Man Utd vs PSV

MANCHESTER UNITED 0 PSV
EINDHOVEN 0
- Rooney seeks ruthless streak after stalemate
- Van Gaal disappointed by missed opportunity
- How things stand in Champions League Group B
25 November 2015 | Old Trafford | Attendance:
75,321

Manchester United's bid to reach the Champions
League knockout stages will go to the final
matchday after PSV Eindhoven battled their way to
a goalless draw at Old Trafford.
Louis van Gaal’s men dominated the proceedings
but found the Dutch visitors in resolute form, with
goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet denying the likes of
Anthony Martial on several occasions.
The result leaves United in second place in Group
B, one point behind leaders Wolfsburg, who beat
CSKA Moscow earlier in the evening, and a point
ahead of PSV. The Reds travel to Germany in two
weeks’ time, with the top three teams still in
contention to qualify.
Van Gaal made four changes to the side that beat
Watford, with Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo
plus fit-again Martial and Wayne Rooney coming in
for Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Ander Herrera and
Juan Mata.
United saw nearly all of the ball early in the game
but were unable to create any clear-cut openings.
Off the pitch, the seventh minute heralded a
touching visual tribute to a club icon as fans
around the ground switched on their smartphone
torches to mark the 10th anniversary of George
Best’s passing.
The Reds’ first real opening came in the 20th
minute, when Darmian was released down the right
and whipped over a dangerous cross that was
fingertipped away by Zoet, with Rooney poised to
pounce. The United captain then found a well-
placed Jesse Lingard inside the box but the winger
miscontrolled the ball and the opportunity slipped
by.
Morgan Schneiderlin came within inches of opening
the scoring on the half-hour mark as he prodded
Daley Blind’s corner goalwards but Zoet dropped
onto the ball on his line. David De Gea was called
into action for the first time soon after, making a
flying save to clutch Jorrit Hendrix’s attempted
curler after a swift PSV counter-attack.
Ten minutes before the break, Lingard’s shot was
deflected into Martial’s path but the Frenchman’s
effort inside the box was kicked away by Zoet.
Rooney then pounced on Zoet’s slip on the edge of
his box but the PSV stopper forced United’s
skipper wide and recovered his ground to avert the
danger. Just before the interval, Memphis fed
Martial on the left of the box but Zoet again denied
the striker.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : United 66% PSV 34%
Shots at goal : United 9 PSV 3
Shots on target: United 6 PSV 2
Corners: United 6 PSV 2
The Reds started the second half on the front foot
and Schneiderlin powered a header just over from
Blind’s corner, before Lingard glanced Martial’s
cross narrowly wide. At the other end, Luuk de
Jong beat Blind on the right-hand side of the box
but flashed his shot over.
Van Gaal made a double substitution on the hour
mark, bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Young for
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Memphis, but the
visitors continued to frustrate United, sitting deep
and occasionally looking to hit the hosts on the
break, with Chris Smalling crucially blocking
Santiago Arias’ cross at the end of one such foray
forward.
Lingard spurned a great chance to break the
deadlock with just under 20 minutes remaining,
firing a first-time shot over from inside the box
after good work on the right by Young. And despite
the late introduction of Mata, that proved to be the
Reds’ best opportunity in the closing exchanges,
meaning the club's Champions League fate will be
decided in Germany in a fortnight.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession : United 61% PSV 39%
Shots at goal : United 13 PSV 8
Shots on target: United 7 PSV 4
Corners: United 9 PSV 3
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea; Darmian (Mata 85), Smalling,
Blind, Rojo; Schweinsteiger (Fellaini 58),
Schneiderlin; Lingard, Rooney, Memphis (Young 58);
Martial.
Subs not used: Romero, McNair, Pereira, Wilson.
Booked: Lingard.
PSV Eindhoven: Zoet; Arias, Bruma, Moreno,
Brenet; Propper, Hendrix (Isimat 60), Guardado;
Narsingh (Pereiro 18), De Jong, Locadia.
Subs not used: Pasveer, Schaars, Maher, Poulsen,
Bergwijn.
Booked: De Jong, Arias.
MATCH REACTION
Van Gaal : "We could have qualified and it's a big
disappointment for the players. We have to win in
Wolfsburg now and that's a difficult game, but
everything is possible."
Rooney: "I think we need to score more goals as a
team. It's a learning curve for us but we can't stay
on a learning curve; we have to start converting
these games into victories."

