Manchester United 0 Juventus 1
Manchester United were outplayed by Juventus as the Italians triumphed at Old Trafford last night in the Champions League group H encounter.
The victory, courtesy of a first-half goal from Paulo Dybala, means that Juventus are now well in control of their group on nine points. That’s five more than United and a win for Juve against United at the Allianz Stadium on 7 November will ensure their qualification for the last 16.
For United, the future is far from certain, although Valencia’s 1-1 draw at Young Boys was a bonus for the Red Devils. They remain in second, two points clear of the Spanish side whose European adventure has been a huge disappointment.
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A difficult match
So has United’s and the first half was embarrassing as Juventus dominated every inch of Old Trafford. The visitors had ten shots to United’s one, enjoying 70% of possession, with former Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo having a hand in Dybala’s 17th-minute strike.
United improved marginally after the break but Paul Pogba’s shot that struck a post was the only time that they threatened as they suffered only their second home European defeat in five and a half years.
“It was a really difficult match for us,” United boss Jose Mourinho conceded. “I thought we could take something but it was not possible… I have no complaints with my boys. I have a positive feeling for their effort.”
Too much freedom
Asked where Juventus had the advantage, Mourinho replied: “The base of the team they have Bonucci and Chiellini. That’s the base that allows them to play with the freedom in attack… sometimes people look for Ronaldo or Dybala but in a top team you have to look to Chiellini and Bonucci. I think Juventus is this type of team that when they are in front it’s very difficult.”
Room for improvement
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri, whose side have won 11 of their 12 matches this season, was chuffed with the three points, telling Sky Italia: “It was good team performance and we deserved the victory.”
Nonetheless Allegri said there was still room for improvement. “We still make too many mistakes on the final ball, as we had so many more chances and half-chances that we didn’t develop properly,” he said. “A couple of times it was the player with the ball, another couple it was the player who didn’t peel away from his marker to reach the space.”
Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Manchester City 3
While United were toiling at Old Trafford their rivals Manchester City were enjoying the perfect night in the Champions League, cruising to a 3-0 win away at Shakhtar Donetsk to go top of group F.
At the same time Lyon and Hoffenheim fought out a 3-3 draw in Germany to leave the English champions a point clear of their French rivals.
Outstanding display
City took an early grip on the game with first-half goals from captain David Silva and Aymeric Laporte, and substitute Bernardo Silva added a third in the second period as the Ukraine outfit were comprehensively outplayed.
“Our first half was the best we have played in the last three seasons, since I’ve been here,” said Pep Guardiola. “We were outstanding… second half they pushed a lot and it was complicated. But when we regained the ball we could run. It was an amazing result.”
The City boss said he was particularly satisfied because of the way his side have bounced back after their shock home defeat in the group’s opening game to Lyon.
“After our defeat in Lyon we were under pressure,” he explained. “We are together three seasons and we know each other much better. It’s normal when you have three years together you are better than the first year.”
Champions League results, fixtures and TV guide
Matchday three results
- Group E: AEK Athens 0 Bayern Munich 2; Ajax 1 Benfica 0
- Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Manchester City 3; Hoffenheim 3 Lyon 3
- Group G: Real Madrid 2 Viktoria Plzen 1; Roma 3 CSKA Moscow 0
- Group H: Young Boys 1 Valencia 1; Manchester United 0 Juventus 1
Fixtures: Wednesday 24 October
- Group A: Club Brugge vs. Monaco (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1); Borussia Dortmund vs. Atletico Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
- Group B: PSV Eindhoven vs. Tottenham (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3); Barcelona vs. Inter Milan (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
- Group C: Liverpool vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport 2); Paris Saint-Germain vs. Napoli (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
- Group D: Galatasaray vs. Schalke (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4); Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Porto (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra)
