Russian side welcomes Man United fans with blankets
Supporters are well looked after as players avoid injury on terrible pitch and fly home for Chelsea showdown
Manchester United returned from Rostov with a 1-1 draw that puts them in the driving seat ahead of the second leg of their Europa League last 16 clash against the Russian side.
The visitors took the lead through Henrikh Mkhitaryan but were pegged back in the second half by Aleksandr Bukharov. But United may be pleased that nobody was hurt on a sub-standard pitch and that there was harmony in the stands, despite fears of violence.
Concerns over the playing surface dominated the build-up to the match with Jose Mourinho calling for the game to be postponed. "After the match started the United manager's view was to be more than vindicated," says The Guardian. "The pitch was a tricky combination of high bounce, uneven turf and loose soil that could scatter whenever a pass was made."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There were a few scares as "United players often struggled to keep their feet and retain full control of the ball", says the Daily Telegraph. There were sighs of relief for the travelling support when Zlatan Ibrahimovic rose uninjured after taking a tumble in the second half.
While the pitch caused problems, there were no issues off it, notes the paper, which says "FC Rostov went the extra mile... handing out blankets to the visiting fans as the temperature dropped well into single digits".
Before the match there were concerns about security but they were unfounded. "The whole experience appeared much more pleasant than had been feared.
"United's travelling faithful numbered in the hundreds and many made use of the complimentary blankets, which had the words 'Gentlefan, Russian warm welcome' printed on the back."
While the fans were well looked after, Mourinho will be hoping his stars recover in time for their FA Cup clash with Chelsea on Monday. The players flew back to England straight after the game and "many of the United stars looked very jaded as they touched down in Manchester in the early hours of Friday morning", reports the Daily Mail.
"Mourinho will be hoping that his players won't be mentally and physically drained when they face Antonio Conte's Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The African asylum seekers fighting for Israel in Gaza
Under the Radar 'Quid pro quo' recruitment offer condemned as unethical as Israel seeks to address shortage of soldiers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona official sues to bar 100K from local voting
Speed Read A large number of residents who have not submitted citizenship documents might be prevented from voting in the battleground state's elections
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?
Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
By Jamie Timson Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man Utd win the Carabao Cup: how Erik ten Hag has ‘transformed’ the Red Devils
feature United lifted their first silverware since 2017 after beating Newcastle at Wembley
By Mike Starling Published
-
Jim Ratcliffe: petrochemical billionaire turned Man Utd bidder
Why Everyone’s Talking About The Ineos owner is the first to publicly bid for the 13-time Premier League winners
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Reactions to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘explosive’ interview with Piers Morgan
feature Portugal captain feels ‘betrayed’ by Man Utd and believes he’s being forced out of the club
By Mike Starling Published
-
What next for Cristiano Ronaldo? How the relationship with Man Utd turned sour
Under the Radar Portugal star has ‘almost certainly’ played his last game for United as he is dropped for Chelsea clash
By Mike Starling Published
-
Premier League all-star game: ‘incredibly arrogant’ or natural ‘evolution’?
Talking Point Managers and pundits dismiss US-inspired idea from Chelsea co-owner
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Manchester United: does Erik ten Hag have the ‘golden touch’?
feature Prevailing mood at Old Trafford was reminiscent of ‘how it felt during the golden years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign’
By The Week Staff Last updated