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Villarreal 0 Man Utd 2: Cristiano Ronaldo to the rescue again as Red Devils reach knockouts in first game post-Solskjaer
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THE Manchester United fans sang Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name at full-time in honour of their former manager.
This was also a night when Michael Carrick deserved his sung loud and proud, too — and it was.
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The previous 48 hours must have been extremely difficult for Carrick.
It is hard when a coach loses his manager, but when he is a long-standing friend and former team-mate, it is harder still.
Being tasked with getting a win in Villarreal last night, so soon after the sacked Solskjaer bid his farewells, was not easy for Carrick.
But he stayed strong and got a massive result that sent United into the Champions League knockouts.
And have no doubt about it, he influenced this game.
Carrick knew there would be no overnight change.
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But he stamped his mark in his team selection, substitutions and organisation.
You might ask why he had maybe not done that as part of the coaching staff during the troubled last few months.
Still, for someone who had never managed a game before, this was some start.
Of course, it always helps when you have Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star has dragged United into the last 16 with a game to spare in Group F, scoring six of their ten goals from five games.
Twice he has now plundered late goals against Villarreal.
There was also that late winner at home against Atalanta and another goal with the whistle about to blow in Bergamo, his second on that night, to steal a point.
It is the nose for a chance, the scent of goals, that United signed him for — not to track back. It is why Manchester City also wanted him.
Carrick did not use Ronaldo just as a No 9 last night but started him off the left and let him interchange, which made it tougher for Villarreal to pick up the 36-year-old.
That incredible goalscoring instinct was there again in the 78th minute.
Home keeper Geronimo Rulli played the ball short to Etienne Capoue but Fred was on to him.
Ron could see the Villarreal man was in trouble and moved.
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Fred fired the ball off Capoue’s toe, bouncing it forward, and with the simplest of flicks Ronaldo lifted it over the advancing keeper.
Simple, but few could have executed it. ‘Viva Ronaldo’.
Jadon Sancho then plundered his first goal for United with a thunderous shot that went in off the bar in the 90th minute.
What that might do for his confidence now.
Indeed, what this might do for them all.
Of course, a trip to European champions and Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday will be a very different prospect to this clash against Spain’s 12th-best side.
But no victory away from home in the Champions League should be sniffed at.
Certainly not when you have been on the sort of run United have recently.
Caretaker boss Carrick made big changes in dropping Bruno Fernandes for Donny van de Beek and Marcus Rashford for Anthony Martial.
It was when he reversed that in the 66th minute — hooking Martial for Rashford and Van de Beek for Fernandes — that United went on the front foot and scored twice.
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It was a slow start, however, as Carrick had expected after the emotion of the last few days.
United mustered one effort on target from three in the first half, a weak Ronaldo header that dropped into the hands of a grateful Rulli.
Villarreal had three on target from nine and David de Gea needed to be alert.
Imagine if he had been having a bad time of late like everyone else at United.
De Gea was called upon as early as the fifth minute to deny Moi Gomez.
He pulled another save out of the top drawer to deny Trigueros Munoz in the 27th minute.
It was a chance all too easy in its creation.
A long punt upfield from Rulli sailed over the head of full-back Alex Telles and Yeremi Pino was in.
He cleverly pulled the ball back for Trigueros, whose shot was expertly stopped at full length by the United No 1.
But those saves were nothing compared to what the Spanish stopper produced just short of the hour, when Trigueros’ shot into the deck looked to be heading into the far bottom corner before he flung out a palm and clipped it wide.
Villarreal players had their heads in their hands at what they had seen to deny them.
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At the other end still there was nothing.
Martial was his usual ineffective self.
Have you ever seen a footballer look less interested in football?
Then the changes came and Fernandes opened Villarreal up.
Sancho cut in from the right and exchanged passes with the Portuguese sub, the return perfectly weighted. He took the ball inside another man and shot, only for Rulli to produce the goalkeeping heroics this time.
Suddenly United’s tails were up.
There was belief and there was Ronaldo.
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There is always Ronaldo and perhaps now that there is faith in Sancho, following his late goal for 2-0, we will see the best of him.
This time when the players went to the fans at full-time the applause was reciprocated.
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