As the longer-term manager search continued behind the scenes, life without Ole Gunnar Solskjaer commenced on the pitch as United travelled to Spain to face Villarreal on Tuesday night. A win would send Michael Carrick's side through to the Champions League knockout stages and ensure avoidance of any more Europa League football, with the result all that would really matter on the night.
The key talking point with just over an hour to go was the omission of Bruno Fernandes from the starting side, benched as Donny van de Beek took his place ahead of the midfield following an impressive 45 minutes against Watford. Alex Telles was another who was given a rare start, with Luke Shaw absent after taking another blow to his head at the weekend. Harry Maguire partnered Victor Lindelof again inside, available in Europe despite his domestic dismissal at Vicarage Road. To the right, there remained no opportunity for Diogo Dalot - maybe for the better this time around given the torment he suffered against Arnaut Danjuma in the reverse fixture against the Yellow Submarine. Despite the managerial change, the Scott McTominay and Fred partnership was restored in the middle of the park. Jadon Sancho kept his spot after also impressing against Watford, with Anthony Martial poised to be situated wide of Cristiano Ronaldo in his first start since Everton prior to the October international break.
The Estadio de la Ceramica was at full capacity for the first time since the pandemic begun, though those packed into the stadium were made to wait almost 10 extra minutes for kickoff after some technical issues with relation to officiating communication devices halted the start of proceedings.
Before things finally got underway, there was a rare sight of the United players engaging in a pre-match huddle. In the meantime, Solskjaer's name was being sung relentlessly in the away section as renditions of almost every one of his chants were carried out by a vocal travelling contingent. It is entirely apparent that no damage has been done to the Norwegian's legacy, with Solskjaer said to have been "absolutely buzzing" after hearing the support from at home. It must be said, there was a real sense of unity on display in Villarreal between players, staff and fans alike.
It was a positive start for United, with an early surge from Martial winning a freekick for his side around the edge of the box. Telles provided a teasing delivery, but McTominay's header could only find the side netting. No matter, it was a statement to hopefully set the precedent for things to come from the away side.
It didn't quite pan out as the opening moments may have suggested, as United took their foot of the gas rather promptly. David de Gea was forced into action as the reds' lack of duress opened things up for Villarreal to play some football in and around the final third, with Carrick's men looking almost confused at times. Out of possession, the setup very much appeared a 442 involving Fred on the opposite left flank to Sancho's right. There was some logic, with those across the midfield four guaranteed to track back and work harder than both Martial and Ronaldo. One thing was for certain, the side was set up to defend. It was passive, and thus not too pretty.
Villarreal were invited to put pressure on United, with Yeremy Pino the next to challenge the visitors having cleverly evaded Telles. The side sitting a measly 12th in La Liga were dominant, with United defending just about sufficiently but again seeming disorganised and lacking cohesion. Although dominance of quality possession was possibly not the gameplan from the interim manager, it was extremely blatant the lack of control that United had on affairs.
The absence of authority from United came as no surprise given the dysfunctionality of the system when it came to anything other than sitting behind the ball, with the structure appearing to change every few minutes or so. By this, it was understandably near enough impossible to establish any fluidity. One moment Ronaldo would be central, the next moment he'd be wide with Martial through the middle, then they'd be in a pair, and Van de Beek would even come to the party and join the attacking force at times. Speaking of the Dutchman, there was one instant where he found himself wide on the right with Sancho pushed onto the left.
By way of the approach, the defence was more assured yet other aspects were hardly different and even worse - you could say. Did it come as a surprise? Well, it was the same coaching staff.
There was no early concession from United, though they did often seem on the ropes. De Gea was quite a busy man again, with one particular save produced on the stretch shortly prior to the half hour mark. Such moves from the hosts came from things as simple as long balls, with the tracking often insufficient from United and allowing Villarreal excessive joy.
Themselves, United couldn't muster much threat. One drive and cross from Sancho provoked some promise, with the winger again looking at peak sharpness whenever he had possession. In fact - by the end of the opening period - Sancho had also managed the most tackles on the pitch. His work ethic was admirable.
Sancho's involvement proved some form of catalyst for United, with the reds beginning to grow into the match for a phase. There were some promising forward drives from the summer signing in addition to the likes of Martial, with the pair combining on one occasion on a rapid drive as Telles was eventually taken down for a freekick towards the edge of the box having made a positive forward charge; the freekick was hit straight at the wall by Ronaldo, but the manner in which it was won was encouraging.
This didn't prove sustainable. It was the only real passage that offered any inspiration for United, though they did evidence the threat that could be offered when there is space to exploit. However, such exploitation never really materialised further.
United were under duress once more soon after their momentary attacking phase, with Wan-Bissaka nearly paying the price for unfathomably trying to take players on inside his own half - Villarreal misfired much to the relief of the United right back. The hosts could very easily have gone into the break ahead given the major flow of the opening period.
Heading into the pause, United remained in the game but looked wholly clueless in a number of aspects. Carrick's seeming goal of not conceding had been achieved, however. Regardless, Villarreal were still somewhat seeming there for the taking - thus United had to sharpen up on an offensive front. As it was, Paul Scholes judgement of the half being a "0-0 battering" was pretty much spot on.