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Man Utd VS CSKA Moscow

Manchester United 1 CSKA Moscow 0

- Van Gaal relieved and proud after "deserved" win
- Rooney honoured to equal Law goals record
- Bastian: Winning goal has many beneifts
Scorers: Rooney 79' | 3 November 2015 | Old Trafford | Attendance: TBC
Manchester United's goal drought ended in dramatic fashion as Wayne Rooney's header in front of the Stretford End secured a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
The Reds had not found the net in consecutive matches against Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace, which was a cause for concern ahead of this crunch tie in Group B. Although it took 80 minutes to find a breakthrough at a rain-sodden Old Trafford, the captain eventually delivered the goods to achieve a result that places the Reds top of the pool following Wolfsburg’s 2-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven.
Louis van Gaal made three changes to his starting XI by recalling Ashley Young, Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard, while crucially sticking with the under-fire Rooney up front. The United and England skipper almost scored in the third minute when his left-footed shot flashed just wide of the post, prompting audible cheers of his name from the Old Trafford faithful who were so eager to celebrates goals from the no.10.
Lingard unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty moments later and quickly hit another effort wide of target, before a fine long ball from Daley Blind on the halfway line led to Juan Mata forcing a decent save from goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev on 15 minutes as the Reds pressed for a first goal since Anthony Martial’s header in the previous fixture against CSKA at Arena Khimki, some four matches ago.
United completely dominated the first half - both in terms of possession and shots at goal - but were guilty of missing genuine opportunities with Rooney’s free-kick bouncing wide, Lingard’s second shot flying over and Marcos Rojo’s back-post volley missing the target from close range. It was undoubtedly a much-improved performance from the Reds, with just the finishing touch lacking.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 73% CSKA 27%
Shots at goal: United 8 CSKA 0
Shots on target: United 2 CSKA 0
Corners: United 4 CSKA 0
The second half began as the first left off, with the Reds missing further chances to score as Rojo nodded wide from just outside the six-yard box before the Argentinian - who used to play for CSKA’s rivals Spartak Moscow - supplied a cross from which Martial headed at the goalkeeper. The Frenchman might have done better, yet his pace and energy suggested more chances would come.
The visitors were defending with all 11 men behind the ball and they rarely ventured past the halfway line, except for the odd counter attack, which posed a conundrum for United. How do you break down a stubborn Russian defence? Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellini for Martial on the hour mark and the deadlock was almost broken moments later, when Rooney received the ball from Mata inside the six-yard area but was unable to move his feet quickly enough to execute a shot, much to his frustration.
Memphis, who had scored Champions League goals against Club Brugge and former club PSV, entered the fray on 74 minutes and his cross soon led to Carrick firing wide from range. CSKA then went close to causing an upset when Seydou Doumbia forced an excellent save from De Gea before the scorer on matchday three hit a shot on the rebound that was sensationally cleared off the line by Chris Smalling.
The eventual breakthrough could not have been scripted better – Rooney popped up inside the area to head Lingard’s excellent cross past the goalkeeper in front of a jubilant Stretford End, where the captain celebrated by running to the corner flag and wildly punching the air. It was a moment of relief and ecstasy, but more importantly it was a goal that earned three invaluable points in Champions League Group B.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: United 69% CSKA Moscow 31%
Shots at goal: United 14 CSKA Moscow 5
Shots on target: United 5 CSKA Moscow 3
Corners: United 10 CSKA Moscow 2
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schweinsteiger (Herrera 88'), Carrick, Lingard, Mata (Memphis 73'), Martial (Fellaini 66'), Rooney.
Subs not used: Romero, Jones, Darmian, Pereira.
Booked:

