Manchester United have qualified for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League after the Red Devils defeated Villareal 2 nil away from home.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford introduction in the second half changed the course of the game for Micheal Carrick in his first match as interim manager.
Ronaldo’s 6th goal in the competition and Jadon Sancho’s first for Manchester United secured all three points and the ticket into the next round.
Villareal who had the ball to their feet for a larger percentage of the game struggled to break United defense line.
The Yellow Submarines’ qualification into the next round now hangs in the balance. They will have to beat Atalanta away from home to qualify into next round.
Here are six things to note;
- Michael Carrick is the first English manager to win his first game in charge of Manchester United (excluding second spells) since Walter Crickmer in November 1931.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike against Villarreal was the third time he has scored a match-winning goal in the final 15 minutes of a Champions League match this season – the most by a player in a single season in the competition (excluding extra-time).
- Jadon Sancho has scored his first-ever Manchester United goal, in what is his 15th appearance and from his 11th attempted shot in all competitions.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored each of Manchester United’s last four goals in the UEFA Champions League, the first player to score four consecutive goals for the club in the competition since Wayne Rooney in March 2010.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the first-ever player to score in each of an English club’s first five matches of a single European Cup/Champions League season (excluding qualifiers).
- Manchester United has now qualified for the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League for the 19th time.
