shola Shoretire: 5/10
The academy prospect came on for Amad in the 68th minute but failed to do much of note. Booked.
Zidane Iqbal: N/A
A big moment for the youngster as he made his senior debut, replacing Lingard in the 89th minute.
Charlie Savage: N/A
"Coming on for Man Utd, Charlie Savage for Juan Mata…"
"Wow, I never believed I'd say those words, what a proud day!"
A lovely moment as @RobbieSavage8 introduces his son for his Man Utd debut ❤️#UCL pic.twitter.com/4NLKC4BTgv
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 8, 2021
Another Manchester United youngster to get his first-team debut when he came on for Mata late in the game. His father, Robbie Savage, was on commentary for the match and was delighted.
