Clean sheet and big step in the right direction for Maguire

AFTER Harry Maguire conceded they were to blame for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking, this was where the road to redemption began for Manchester United’s players.

Given his lamentable performances of recent weeks, culminating in his calamitous dismissal in the 4-1 defeat at Watford that ultimately did for Solskjaer, Maguire was fortunate to keep his place.

Maguire’s enforced absence from Sunday’s Premier League encounter at Chelsea – through suspension – was the only logical reason caretaker boss Michael Carrick (right) chose to keep him in his line-up.

The United skipper could consider himself lucky he did not suffer the same fate as playmaker Bruno Fernandes, dropped to the bench by Carrick, who showed a ruthless streak with that call.

Solskjaer did not have the courage to drop Fernandes, despite the Portugal star’s recent loss of form meriting a demotion. But Carrick had no such inhibitions, jettisoning him for Donny van Beek, finally given a chance to prove his worth after being continually snubbed by Solskjaer.

This, though, was a huge night for Maguire, in particular in terms of his suitability to continue as skipper.

One of Solskjaer’s last acts was to defend Maguire’s status as captain and insist he had never considered taking the armband from him.

That show of faith backfired with Maguire’s dismissal at Vicarage Road and gave credence to the criticism of ex-united skipper Roy Keane, who has long declared the defender lacks the leadership qualities and consistency of performance to be captain.

But Maguire is moving on. He said: “It’s massive for our season. The last couple of months have been nowhere near good enough and we needed to get a result for our season and our fans. We need to make sure that’s just the start and push on.

“The emphasis was on getting a result. Coming away from home in Europe, you have to be solid. We got what we deserved in the end because of the chances we created. Cristiano

Ronaldo has been brilliant. We need to get back to being solid, because if we do that we have every chance to win games when we have him up front.”

And with United in crisis, this was the time for Maguire to step up and prove his leadership credentials by, marshalling a defence that had kept just two clean sheets in 25 games in all competitions going into last night’s encounter.

Maguire succeeded. United were tighter and displayed that solidity he referred to. They then profited from a defensive

mistake when Fred dispossessed Etienne Capoue and Ronaldo provided the finishing touch for his sixth goal in five Champions League games.

United’s game-plan from the start was to keep it tight and then seize upon their chances to score as the game opened up. And David De Gea kept United in the game at 0-0 with another showcase of fine saves.

But after the turmoil of recent weeks, this was a night when stability was required. The bonuses came with Ronaldo’s goal and Jadon Sancho’s first for United, which sealed their place in the last 16.

For Maguire, it was a step in the right direction, answering his critics by leading the team to the win needed in a time of crisis.