Paris Saint-Germain 1-3 Manchester United (Aggregate 3-3): 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis

Manchester United continued their historic tradition of remarkable comebacks by defeating Thomas Tuchel’s PSG by a margin of 3-1 and 3-3 on aggregate to qualify for the quarterfinal.

Marcus Rashford's injury-time winner knocked PSG out of the competition. Juan Bernat scored for PSG whilst Romelu Lukaku continued his rich vein of form by notching a brace on either side of Bernat’s goal.

Beyond that, the game oversaw numerous sub-plots, change of tides and substitutions, only for it to be decided through a nervy spot-kick late in the game.

Here, we discuss the five main subplots, talking points and analyze certain crucial situations from this remarkable game of football.

#5 Both teams start off nervously but United managed to overcome it

Lukaku notched a brace in the first 30 minutes

Both teams started cautiously and nervously but PSG made the first mistake of the game to go 1-0 down. United's three-man central defensive formation went in disarray and there was a clear lack of communication between them. Eric Bailly, in particular, looked very uncomfortable whilst playing on the right and was unable to close down Kylian Mbappe.

The Ivorian eventually tried to play the Frenchman offside but was unsuccessful in this attempt. Mbappe played a low cross to Bernat who tapped the ball in safely to make it 1-1. It was an ideal start for Solskjaer’s men but Bernat’s goal somewhat neutralized the impact for a period of time.

PSG worked the ball around and forced United further back. However, against the run of play, Andreas Pereira picked a good pass for Marcus Rashford who took an ambitious shot from a long range. Though the chances of the ball finding the back of the net were quite low, Rashford had inserted enough venom in it to cause a fumble off the usually safe hands of Gigi Buffon.

Lukaku was smart enough to instantly react inside the box and poach another goal to make it 2-1. Though both sides showed nerves, United held it better.

Also see : Copa America Standings, Copa America Schedule

#4 Ole reacts smartly to gain some control back in the game

Dalot's inclusion brought some stability back in the game

Despite leading 2-1 after Lukaku’s second goal, it was quite clear that PSG were more dominant of the two teams on the field. They were moving the ball around quicker, created more chances through slightly wider positions and always had the threat of Mbappe conjuring something special out of nothing.

Moreover, United were living on a thin line as conceding another goal would have meant a herculean task to find a way back in the match for the visiting team. After initially seeing that Bailly was uncomfortable and out of position, Solksjaer reacted smartly to bring on Dalot when Bailly was injured.

This meant that Ashley Young shifted to his original fullback position. Though Young wasn’t thoroughly convincing throughout the game, he did bring a sense of calmness and stability to the whole situation.

In the last ten minutes of the first half, United were more assertive in possession as Dalot was a formidable threat with his quick feet and accurate crossing abilities from an advanced position. United started closing down spaces effectively well and Dalot contributed diligently to both offensive and defensive duties. Also, he waited patiently in the second half and pressed the accelerator at the right time.

#3 Did PSG miss someone like Edinson Cavani on the field?

Going into this match, PSG were undoubtedly the outright favorites. They had a good enough two-goal lead from the away fixture and no team in the Champions League fixture had ever been able to overturn a two goals deficit from the home leg of a knockout tie.

Moreover, United were without the services of around 10 first-team players due to various injuries. Their entire first-choice midfield was out from this game as Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera had acquired injuries, whilst Paul Pogba was suspended for this game.

However, despite the odds favoring them so much, PSG were unable to kill off the game and the absence of someone like Edinson Cavani was clearly felt.

Mbappe, despite being an excellent footballer, does not possess some great qualities of Cavani. Due to his relatively short stature, PSG hardly attempted crosses inside the box last night. Angel di Maria, who otherwise masters the art of stretching the backline and using the width of the pitch, was always looking to create inward movements rather than trying to send crosses.

PSG probably lacked the incisive edge in their attack that Lukaku provided United.

#2 VAR Debate: These sorts of controversies would always keep coming, but...

As United look to fire on all cylinders in the final ten minutes of the match, they started looking even more assured in possession and managed to create some worthy chances in their opponent’s half.

In one of those attacking moves, Diogo Dalot received the ball in the inside right channel and instead of looking for a slick pass in the box, he looked to shoot it with power.

Presnel Kimpembe’s hands seem to have touched the ball on its way and after an initial discussion, the referee went to check with the VAR. While it was clear that Kimpembe’s hand touched the ball, it was a tricky decision as many felt that his action was unintentional.

In the end, a spot-kick was awarded to United in the dying embers of the game. PSG players were clearly distraught but one cannot blame the referee for the spot-kick.

#1 Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has certainly climbed a mountain…and now deserves to be rewarded for it

''Mountains are there to be climbed.''

These were Solksjaer’s words when he was asked whether United could script a memorable turnaround in Paris. With ten first-team players missing from the game, any other manager would have taken a more diplomatic route and tried to ward off the question.

And that’s what makes Ole the most appropriate candidate for the permanent role at Old Trafford. When he didn’t even have the required armory, his belief was strong enough to persuade the players who were available to play this match that they were good enough to come out on top against an elite European side.

Solksjaer’s stint at United has already seen success but this show displays that he has passed on the learnings from his playing days in abundance to the current lot of players.

It was visible in Marcus Rashford’s approach while taking the spot-kick in such a tense moment of the game. Rashford had a below-par outing until then but when the situation and opportunity arose, he snatched them with both hands and put United ahead despite facing arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time.

Solskjaer might still be learning the tactical side of the game whilst facing the elite European teams. However, he surely has the Mancunian grit and determination to battle it out through the toughest of times and find a way to win even against the tides.

What more can he do to attain the job on a permanent basis?

Edited by Sujith M