CSKA Moscow: Akinfeev, Ferdnandes, Wenbloom, Ignashevich, Berezutski, Tosic (Golovin), Dzagoev, Musa, Milanov, Schennikov, Natcho (Doumbia 55').
Subs not used: Chepchugov, Vasin, Panchenko, Nababkin.
Booked: Schennikov, Wernbloom
MATCH REACTION
Van Gaal: "It was a fantastic goal; the preparation was fantastic. The tackle of Marcos Rojo, the pass of Michael Carrick, the cut-back of Jesse Lingard and the header of Wayne Rooney. It was fantastic."

Schweinsteiger: “For us it was very important to win that match at home. Also, in the group, we are now at the top and we have to win the next match against Eindhoven, but the situation is much better now.”
MAN OF THE MATCH
Lingard produced a brave and combatic performance that impressed followers of the club's official Twitter account, who voted him their star man ahead of fellow nominees Smalling and Schweinsteiger.

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CSKA Moscow vs Man United

CSKA MOSCOW 1 MANCHESTER UNITED 1

Scorers: Doumbia 15; Martial 65 | 21 October 2015 | Arena Khimki | Attendance: 18,156

Manchester United came from a goal down in Russia to earn a vital point against CSKA Moscow after dominating proceedings at Arena Khimki.

It was an eventful night for Reds striker Anthony Martial who conceded a penalty at one end and netted a superb header at the other. Seydou Doumbia had put the Russian side ahead on 15 minutes, blasting home from close-range after Roman Eremenko’s spot-kick had been well saved by David De Gea. But Martial atoned for his handball not long after the hour-mark with a brilliantly directed header, in off the post, to help United claim an important point in Group B.

Louis van Gaal, perhaps with one eye on Sunday’s Manchester derby, made two changes to the team that eased past Everton at the weekend. Antonio Valencia, United’s match-winner against CSKA Moscow six years ago, came in at right-back to replace Matteo Darmian, while Jesse Lingard, who performed admirably in the second half on Merseyside, made his Champions League debut in place of Juan Mata. There was a familiar face in the opposition line-up with former Reds winger Zoran Tosic on the right flank for CSKA who came into the game unbeaten at home for six months.

With every team in Group B on three points you expected a tight opening to the match, played in near-freezing conditions, and that it was, although United had plenty of possession. It was therefore something of a surprise to see CSKA take the lead on 15 minutes, despite De Gea’s best efforts. Having initially saved Mario Fernandes’ shot, it turned out the referee had already blown up for a penalty after Fernandes’ flick was handled by Martial. Eremenko stepped up to take the spot-kick and despite De Gea pushing the ball onto the post, Doumbia was the fastest player to follow up as he swept home the rebound.

Things almost got worse for the Reds on half-hour mark when the pacey Ahmed Musa turned and took aim from 30 yards, but De Gea leapt high to tip the dipping shot over the bar.

More possession followed for the Reds before the break, but a 25-yard shot from Wayne Rooney, which dropped wide, was the only real effort of any note.

HALF-TIME STATISTICSPossession: CSKA 32% United 68%
Shots: CSKA 5 United 3
Shot on target: CSKA 3 United 1
Corners: CSKA 2 United 0

Marouane Fellaini entered the fray at the restart with Bastian Schweinsteiger making way. The pattern of the second half mirrored that of the first with plenty of possession for the Reds, but very little to show for it.

Rooney got a glimpse of goal on the hour when he met Ander Herrera's cross from the right with his head, but CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was on hand to claim.

The best opening of the match thus far arrived three minutes later when Herrera put Lingard through, but the youngster didn’t connect properly and could only steer the ball into the goalkeeper’s arms.

A United goal looked imminent and it duly arrived on 65 minutes. Valencia powered down the right and sent in a cross which was met by a fine header from Martial which rolled in off the post.

