Europa League: Player ratings as Man Utd thrash FC Sheriff 3-0.
After being reinserted into the starting lineup, Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Manchester United defeated Sheriff to clinch the top two spots in Group E of the Europa League.
Diogo Dalot headed in Christian Eriksen’s corner as the first half was coming to a close, giving United the lead. United had dominated the first half from beginning to end.
Substitutes Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw worked together to score United’s second goal, which was then followed by Ronaldo’s third goal to cap a night of missed opportunities.
Before the first significant play of the game, which saw Ibrahim Rasheed elbow Casemiro in the mouth, Sheriff made their intentions clear by keeping all 11 players behind the ball.
When Bruno Fernandes headed Victor Lindelof’s raking pass across the goal for Ronaldo, United created a huge opening. However, Ronaldo fluffed his shot, which was smothered by the opposing goalkeeper Maksym Koval.
Eriksen, who controlled the pace of play the entire game, tested Koval with a long-range shot before Fernandes’ follow-up shot was blocked.
The hosts’ frustrating first half came to an end with the breakthrough when Sheriff was defeated at a set piece. Dalot headed Eriksen’s fizzed corner into the far corner with his effort.
On his return, Ronaldo experienced more frustration as he shot high and wide and had another attempt ruled out for offside before United increased their lead.
Rashford was assisted by Shaw during a quick build-up play, and he powered in a header for his sixth goal of the year to surpass his total from the 2021–2022 campaign.
In the final ten minutes, Ronaldo finally put an end to a frustrating performance by scoring United’s third goal on the rebound after his initial header was saved. On the sixth day of the Europa League, United will play Real Sociedad, who defeated Nicosia 2-0 on Thursday.
Manchester United players ratings vs Sheriff – Europa League
Manchester United (4-2-3-1)
GK: David de Gea – 6/10
RB: Diogo Dalot – 8/10
CB: Victor Lindelof – 8/10
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 7/10
LB: Tyrell Malacia – 7/10
CM: Christian Eriksen – 8/10
CM: Casemiro – 7/10
RW: Antony – 6/10
AM: Bruno Fernandes – 7/10
LW: Alejandro Garnacho – 7/10
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo – 7/10
SUB: Marcus Rashford (46′ for Antony) – 7/10
SUB: Harry Maguire (46′ for Martinez) – 4/10
SUB: Luke Shaw (62′ for Dalot) – 7/10
SUB: Scott McTominay (63′ for Casemiro) – 6/10
SUB: Donny van de Beek (79′ for Garnacho) – 5/10
Manager: Erik ten Hag – 7/10
Player of the Match: Diogo Dalot
Europa League knockout round play-offs
The eight teams that finish first in their groups advance directly to the round of 16, while the other eight are put in a draw with the eight teams that placed third in the Champions League group stage to determine which team will advance to the knockout round play-offs.
The eight runners-up from each group stage are seeded in the draw, while the losers from the Champions League are not.
Real Sociedad, who are currently in first place in Group E, defeated United 1-0 at Old Trafford, so the Red Devils would need to defeat them by a significant margin in Spain on the final day of the group stage.
