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Result
1-1 FT (Lingard 45'+1', Casimiro (P) 69')
1-2 Penalties (Quezada; Mkhitaryan, Blind)
After a rather interesting pre-season friendly (yes, yes, it's the International Champions Cup and all that; but if you make 11 changes at halftime... it's a friendly). The Reds made it 4 wins in 4 after an abysmal penalty shootout which saw just 2 successful kicks from United and 1 from Madrid (a talking point that can be summed up in four words- EVERYONE NEEDS MORE PRACTICE).
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There were, however, some interesting talking points that emerged from the game:
1. Anthony Martial shows his worst; and best
In the opening ten minutes, Matteo Darmian was given the wringing of a lifetime by Messrs. Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal and could be heard screaming his head out at Anthony Martial for having to fend for himself. Though the Frenchman did pick up his tracking back after that, this opening sequence showed just why Mourinho doesn't trust him for the big games - if he's on the left wing, the left-back gets virtually no protection.
Just as the clock ticked over the 45-minute mark, though, he showed why Mourinho should trust in him more. With a delicious pitter-patter switch of his feet Martial send Carvajal to fetch the morning newspaper before sashaying past Vazquez and Modric in the blink of an eye as he set up the opening goal for Jesse Lingard.
He flitted in and out of the game thereafter - if he finds more consistency, it'll be hard for Mourinho to keep him out of the side.
2. Real Madrid may not need any more Galacticos
This is probably not going to be a popular opinion with the vast majority of Madrid fans, or with Florentino Perez, but Guti's impressive Real Madrid Castilla youngsters showed that they have much to offer to the senior side.
Achraf Hakimi, the first Moroccan to wear a senior Real Madrid shirt, was impressive as the right back and gave Daley Blind an absolutely horrid time overlapping the equally impressive Franchu.
19-year-old striker Dani Gomez showed flashes of promise, as did Quezada in midfield. Oscar Rodriguez was a pit bull in midfield - perhaps a touch too feisty, one of his challenges had Ander Herrera clutching his ribs and hobbling off - and young centre-backs Tejero and Manu kept Romelu Lukaku on a tight leash throughout.
Theo Hernandez had a superb outing in his first appearance as left-back for Madrid while Marcos Llorente and Dani Ceballos wait their debuts.
There's plenty of talent in-house to suggest that Madrid may not need to splurge the money they gained from the sale of Danilo (and the off-loading of James Rodriguez)
3. Andreas Pereira and Timothy Fosu-Mensah stake their claim; Lindelof has a way to go
Manchester United appear desperate to get one of those multi-functional CM/CDM/RB figures in the mould of Fabhinho or Eric Dier (and Nemanja Matic, of course), but Andreas Perreira and Timothy Fosu-Mensah showed that they have enough quality about them to avert any possible panic in case none of the mooted deals fall through.
The Brazilian Perreira was quietly impressive in midfield - as he has been all of pre-season, and last season with Granada, in fact - and deserves a proper look-in once the season commences.
Fosu-Mensah meanwhile seemed to show all the aggression, strength and driving power Mourinho seems to crave in his proposed new signings and even if United fail to capture their top summer signings, it shouldn't worry them unduly.
Victor Lindelof, meanwhile, needs to show he's better than his displays in this game and the previous few - too many silly mistakes creep into his name, and the reckless abandon of some his tackles will get punished at the highest level.
P.S. A word of praise for Scott McTominay who having replaced Ander Herrera in the 51st minute was arguably United's best player of the second half.
4. Real Madrid show remarkable fluidity; but miss Cristiano Ronaldo's cutting edge
For all the talk of this being a pre-season game, and even factoring in the fact that this was Real Madrid's first game after their Champions League triumph, Zinedine Zidane would have expected a touch more ruthlessness in front of goal. While Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Lucas Vazquez and Isco formed a fluid, dynamic, front four they did miss the utter ruthlessness of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Friendly or not, you just know the Portuguese great would have banged in a couple if he'd been there. The rest of the team needs to inculcate that supreme winning-mentality. There were, however, plenty of positives:
Bale looked fresh after his injury-hit last season while Karim Benzema's off-the-ball running looked as sharp as ever. Marcelo and Carvajal showed once again why they are considered the best full-back pairing in the world while Kelyor Navas showed once again that Real Madrid really don't need to go splurge on a superstar keeper. They already do have one.
5. Paul Pogba needs to ensure this is the last big-game he disappears in
ONE HUNDRED MILLION EUROS. Unless Paul Pogba guides Manchester United to another famous Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup treble, he will never live down the hate that his obscene transfer fee generates among fans, experts and the layman alike - so let's leave the fee out of the discussion.
He does, though, need to ensure that he puts his best foot forward in the really big games... sure this wasn't a big game in the true sense of the phrase, but it was the Frenchman's worst preseason game and it came against the biggest name they've faced.
If he is to avoid more casual judgment from the "footballing Einsteins" that populate our planet he needs to make sure he makes an impact in the truly big games - starting with next month's UEFA Super Cup against yesterday's opposition.
United fans will simply want less of what they saw last night and more of this:
