Europa League 2016/17: RSC Anderlecht 1-1 Manchester United, 5 talking points

#5 Ruben and Kara Mbodji Anderlecht’s men of the match

Ruben Martinez was on hand to thwart Manchester United’s attempts on goal

Anderlecht must take a lot of credit for keeping United at bay despite all the pressure from the visitors for the most part of 90 minutes. Two players who deserve special mentions are goalkeeper Ruben Martinez and centre-back Kara Mbodji. While Ruben kept Anderlecht in the tie with some excellent saves, Mbodji was immense at the back, getting his body in the path of shots and making a critical last-man tackle in the first half to deny Jesse Lingard from going one-on-one with Ruben.

Any aberration in that tackle would surely have resulted in a red card for the Senegalese defender. It was a brilliant challenge, possibly a game changer for the Belgian side when they travel to Old Trafford for the return leg in a week’s time.