Manchester United secured three points at Old Trafford thanks to Alex and Cristiano Ronaldo for the two goals. It is the first win for Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League 21/22 campaign.
Manchester United host the Spanish club Villarreal at Old Trafford. Four months ago, Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the Europa League Final and lifted the trophy. Moreover, Manchester United have never won against Villarreal in the previous five meetings in the European competition.
Match Review
Manchester United have lost the first game in the new Champions League campaign against Young Boys. So, the game against Villarreal became the must-win match for the Reds. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made three changes as captain Harry Maguire and left-back Luke Shaw have been ruled out due to injuries. Aaron Wan Bissaka got a red card in the last game against Young Boys. As a result, he has been suspended for two matches. It turned out to be terrible for Ole because he had to make three changes in defense. Victor Lindelof, Alex Telles, and Diogo Dalot came to replace the three.
Both teams did not score in the first half. Manchester United created some chances but could not find the net. However, Villarreal could have scored in the first half if the Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea had not made some incredible saves.
Villarreal took the lead in the second half with a goal from Paco Alcacer in the 53rd minute. Manchester United equalized in the 60th minute with a goal from Alex Telles. Acting captain Bruno Fernandez crossed the ball towards Alex Telles from the free-kick, and Alex’s incredible volley found the net. It looked like this match would be drawn at 1-1. But Manchester United desperately tried to win the match.
The match referee gave five additional minutes in this match. In the last minute of extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal from a pass from Jesse Lingard. That incredible goal helped Manchester United to win against Villarreal.
Cristiano Ronaldo set UCL records
- Most appearances in the UCL (178)
- Most goals in the UCL (136)
- Most goals in a season (17)
- Most goals in the knockout stage (67)