The Reds had a chance to win the match with four minutes left when substitute Memphis Depay’s curling cross was met by Martial, who pulled it back for Fellaini, but Akinfeev just managed to push the ball clear before the Belgian pounced.

That proved to be the last opportunity for United, who will now look forward to meeting CSKA again at Old Trafford on 3 November.

FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: CSKA 28% United 72%
Shots: CSKA 7 United 7
Shots on target: CSKA 4 United 3
Corners: CSKA 3 United 1

THE TEAMS

CSKA Moscow: Akinfeev, Fernandes, Ignashevich, Vasili Berezutski (Aleksei Berezutski 41), Schennikov, Wernbloom, Zoran Tosic, Dzagoev (Cauņa 87), Eremenko (Panchenko 83), Musa, Doumbia.
Subs not used: Chepchugov, Nababkin, Milanov, Golovin.

United: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo (Blind 64), Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger (Fellaini 46), Lingard (Memphis 79), Herrera, Martial, Rooney.
Subs not used: Romero, Darmian, Carrick, Mata.
Booked: Martial, Herrera, Fellaini

MANAGER AND PLAYER REACTION

"I don’t think we played too fast in ball possession, it was too slow in the first half. We improved that in the second half and scored a fantastic goal. We could have won but 'could have' doesn't count in football." - Louis van Gaal

"Martial didn’t let his head go down because that [conceding a penalty] can happen to anyone. Anthony scored a great goal and after that we pushed on but we could not score the second goal which was a shame.” - Morgan Schneiderlin

