UEFA Champions League 2018/19: 3 reasons why Juventus beat Manchester United

#2 An utterly dominant first half; Dybala steals the spotlight, Ronaldo threatens

Manchester United v Juventus - UEFA Champions League Group H

The first five minutes or so of the game had seen United make a somewhat bright start but thereafter, the entire half belonged to the visitors who were dominant both in and out of possession.

Mourinho’s men had less than a third of possession at the break, not that they managed to do much with any of it. Juventus on the other hand, constantly exerted pressure on the United backline - testing, running, crossing, shooting.

Paulo Dybala weaved and danced through the United defensive setup almost as if they were pawns without any ability to move around. The Argentine forward was lively throughout a terrific first half, sealing the deal with a goal in the 18th minute.

Ronaldo’s cross from the right was met by Cuadrado but his shot was dealt with by Smalling, only not adequately enough. The England defender’s clearance fell to Dybala, who pounced on the ball and made no mistake from just a few yards out.

Dybala came close a couple of times later on as well, shooting slightly wide once and over the bar on the other occasion. Ronaldo threatened United with a scorching curler which was superbly saved by David de Gea.

Constantly linking up with an efficient midfield while also remaining fluid across the frontline, Juventus asserted their strength and superiority which United could not match up to for the entirety of the first 45 minutes.

Mourinho’s side tried to be different and make a match of it in the second half but the Italians’ European experience and defensive resilience proved to be too hot to handle, which brings us to the top factor for tonight’s win.