Nothing really changed early in the second half. Lindelof, who had a strong first half, was in action again very early in proceedings to head clear following a Villarreal corner. All in all, the reds remained disjointed to the benefit of their opposition. It looked again that anything good from United would come from the lively Sancho, otherwise - excluding a sighter from Fred - it was a very flat showing. Out of possession, United made it too easy for Unai Emery's side to retain the ball.
If it wasn't for more De Gea heroics, United would surely have found themselves adrift in the game. Manu Trigueros' powerful effort bounced awkwardly off the turf, but was saved spectacularly on the stretch by the goalkeeper (who was somewhat unsighted by Maguire). It was a huge warning for United.
Still, it was evident that United didn't want to risk conceding. The approach remained passive, very passive. Villarreal were invited onto the reds time and time again, able to shift the ball around with pace and conjunct menace.
Carrick opted to make his first changes around the 65th minute, introducing the cavalry of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. It was the end of the day for Van de Beek and Martial, it must be said both quite short of regular minutes. The excitement surrounding the former's start never really developed any further, though it's almost certain it won't be the last we see of the Dutchman given the prospective managerial takeover. Martial's involvement was strange to say the least, with many righteous suggestions that Jesse Lingard may be a more deserving inclusion.
The midfield had been a huge issue for United up until the introduction of Fernandes, with the hope that he could bolster the quality amidst the stale 'McFred' duo. The Portuguese substitute was involved in the creation of his side's best opportunity of the match, weighting a pass fantastically through to Sancho; after showcasing some silky footwork, the winger was denied on his weaker side by Geronimo Rulli.
One thing was certain, Carrick's substitutions were timely. United were shifting up the gears.
The lead came quite promptly for the visitors, stemming from a soft ball from Rulli meant for Etienne Capoue. High volume pressure from Fred led to the Villarreal midfielder being dispossessed after the underhit pass from the goalkeeper, with fantastic awareness shown from the Brazilian to read the play before exerting himself well on his counterpart to force the ball loose into Ronaldo’s path. From there, Rulli was stranded and Ronaldo picked up the pieces to lob the Argentine.
Now with six goals in five matches, Ronaldo maintained his record of scoring in every Champions League game since returning to United. He has become the first player to score in each of an English club’s first five matches of a European Cup or Champions League campaign. Four of his six goals in the five European matches since his return have come after the 75th minute, with a goal coming every 72 minutes on average.
It must be admitted, United had to thank some very good defending for still being in contention in the match. The discipline in the defensive element of things was much improved. Lindelof completed the full 90 minutes having won every aerial duel, every ground duel and every tackle on top of eight clearances and a pair of blocks. It was a specialist performance to essentially lead the defence on the night.
Not too long in subsequence, Ronaldo nearly secured another European brace having expertly anticipated a timid Juan Foyth header intended for his goalkeeper - his touch sent the ball just wide. Rashford's involvement was inferior to that of fellow-substitute Fernandes, but also forced Rulli into a late save. Fernandes also threatened further, but his powerful strike was blocked.
United closed the match with much superior possession, and it was in good areas with genuine quality too. Villarreal were made to pay again, with United capping off the late flurry with an excellent flowing move to seal their spot in the knockout stages. Again, Fred was involved as he dispossessed Villarreal in his own half with his trademark tenacity. The midfielder also played a part in the intricate beginning to the goalscoring move, combining with both Ronaldo and McTominay. The Scot subsequently picked out Ronaldo well, with the ball shifted swiftly to Rashford. The pace of the break was electric, with Rashford picking out Fernandes who set the ball to Sancho around the edge of the box. Having missed a golden opportunity early in the half, there was no mistake this time as the Englishman fired confidently off the crossbar for his first ever United goal.
Finally, Sancho was off the mark with a really clinical finish. It was another confidently executed performance on his natural right hand side, with extreme quality on an attacking front conjunct with pretty faultless hard work. His passing play was pristine and always at a high intensity, though his defensive work caught the eye more than anything else statistically: he made six ball recoveries, four tackles and a further one interception too. These last few week will almost certainly provide liftoff for his United career.
To conclude things, Michael Carrick has become the first English manager to win their first game in charge of United since Walter Crickmer in November 1931. You have to say, the pragmatic nature of the performance was the perfect approach. The initial setup was defensive, not pretty and appeared passive, but it ultimately worked very well given United’s ability to stay in the game. The introductions of Fernandes and Rashford were timely as there was recognition of the game being there for the taking, and there was a clear, effective transition between the defensive setup and an attacking approach.
The squad worked hard for Carrick, who ultimately instilled crucial discipline into his group of players. People may ask where this type of performance was with Solskjaer in charge, but let’s just focus on the now. The interim boss did an excellent job and seized the opportunity in charge of the team he has committed most of his footballing career to. He deserves credit for the result, and for the work he put in to steady the ship after a difficult weekend.
United confirmed their spot in the knockout stages with a match still to play, with the win in Spain the first victory on the road for the reds in the competition since matchday one in Paris last season. After they dropped points in an enthralling 3-3 draw against Young Boys in Bern, Atalanta soon became out of reach unable to catch United in Group F. Thus, the reds are guaranteed to finish top of the group due to their superior head-to-head over Villarreal.
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