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Manchester United fought back from two goals down to beat Atalanta 3-2 at Old Trafford in a UEFA Champions League game on Wednesday.
Second-half goals from Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo helped the Red Devils successfully overhaul a 2-0 first-half deficit. Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral had struck inside the opening 30 minutes to hand Gli Oroboci the early momentum.
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However, the Red Devils recovered from that after the break, netting thrice without reply to secure an epic comeback win. It was their third such win in the Champions League.
The win took United atop Group F with six points after three games, condemning Atalanta, who have four, to third, ahead of the return leg in two weeks. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game:
#5 Manchester United and Atalanta produce a game of two halves
In a key game, Manchester United found themselves trailing 2-0 at the break. Atalanta, without ever coming out of third gear, had scored twice through Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral, leaving United with a mountain to climb in the second half.
Given their performance in the opening stanza, a Manchester United comeback seemed unlikely. However, as has been seen many times before, the Red Devils somehow managed to find their way back into the game, and even won it.
A goal from Marcus Rashford early in the second half spurred them on. United then unleashed wave after wave of attack that had Atalanta on tenterhooks. The pressure eventually paid off with Maguire and Ronaldo getting on target to seal all three points.
#4 Maguire redeems himself after a woeful first-half performance
Harry Maguire was the butt of all the jokes at half-time. The enduring image of his awful opening period was that of the Manchester United captain throwing his arms out, allowing Demiral to head in Atalanta's second.
After a stinker at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, Maguire was brutally trolled for his sheer ineptness. Critics also called him out for being a weak link in the side.
However, in the second half, Maguire returned to the field like a man on a mission, and the improvement in his game was noticeable. Yet his best contribution came at the other end, when he thumped home United's second.
Edinson Cavani's flick through the middle missed everyone on its way, but fell kindly to Maguire. The United defender had a lot of space to shoot before unleashing a powerful shot into the near bottom corner to level proceedings.
#3 Juan Musso shines for Atalanta
His Manchester United number eventually had the last laugh, but Atalanta's Juan Musso was impressive in goal on the night. The Argentinian made several key blocks and saves, which prevented Manchester United from running away with the game.
Musso denied Ronaldo once in each half to frustrate the star, with Fernandes also saw an effort smothered by the Argentine late on. But the former Udinese man's fingertip save on Fred in the first half took the cake.
With the hosts on the front foot, Musso had to remain vigilant, and he didn't disappoint. He delivered a goalkeeping masterclass despite getting tormented by United.
#2 Manchester United leave it late once again
Following a stoppage-time victory over Villarreal in their last Champions League game, Manchester United needed another 81 minutes to find the match-winner against Atalanta.
United showed excellent character in the face of adversity. But their overall performance left a lot to be desired, especially in defence, which has become an Achilles heel lately.
They may be grinding out results without being at their best, picking up important wins. But such a ploy isn't going to work in the long run. If they are serious about winning titles, they must add a ruthless streak to their game.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - the greatest match-winner of all time?
How many times has he done this now? Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring late winners, or winners in general, is unparalleled, making him arguably the greatest match-winner of all time.
There's something about the Champions League that brings out those moments from Ronaldo more often. It wasn't long ago, after all, when he scored a stoppage-time winner for Manchester United against Villarreal.
It was turning out to be another frustrating night for the star in front of goal, although his overall performance was encouraging. He missed a few shots and saw others saved or parried away by Musso.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's persistence eventually paid off, bagging an 81st-minute winner to complete United's comeback. After his arch-nemesis Lionel Messi produced late heroics in the PSG game, Ronaldo responded in kind.
