Manchester United were involved in Europa League action against Omonia in the Red Devils’ third game of the Europa League season.
Erik ten Hag fielded a relatively strong starting XI, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro starting in place of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Here are three things we learned from United’s 3-2 win against Omonia.
Dominant first half
United were on cruise control in the first half and dominating the proceedings.
The team was keeping the ball well and sticking Omonia’s defense into their box. An avalanche of chances was generated but the shot was missing.
Antony was arguably the Reds’ best player in the first 45 minutes. The winger was a constant pain in the back for Omonia, with his wide range of skills and bags of tricks on full display. Antony was about to replicate the goal he scored in the derby but the Omonia goalkeeper did just enough to deflect the curled shot that went wide.
Casemiro, the deeper midfielder, was another standout player. He was effective in protecting the back four and distributing the ball, connecting defense with offense. In this role, the Brazilian had the great help of Lisandro MartÃnez.
Martinez was United’s most adventurous centre-back, driving forward on multiple occasions and providing line-breaking passes.
However, United’s possession and control was broken in the 34th minute, Omonia spilling their first blood courtesy of Karim Ansarifard. Neil Lennon’s men broke the tie with a brilliant counter-attack, taking advantage of a mistake by Tyrell Malacia.
However, it was a brilliant first half that, on another day, would have seen the 20-time English champions up by two or three goals.
Jadon Sancho needs to offer more
Jadon Sancho was far from horrendous in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch. However, many will agree that the Englishman must offer much more than he did against Manchester City and Omonia.
Sancho was substituted at the break and rightly so. He has been accused of not facing his man in duel situations, and instead he chose to move back to the side.
This mishap was punished against Omonia, as it was his errant pass to Malacia that put the defender in a bind before he was hastily stripped.
Sancho has great potential and with his ability, he should be a creative outlet for his team. He needs to take more risks and bet on the talents that allowed him to move to United with big money.
Antony appears to have nailed down the right wing position, which would only leave the left flank available to Sancho, who has to battle Marcus Rashford for the spot.
Due to the game against Omonia, Rashford has an advantage over his Three Lions teammate. Rashford wasted no time winning the game, scoring just eight minutes after the break to level United. He then went on to grab a second in the closing stages of the tie.
Anthony Martial is United’s most lethal attacker
Along with Raphael Varane, United must do everything they can to keep Anthony Martial fit and in peak physical condition.
The French striker is easily United’s best attacker as evidenced by his impact off the bench in yet another game, as he did against City in the derby day thrashing.
Martial came on for Bruno Fernandes and, like Rashford, scored almost immediately. The United do not. 9 he combined well with Rashford to score the Red Devils’ second of the night and put the team ahead.
Martial has scored or assisted a goal every 19 minutes for Man Utd so far this season.
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— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 6, 2022
Beyond his marvelous goal, Martial showed his excellence in link play and possession of the ball. The player had some wonderful touches and fit in perfectly to gel the attack.
It will bode well for the striker’s confidence that Ten Hag has placed so much trust and faith in him. At the moment, he is restoring the manager’s confidence and in this way will have a major influence on the outcome of United’s season.
