Who was Man of the Match against Villarreal?

Tuesday 23 November 2021 20:38

Manchester United secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League by beating Villarreal 2-0 on Tuesday evening, thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho at the Estadio de la Cerámica. But who emerged as the top performer throughout the 90 minutes?

We asked fans on our Official App and ManUtd.com to decide, with United supporters from all across the world able to cast their vote upon the completion of the encounter. 

In what was a tightly contested first test for caretaker boss Michael Carrick and his side, the first half produced a cagey affair in which both teams looked to assert their dominance. 

With just 12 minutes remaining, it seemed as though Ronaldo's delicate lob over Geronimo Rulli was to be the difference between the two sides, but a late strike from Sancho sealed the points and ensured United's progress to the last 16, with a game to spare. 

 

Who was our Man of the Match in the win over Villarreal?poll

Who was our Man of the Match in the win over Villarreal?

David De Gea made a few excellent saves, including one superb stop to thwart Manu Trigueros in the second half, and it became a real battle between him and the lively Sancho at the head of our poll.

The leadership changed hands several times before our 20:30 GMT cut-off point but Jadon edged it in the end by a single percentage (31%-30%) to pick up his first personal award since arriving in the summer from Borussia Dortmund.

The England international had earlier only being denied his maiden strike by a smart save with his leg from keeper Rulli.

Ronaldo, inevitably, also featured prominently and he was comfortably third in the voting on 26 per cent, just behind the top two.

Special mentions must go to Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, who were also accomplished in their defensive duties across the 90 minutes, as the pair helped their side secure a clean sheet with regimented displays. Indeed, MUTV pundit Ben Thornley heralded Lindelof as his personal Man of the Match. 

Many thanks for voting and getting involved!

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