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Man United Vs Wolfsburg

MATCH REPORT: UNITED 2
WOLFSBURG 1
Scorers: Caligiuri 4', Mata PEN 34' , Smalling 53' |
Champions League | OT attendance: 74,811
- Louis van Gaal pleased by victory over Wolfsburg
- Juan Mata voted Man of the Match for second
successive match
- Chris Smalling delighted with winning goal
- Morgan Schneiderlin says team spirit was key to
win
Manchester United returned to winning ways in the
Champions League on Wednesday as goals from
Juan Mata and Chris Smalling secured an
invaluable 2-1 comeback victory over Wolfsburg.
The Reds had lost the opening Group B match at
PSV Eindhoven earlier this month and, as a result,
needed a positive result on matchday two at Old
Trafford ahead of a potentially difficult trip to CSKA
Moscow, who bagged an impressive 3-2 triumph
over the Dutch champions elsewhere in Russia.
Although the importance of this match was
emphasised by Louis van Gaal ahead of kick-off,
United made a disappointing start and fell behind
to Daniel Caligiuri’s goal in the fourth minute after
the German-born Italian dribbled down the right
flank to exchange passes inside the penalty box
before finishing past David De Gea with aplomb,
much to the delight of the continuously vocal
travelling fans in the away end.
United responded well and Bastian Schweinsteiger
hit a speculative half-volley at an open goal just
moments later following a dodgy clearance from
goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, before Mata’s curling
effort was headed over by the physically imposing
former Bayern Munich defender Dante. Anthony
Martial then went close with a mazy run from the
right that led to the Frenchman firing just off
target.
The visiting Germans appeared to be content with
their early lead and understandably held a deep
defensive line for much of the first half, essentially
asking what United had got in attack. An answer
was almost given in the 25th minute when Martial
superbly got to the byline and found Wayne Rooney
with a driven pass across the area, though the
captain blazed his shot over the bar from around
six yards. Memphis was then frustrated as his
header from Mata’s superb pass was saved by the
goalkeeper.
The Spaniard was quickly celebrating, however,
after his cross was handled inside the area by
Caligiuri and United were rightfully awarded a
penalty in front of the East Stand, which our no.8
calmly stroked into the bottom corner to inspire
scenes of great relief and ecstasy at Old Trafford.
The mood was only dampened slightly by the sight
of yellows cards for Morgan Schneiderlin and
Schweinsteiger for separate fouls on Maximilian
Arnold, just before the half-time break.
FIRST-HALF STATISTICS
Possession: United 61% Wolfsburg 39%
Shots at goal: United 11 Wolfsburg 2
Shots on target: United 4 Wolfsburg 1
Corners: United 2 Wolfsburg 0
Van Gaal intervened during the interval by replacing
right-back Antonio Valencia with Ashley Young, who
had previously made a positive impact as a
substitute this season, and United swiftly took the
lead through an unlikely source when Smalling
latched onto Mata’s superb backheel to prod home
at the back post on 53 minutes, notching his 10th
career goal for the Reds in the process.
Andreas Pereira excelled on his first competitive
start against Ipswich Town a week earlier and the
young Brazilian entered the fray just after the hour
mark, taking the place of Memphis after the
Dutchman was perhaps unfairly booked for
apparently catching Christian Trasch with a flailing
arm.
Wolfsburg made their own changes on 70 minutes
by introducing Andre Schurrle and Nicolas
Bendtner, two players who are both familiar to
United fans as a result of their previous spells in
the Premier League with Chelsea and Arsenal. The
former almost scored with one of his first touches,
too, after dragging a low shot from the right flank
just wide of De Gea’s post.
Chances were ultimately few and far between in
the closing stages as United looked to consolidate
the advantage and a potentially crucial victory,
basically by dropping deeper and soaking up all
pressure that Wolfsburg tried to apply in the final
third. This led to a nervous finale at Old Trafford
and, in truth, the Germans looked like the team
more likely to score as the clock ticked towards
full-time.
Schneiderlin could and perhaps should have been
sent off for a second bookable offence following a
foul on Julian Draxler, which led to Ricardo
Rodriguez curling a powerful free-kick inches wide
on 85 minutes. That proved to be the final
opportunity and United held on to claim three
important Group B points.
MATCH STATISTICS
Possession: United 53% Wolfsburg 47%
Shots at goal: United 15 Wolfsburg 7
Shots on target: United 6 Wolfsburg 2
Corner: United 3 Wolfsburg 2
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea, Valencia (Young 45'), Smalling,
Blind, Darmian, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger (Jones
72'), Mata, Rooney, Memphis (Pereira 62'), Martial.
Subs not used: Romero, McNair, Fellaini, Wilson.
Booked: Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Memphis,
Young
Wolfsburg: Benaglio, Trasch (Jung 76'), Naldo,
Dante, Rodriguez, Guilavogui, Arnold (Schurrle 70'),
Caligiuri, Kruse, Draxler, Dost (Bendtner 70').
Subs not used: Grun, Schafer, Klose, Seguin.
Booked: Caligiuri
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Louis van Gaal: "It was a very good win, it was a
must-win and it was very difficult when you start
with one goal beind in the first four minutes, when
they scored a fantastic goal, I have to admit."

Chris Smalling: "It was a great feeling and, with
Juan, you never know what he’s going to do with
those tricks and flicks; he does them every day in
training. You just have to gamble.”

Morgan Schneiderlin: “It was very important, we
knew it was a must-win after the PSV Eindhoven
result and that is what we did. We’re happy with
the win."

MAN OF THE MATCH
Mata was voted United's star man for the second
match in a row, after scoring the opener from the
penalty spot before setting up Smalling's winner.
The Spaniard earned 63 per cent of fans' votes on
Twitter.

PLAYER TWEETS

Schweinsteiger: Important #UCL win! It is never
easy to come back after an early 0-1. Great
teamwork!
Martial: Good win tonight, thanks for your support.
Blind: Great result and team spirit! Amazing
atmosphere inside the stadium - thanks!
Smalling: What a feeling! @ChampionsLeague night
are special!
Mata: That was a special night... Atmosphere at
Old Trafford was something different. Well done
boys!
Jones: Love @ChampionsLeauge nights and they're
even better with a win! Next stop Arsenal!

