Back in business
Lukaku ends his goal drought as United strike twice in 66 seconds to win group
It remains to be seen whether Manchester United derive any benefit from winning their Champions League group. Real Madrid, the European champions, last season’s beaten finalists Juventus and Bayern Munich, all of whom have finished second in their respective groups, could lie in store when the draw for the round of 16 is made on Monday.
However, that is for another day. For now, all focus turns to Sunday’s derby against Manchester City and, while Jose Mourinho was happy with how United warmed up for a potentially defining game in the Premier League title race by coming from behind to beat CSKA Moscow and equal a club record 40 games unbeaten at Old Trafford, he was less amused by Pep Guardiola’s perceived mind games.
The City manager had suggested earlier in the day that David Silva was a doubt for the derby but, having heard Arsene Wenger say something similar about Alexandre Lacazette only for the striker to appear for Arsenal against United last weekend, Mourinho was not buying Guardiola’s claims for a minute.
It says a lot about how civil relations have been between Mourinho and Guardiola in Manchester that those remarks are about the closest things have come to a whiff of animosity, but the Portuguese has enough selection headaches of his own without trying to second guess his counterpart’s every move.
CSKA may not be up to much – defeat here consigned them to the Europa League as Basel took second spot in Group A – but Paul Pogba underlined just how big a blow his absence through suspension will be in midfield for United, especially as Mourinho said Nemanja Matic will be asked to play through injury against City.
It is uncertain whether United have another player who can, at will, produce the sort of sumptuous pass that Pogba provided for Romelu Lukaku to claim only his second goal in 13 matches, cancelling out Alan Dzagoev’s fortuitous first-half goal in the process and kick-starting a 66-second fightback that rubber-stamped top spot in Group A.
But at least Mourinho has Lukaku back among the goals. Mourinho suggested that mattered less to him than to the player, but it was a welcome fillip for the Belgium striker, even if his all-around performance, like against Arsenal, hardly pointed to a crisis of confidence. Mourinho will certainly hope Lukaku leads the line with the same sort of gusto he did against the Russians.
Marcus Rashford was just as lively, and although there are no guarantees he will start against City after losing ground to Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, this was a performance full of cunning and running from the England forward, who also claimed the winner with his first goal in 10 games. Despite resting a posse of players for the derby, there was still no space in the squad for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, although there was a spot for another outcast.
This was Luke Shaw’s first start for United for seven months and his first appearance in the Champions League since he suffered a double leg break in September 2015 that has wreaked havoc with his career since. But if he is to turn things around at United, this was a good place to start. He might have done a little better for CSKA’S goal, but he got forward with pace and purpose, drew a fine save in the first half and, with a little more composure, might have teed up Rashford for a goal.
By the end, even Mourinho – his harshest critic – was glowing in his praise. United had been so dominant in that opening period, with Rashford also hitting a post, that it was a surprise to most to see CSKA take the lead, and in slightly unusual circumstances.
Shaw had failed to track Mario Fernandes’s run and Daley Blind could not prevent the CSKA wingback from pulling the ball back for
Vitinho, whose shot was heading wide only for it to bounce in off the back of Dzagoev.
Dzagoev initially looked offside but Blind, who had slid off the pitch trying to thwart Fernandes, was correctly deemed active and so the goal stood. Indeed, the rules state that “a defending player who leaves the field of play without the referee’s permission shall be considered to be on the goal line or touchline for the purposes of offside until the next stoppage in play”.
It was fanciful to think CSKA could hold on to their lead, though, and within a quick burst midway through the second period, they went from being in front to trailing.
Anyone doubting how badly Pogba will be missed against City need only watch his involvement for the first goal. Picking up a pass from Chris Smalling 30 yards from CSKA’S goal, he curled a delicious left-footed pass into the penalty area for Lukaku to attack. It was the sort of ball that is a nightmare to defend but which strikers thrive upon and Lukaku reacted quickest, holding off Viktor Vasin to steer a leftfooted volley past Igor Akinfeev.
One became two soon after and again the finish was exemplary. Lukaku flicked on a long ball, Rashford gave chase, the ball bounced off Vasin to Juan Mata, who lobbed a pass over the top of CSKA’S two defenders and into the path of Rashford, who drilled his shot beautifully into the far corner. It is 51 years since United last went 40 games undefeated at home. All Mourinho cares about for now, though, is beating City on Sunday.