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

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

Kylian Mbappe donned Cavani's role

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.