Manchester United took another step towards the Champions League knockout stages with a 4-1 thrashing of CSKA Moscow. The impressive performance underlined their strength in depth, writes Nick Wright. Manchester United had a long list of absentees for their trip to CSKA Moscow. Paul Pogba was joined on the sidelines by Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick after Saturday’s win at Southampton. Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia, who are yet to miss a minute in the Premier League this season, were also left at home.
Jose Mourinho made five changes to the team that triumphed at St Mary’s Stadium, but if this was a test of their squad depth, it is safe to say they passed it. Romelu Lukaku will take the headlines for the ninth and tenth goals of his Manchester United career, but his continued excellence was just one of many positives for Mourinho. Anthony Martial was perhaps even more impressive. The Frenchman has struggled for game-time this season, with Mourinho preferring Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford behind Lukaku, but after four goals and two assists in his previous seven appearances – four of which came from the bench – he made the most of a rare starting opportunity at the CSKA Arena. Martial set the tone for the evening with an eye-catching backheel to release Mkhitaryan in the third minute, and he created the opening goal less than 60 seconds after that. Cutting in from the left flank, his in swinging cross to the far post was perfect for Lukaku to head home.
Martial had a hand in every one of United’s goals. He doubled their lead with a calmly-taken penalty after Mkhitaryan was clumsily fouled by Georgi Shchennikov, and he set up the third with another cross for Lukaku shortly afterwards. For the fourth, it was his initial effort which allowed Mkhitaryan to dispatch the rebound. Martial caused havoc from start to finish, charging through CSKA’s right flank at will and popping up in central areas, too. Mourinho bemoaned the 21-year-old’s lack of confidence on more than one occasion last season, but there was little evidence of that in this purposeful performance.
Martial completed three times as many dribbles as any of his team-mates (six) and created five scoring chances. For context, no United player has created more in a single game this season. CSKA offered little resistance, but the stats underlined Martial’s effectiveness nonetheless. Behind him, United’s midfield injury problems afforded Ander Herrera only his fourth start of the season. The Spaniard has been pushed down the pecking order by Nemanja Matic this season, but his impressive display alongside the Serb was a reminder of why he won United’s player of the year award last season.
Mourinho reiterated the need to give £30.7m signing Lindel of time after he struggled during United’s Carabao Cup meeting with Burton Albion, but the Swede fared better with the added security of a 3-4-2-1 formation. United will hope it boosts his confidence in the weeks ahead.
All in all, then, it was a satisfying night for Mourinho, who could still call on Rashford, Darmian, Lingard and Mata from the bench despite his diminished options. Far tougher tests lie ahead, but United can approach them knowing they are well-equipped.
