#4 Sub-par pitch conditions the cause of an uninteresting match
United’s manager had pointed out before the match that the pitch conditions were not favourable for a European tie to be played on. The pitch was rock-hard which forced the teams into playing long balls rather than stringing together a series of passes.
This was evident as both the goals scored were the end products of an aerial ball.
"It was a very good performance in relation to the conditions. It was impossible to have the ball and play a passing game. We played what the game demanded and we played well,” Mourinho said after the match.
Edited by Staff Editor