Manchester United lost their second consecutive match at Old Trafford, this time in the Champions League, as Bayern Munich won 1-0 thanks to Kingsley Coman’s goal midway through the second-half. It was that goal that sealed United’s destiny in international competitions for this season. Here is what we learned from this match.
Man United Out Of European Football
Manchester United are out of Champions League, Manchester United are out of all UEFA competitions. Going into the match, the Red Devils knew they needed a miracle to keep themselves in the Champions League, while they also knew points will be needed if they were to move to the Europa League knockouts. But none of that happened. Bayern did what they do best – win – and Copenhagen got themselves the result they needed against Galatasaray, to qualify for the round of 16. It is the Turkish side that will continue in the Europa League, while Man United have played their last European match for this season. To make matters worse, things in the Premier League are not going their way either, so this match against Bayern could well be the last Champions League match at Old Trafford in quite some time.
Injuries Keep On Piling
Man United have had their fair share of injuries this season. Erik Ten Hag was without the likes of Lindelof, Casemiro, Malacia, Eriksen, Martinez, Mount and others for this match, but then new problems just kept on coming. Jonny Evans had to come in after just 40 minutes, when Harry Maguire suffered an injury just as he was getting back to his best form and his performances in the Premier League were getting noticed. Then, it was also Luke Shaw who had a problem. At one point, Shaw was holding his hamstring and it looked he was having issues with it, which could suggest he could be out of the picture yet again with an injury.
Varane Back In The Team
There has been a lot of talk about Raphael Varane and his absence from Man United’s lineups, but now he was back in the starting 11. That was a bit of a surprise from Ten Hag, but Varane put in a pretty solid performance alongside both Maguire and Evans. He did a good job against Harry Kane and considering Maguire’s injury, we should definitely expect the Frenchman to start in central denfece against Liverpool at Anfield in the upcoming clash.
Bayern Doing Just About Enough
Bayern knew they were top of the group, they knew they would be seeded in the round of 16 draw, but they still went out and did the job they were supposed. There was nothing frantic or too exciting about them at Old Trafford, but that was enough to secure the three points and finish the group stages with 16 out of 18 possible points. As a proper Thomas Tuchel side, they controlled the match throughout, creating enough to get the goal they needed, shutting down United’s at the other end with ease.
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