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Cristiano Ronaldo scored in first and second-half stoppage time as Manchester United snatched a dramatic draw against Atalanta in their UEFA Champions League tie. Josip Ilicic and Duvan Zapata gave the Italian outfit the lead twice before Ronaldo’s strikes pegged them back.
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Despite making a bright start to the game, Manchester United spent most of the first half on the back foot. Atalanta took the lead through Ilicic in the 12th minute and looked extremely likely to extend their lead. However, Ronaldo finished off a well-worked United move just before the whistle to drag his side back on level terms.
The second half played out almost exactly like the first, with Atalanta re-taking their lead in the 56th minute through Zapata. The Italians remained in the ascendancy throughout but conceded their second stoppage-time equaliser of the game as Ronaldo struck in the 91st minute.
The draw sees Manchester United retain a narrow lead atop the Group F standings, with Atalanta in third place.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from a highly entertaining affair.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo does it in the UEFA Champions League yet again
Cristiano Ronaldo has been invaluable for Manchester United in the Champions League this season, and he showed his worth yet again on Tuesday. His late equaliser was his fifth goal in four games in Europe for the Red Devils, most of them being extremely important strikes as well.
Despite his side not creating much, Ronaldo showed his killer instinct by finishing off the two chances that came his way. The Champions League’s highest scorer (139) and record appearance maker (180) just continues to grab the headlines and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
#2 Atalanta shrug off injury issues to deliver an impressive performance against Manchester United
Atalanta’s brand of attractive attacking football has brought them considerable success and won them a lot of fans on the European stage. Having given Manchester United a taste of their style of play in the reverse fixture, they served a reminder in this game as well.
What makes Atalanta’s forward-thinking play in this Champions League campaign more special, however, is how depleted their squad has been through injury. Regular wing-backs Hans Hateboer and Robin Gosens, defensive leader Rafael Toloi, and forward Matteo Pessina have all been notable absentees.
As such, it is a credit to Atalanta’s style of play that they have produced extremely impressive performances in Europe this season. Had they been able to field a full-strength squad, results might well have been quite different.
#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer persists with the three-at-the-back gambit
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s response to Manchester United’s humiliating defeat to Liverpool was to deploy a three-at-the-back system in his side’s next game. The change in formation paid off as the Red Devils delivered a much better performance and secured a well-deserved win against Tottenham Hotspur. With that in mind, Solskjaer saw it fit to line his side up the same way in Tuesday's game as well.
Atalanta, however, matched Manchester United with a three-at-the-back formation of their own and came with much more attacking intent than Spurs did at the weekend. As a result, they were able to find a lot more space behind the United backline and exploited it with regularity.
As it turned out, Raphael Varane having to go off injured in the first half forced Solskjaer into rethinking his tactical tweak. Although Manchester United reverted to four at the back, it remains to be seen if they continue with their new formation going forward.
#4 Duvan Zapata exposes a suspect Manchester United defence
While Atalanta were extremely impressive as an attacking unit, their striker Duvan Zapata absolutely stole the show. The Colombian occupied Manchester United’s centre-backs virtually single-handedly, using his pace and physicality to great effect.
Zapata’s hold-up play and movement was superb, and his second-half goal was extremely well-deserved. He had an entertaining battle with Eric Bailly throughout, with the Ivorian forced to be at the top of his game.
The ease with which he got into dangerous positions is something Solskjaer and Manchester United will definitely want to promptly address. Even though the Red Devils clawed their way back to draw the game at the death, Zapata’s performance was worthy of winning any game.
#5 It’s all extremely tight in Group F
While nothing was going to be decided on the night, the fourth Champions League gameweek leaves Group F in an extremely interesting position. In fact, with two games still to be played, all four sides could potentially qualify for the next round.
Villarreal, who beat Young Boys in the other fixture from the group, are currently joint table-toppers alongside Manchester United on 7 points. Atalanta sit in third position on five, with Young Boys bringing up the rear with three.
As such, none of these sides can afford to take their foot off the gas throughout the duration of the group stage.
