Partizan Belgrade 0-1 Manchester United: 3 players that impressed and 2 that didn't

Partizan Belgrade 0-1 Manchester United: 3 players that impressed and 2 that didn't | Europa League 2019-20

Modified Oct 31, 2019 12:15 GMT

Manchester United eked out a 1-0 victory against Partizan Belgrade in their Europa League Group L clash at the Partizan Stadium despite being under the cosh for the majority of the game.

United started strongly, carving out a couple of half-chances early on, but went into their shell as the half progressed. That allowed Partizan to grow into the game.

The hosts created plenty of chances of their own but failed to take advantage and found themselves 1-0 down against the run of play. It was Anthony Martial who converted from the spot after Brandon Williams was brought down in the box by Nemanja Miletic.

United entered the half-time break a goal to the good but Partizan shot out of the blocks in the second period, taking the attack to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. They even had a couple of penalty shouts turned down as United continued to ride their luck.

The Red Devils then managed to withstand a late onslaught from the Serbian side to secure their first away win since March. That means they remain at the summit of Group L, two points clear of Alkmaar.

Here's a look at three players who impressed in the game, and two that didn't:

Impressed: Brandon Williams

Partizan Belgrade v Manchester United: Group L - UEFA Europa League

19-year-old full-back Brandon Williams was handed a surprising start for Manchester United, and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

Although Williams looked shaky at the back initially, he was a force to be reckoned with going forward. The youngster won United's penalty in the first half after being brought down by Nemanja Miletic.

Williams received the ball near the byline and darted past a couple of challenges before being felled by Miletic inside the box.

He maintained a steady level throughout the 90 minutes and was arguably United's best player on the night.

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Impressed: Umar Sadiq

Partizan Belgrade's physical striker Umar Sadiq was a thorn in the flesh of the Manchester United defenders for the entirety of the game. The entire offense of the host team ran through Sadiq; the Nigerian functioned as a target man, holding up the ball and linking well with Zoran Tosic and Takuma Asano.

He was desperately unlucky not to get on the score-sheet in the first half, his curling effort finding its way past Romero but crashing into the post.

United also found it hard to contain his dynamic runs at goal in the second period, often having to foul him in dangerous areas of the field.

Poor: Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay has been touted as the future of Manchester United after cementing his spot in the side at the age of 22, but he had a night to forget against Partizan.

McTominay failed to influence proceedings in the center of the park and often found himself overrun by Partizan's midfield duo of Sasa Zdjelar and Bibras Natcho. The Scot also missed two gilt-edged opportunities to give United the lead in the first half.

First, he got on the end of Juan Mata's perfectly weighted free-kick but sent his header wide of Vladimir Stojkovic's goal despite finding himself in acres of space.

McTominay's second miss came just minutes later. Collecting the ball on the edge of the box, the 22-year-old attempted to unleash a thunderbolt into the top corner but miscued his shot woefully, sending it rolling well wide of the far post.

Impressed: Sergio Romero

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One of Manchester United's best players on the night, Sergio Romero put in a fine display between the sticks. He wasn't tested to a great extent in the first half, but made a string of great saves in the second period to keep his side in the lead.

First up, he produced a fine save to deny Seydouba Soumah after the Partizan winger had evaded a couple of challenges to unleash a strike at goal.

He then kept out Takuma Asano's goal-bound header as well, to add to the Serbian side's frustrations. Romero was also commanding from set-piece situations over the course of the game.

Poor: Nemanja Miletic

Nemanja Miletic was one of the few Partizan Belgrade players to really have an off-night. The Serb brought down Brandon Williams in the box in the first half, gifting Manchester United a penalty which Anthony Martial gleefully converted.

Things turned from bad to worse for Miletic in the second half as he was booked for dissent after being denied a penalty of his own.

He looked suspect defensively, especially after the arrival of Marcus Rashford late in the game.