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PSV Vs Manchester United Stats

PSV EINDHOVEN 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 1

15 September 2015 | Philips Stadion | Attendance: TBC
Manchester United’s return to the Champions League group stage ended in disappointment as hosts PSV Eindhoven came back from conceding a goal by their former player Memphis Depay to seize a hard-fought victory with headers from Hector Moreno and Luciano Narsingh.

To make matters worse for Louis van Gaal’s side, left-back Luke Shaw was stretchered off with a serious injury midway through the first half after being challenged strongly by Hector Moreno when making a trademark surge into the area.

With Marouane Fellaini feeling unwell in the build-up to the game, Anthony Martial was presented with his first United start, three days after scoring as a substitute on his debut against Liverpool. An attacking front four also featured Juan Mata in the no.10 role with Ashley Young and Memphis – on his return to PSV – operating on the flanks.

Memphis’s name was greeted with a huge roar from the home fans when it was announced over the PA system, and he also stirred a reaction from the 1,600 travelling fans by fizzing in the first menacing cross of the match. PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet snapped up that low ball with Ander Herrera closing in but he had little else to do before the first half had a lengthy pause of almost 10 minutes due to Shaw’s awful injury and the need to prepare him carefully for a stretcher journey from the pitch. When the stricken left-back was eventually carried off, it was to warm applause from all sections of the crowd.

The first real incident when play resumed was a relatively routine save for David De Gea, although the shot from PSV left winger Maxime Lestienne was certainly well struck. Martial headed narrowly wide when given a half-chance to open the scoring but the deadlock would soon be broken by that man Memphis.

Fed by Daley Blind, United’s no.7 shrugged off Arias and skipped past a second defender before beating Zoet with an emphatic finish. It was a tremendous goal by the 21-year-old and he almost scored a second from a similar angle in the very next attack, a three-on-three break led by Juan Mata and comprising Martial too, but this time his shot whistled the wrong side of the far post.

At that stage it seemed like the floodgates might open for van Gaal’s men, especially when centre-back Chris Smalling fleetingly became a centre-forward and had a fierce strike pushed brilliantly aside by Zoet. But after twice threatening to double the advantage, the Reds surrendered it just before the interval when Lestienne’s corner was met with conviction by Moreno and his downward header was inadvertently diverted beyond De Gea by Blind to make the half-time score 1-1.

With Martial leading the line confidently and holding the ball up well with his back to goal, United fashioned the first notable shot after the break when the Frenchman teed up Memphis and the Dutchman drilled one into the keeper’s clutches. 

The quick tempo continued to the visitors’ cost in the 57th minute, however, when Lestienne broke free down the left. His first-time cross just eluded Rojo and was buried at the far post by Narsingh’s diving header to put PSV in front. The Reds spurned a great opportunity to get quickly back on level terms, with Mata’s control uncharacteristically letting him down when Bastian Schweinsteiger picked him out with a sublime ball into the six-yard box.

Martial was another player who felt he should have done better, when he planted a shot across the face of goal after being played in by Memphis. His frustrated reaction reflected the growing sense that this wasn’t to be United’s night and so it proved with PSV defending stoutly to protect their three points, and occasionally counter-attacking with Luuk de Jong firing high and wide. 

The home fans and players lapped up the taste of victory while the United squad were left to lick their wounds, with one of those wounds - to Shaw - being particularly painful and serious.

FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Possession: PSV 33% United 67%
Shots: PSV 6 United 17
Shots on target: PSV 4 United 5
Corners: PSV 3 United 9

THE TEAMSPSV Eindhoven: Zoet; Arias, Bruma, Moreno, Brenet; Hendrix; Propper, Guardado (Schaars, 72); Narsingh, De Jong, Lestienne (Locadia 86'). Substitutes not used: Pasveer, Pereiro, Poulsen, Vloet, De Wijs.
Booked: Arias, Moreno, Bruma.

United: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw (Rojo, 24); Schweinsteiger, Herrera (Fellaini, 75); Young (Valencia 86'), Mata, Memphis; Martial. Substitutes not used: Romero, McNair, Carrick, Schneiderlin.
Booked: Smalling

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