Excellent performances from Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos helped secure Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 victory away to Manchester United, who had Paul Pogba sent off late on.
This Champions League round-of-16 first-leg fixture promised to entertain with the first goal vital for how the tie was going to swing.
United started off brightest, looking sharp and piling pressure on PSG who tried to keep the game at a slower pace. A first half of half-chances, the two sides went in at half-time level and with five yellow cards to share.
Into the second, United started with far less pace, with both Lingard and Martial injured in the opening 45 minutes.
Just eight minutes later, PSG were 1-0 up. A corner floated in by former United winger Di Maria, defender Presnel Kimpembe struck home to grab a vital away goal for the French side.
Soon after, PSG’s main man for the evening, Mbappe, popped up and tapped home to double the club’s lead. To make matters worse for United, Pogba picked up two bookings which resulted in a red, meaning he will miss the second leg.
This result means Thomas Tuchel’s PSG are sure-fire favourites to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, with the second leg taking place on French soil. It also condemns Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to his first defeat in charge of Manchester United.
Here are the player ratings from Paris Saint-Germain’s professional 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
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Manchester United
David de Gea – 7 – Often United’s main man on the big occasion, the Spanish goalkeeper got down well to save from Mbappe’s header but couldn’t do anything about Kimpembe’s goal, nor Mbappe’s finish. A great save from a Mbappe chip. Kept the score respectable.
Ashley Young – 6 – Young started brightly but soon knew he was in for a testing night against Mbappe when he found himself on the wrong side of the striker, pulling him to the ground and picking up a booking. Perhaps lucky not to pick up a second following his needless shove on Di Maria. Provided a few decent trademark crosses and long balls down the right side of the pitch but was ultimately lacking effectiveness.
Eric Bailly – 6 – Picked ahead of Phil Jones, Bailly started solid next to Lindelof and did pretty well to limit PSG to a few first-half chances. However, the second half was completely different with the United centre-back pairing struggling to contain a refreshed PSG attack. Should have done better for Mbappe’s goal.
Victor Lindelof – 6 – Like Bailly, a quiet opening 45 minutes for the Swedish central defender who looked relatively comfortable at the back for United this evening. Also like Bailly, was left watching as PSG stormed two goals ahead. Booked for a shirt pull on Mbappe.
Luke Shaw – 6 – Fully established as United’s first-choice left-back, Shaw was able to get up and down the pitch to assist at both ends of the pitch. Quiet second half. Booked.
Ander Herrera – 6 – Alongside Matic, Herrera did well, trying to hunt down the ball and give it to United’s forwards as soon as possible. A great first half, a poor second. Booked.
Nemanja Matic – 6 – The Serbian international started the game off with a real tenacity, showcasing excellent tackling and accurate passing. Same as above, great first, poor second.
Paul Pogba – 5 – A poor night for a man in great form. Pogba will be disappointed in how ineffective he was due to Marquinhos’ brilliant performance. He picked up a booking for a late challenge on Verratti in the first half and was later sent off for another bad foul. Will miss the second leg.
Jesse Lingard – 7 – The tricky attacker looked lively and constantly found himself in space between the PSG midfield and defence. Unfortunately for him, he picked up an injury just before half time and was substituted.
Marcus Rashford – 7 – The in-form forward started brightly, setting the standard for United with his determination to regain possession for the home side. However, as the game progressed, he was marked out and was substituted.
Anthony Martial – 6 – Of United’s three starting frontmen, Martial was by far the quietest in the opening stages. Like Lingard, Marital picked up a first-half injury which resulted in his substitution at the halfway mark.
Substitutions
Alexis Sanchez – 6 – The former Arsenal man came on for the injured Lingard seconds before the half-time whistle. With 45 minutes to showcase his stuff, he didn’t show anything that suggests he should start the next match for United.
Juan Mata – 6 – On for the injured Martial, Mata was barely noticeable for a long period amid the PSG scoring frenzy.
Romelu Lukaku – 6 – On for Rashford, the Belgian was brought on to try and sneak a goal for United. He didn’t.
Paris Saint-Germain
Gianluigi Buffon – 6 – Highly experienced in Champions League action, the former Juventus shot-stopper didn’t have too many shots to save throughout the match, picking up his 50th clean sheet in the competition.
Thilo Kehrer – 7 – In the opening stages, PSG came under pressure at the back as United pushed up on the Ligue 1 defenders. Due to this, Kehrer seemed a little uncomfortable at times this evening compared to normal. Later, he produced a far more comfortable second-half performance, facing little trouble from United’s frontline.
Thiago Silva – 8 – The Brazilian centre-back showed his calmness and experience when play got tight in and around the PSG box. Perhaps it is more important to keep Silva fit over Neymar?
Presnel Kimpembe – 7 – The French international scored his first ever goal for PSG after firing in from a corner. At the back post, he guided the ball past De Gea to put the visitors 1-0 up. Defensively, at varying times he struggled and was booked within the first 11 minutes. Seemed lucky to get away without a second booking with two challenges considered fair by referee Daniele Orsato. Was far better following his goal.
Juan Bernat – 6 – Booked for a late challenge on Young, Bernat struggled somewhat with the intensity of United’s frontline. However, like most of the PSG line-up, he looked stronger in the second half, testing the gloves of De Gea.
Dani Alves – 7 – Pushed further forward to fill a Neymar-shaped gap, Alves had a tough task of ensuring he was always in the right place on that right wing. Came inches away from putting PSG 2-0 up with a sweet volley from 25 yards. A pest all night. Booked.
Marco Verratti – 7 – The Italian struggled early on in the middle of the park with the consistent pressure from both Matic and Herrera. With the ball, Verratti had a decent evening and a great challenge on Martial prevented a quick United counter.
Marquinhos – 9 – The Brazilian was arguably the best player on the pitch – aside from Mbappe – man marking Pogba to fantastic effect. A truly excellent performance from Marquinhos who personified the effectiveness of denying Pogba time and space.
Julian Draxler – 6 – A quiet opening for the winger who only came into action fouling Herrera and picking up an early yellow card. Eventually, he got involved, finding Mbappe with a neat touch that set the forward up with a neat chance.
Kylian Mbappe – 9 – The pressure was on the World Cup winner, with both Neymar and Edinson Cavani absent from the proceedings. He certainly showed why he is so highly praised. Running beyond Bailly, Mbappe tapped home a lovely ball from Di Maria to put his side 2-0 up. Some fantastic direct movement that at times, made United’s defence look distinctly average. No doubting this man’s ability.
Angel Di Maria – 7 – Provided the assist for Kimpembe’s goal, floating in a teasing corner kick that left United wanting. Moments later, he set Mbappe up with a delightful ball across the penalty area which the forward couldn’t miss. The former United man had the first half-chance of the game that went wide of De Gea’s goal. He was pushed into the advertising boards by Young which left the winger in wincing pain. A poor first half, a great second and a fantastic return for Di Maria.
Substitutions
Leandro Paredes – 6 – On for his first appearance in the Champions League for PSG, Paredes failed to have a major impact on proceedings.
Colin Dagba – 6 – Replacing Di Maria, Dabga was brought on to help tighten up the PSG defence as they looked to see out the game.
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