AS Roma 3-2 Manchester United: 5 Hits and Flops as Red Devils sail to UEL final despite nightmare in Rome | UEFA Europa League 2020/21

Hit: Edinson Cavani | Manchester United

Cavani ran riot against Roma in the first leg and continued to do so in Italy, adding two more goals to his tally for the season. He scored the opener with a rifled finish past a hapless Antonio Mirante on 39 minutes after being released by Fred, who spotted his run in behind. It was an incredible finish from outside the box which made up for the poor chance he spurned earlier on, one that Cavani would've generally been expected to bury.

Edinson Cavani over the two legs vs. Roma: 70 touches 15 touches in opp. box 11 shots 7 shots on target 4 chances created 4 goals 2 assists 1 penalty won Incredible. 🏹 #UEL pic.twitter.com/9bUeZgNsOR

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 6, 2021

When Roma fought back into the game in the second half, the 34-year-old bailed out his side out once again with a superb equaliser. Bruno Fernandes received the ball to look up and spot Cavani's angled run at the far post, and the Uruguayan ghosted in behind to meet the midfielder's cross and arrow the ball into the net with a header. It was a brilliant display from the veteran striker, who ended the tie with four goals and two assists.

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Flop: Alex Telles | Manchester United

AS Roma v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Semi Final: Leg Two

Alex Telles hasn't had the greatest of seasons since moving to Manchester United in the summer, and while he's been serviceable as a deputy to Luke Shaw, the Brazilian had a poor outing in Rome. Telles came on at half-time in place of Shaw and failed to cope with Roma's second-half charge.

Pedro proved too much to handle for Telles as the Spaniard, who had a relatively quiet first half, had a lot of joy on the Brazilian's flank. Roma's equaliser and winner both came from his side of the pitch, and Telles couldn't do well enough to react in time and prevent either of them. He was eventually credited with an own goal that decided the result of the game.

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Hit: David de Gea | Manchester United

AS Roma v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Semi Final: Leg Two

There's been a lot of talk around David de Gea's long-term future at the club after being dethroned as the club's first-choice keeper. The Spaniard was selected to start for only the fourth time since the end of February, and he delivered a stunning display against the Romans to keep Manchester United in the game.

De Gea rolled back the years with a handful of superb saves across the 90 minutes. This included an outstanding reflex double save in the second half, which was reminiscent of his heroics from the 2017/18 campaign for Manchester United. Overall, he made ten saves against Roma — the third highest number of saves he's made in a game for United — with nine of them coming from within the box.

🧤 Most saves made by David de Gea in his Manchester United career (424 apps):1️⃣ 14 vs Arsenal (December 2017)2️⃣ 11 vs Tottenham (January 2019)3️⃣ 𝟭𝟬 𝘃𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮 (𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭) pic.twitter.com/pLnsCoI26N

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 6, 2021

It was a vintage display from David de Gea at the Stadio Olimpico, who was their best player on the night, and he single-handedly prevented the hosts from doing further damage to the scoreline.

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