76 2GM Thursday December 3 2020 | the times
SportChampions League
This deserved defeat for Manchester
United was self-inflicted. As good as
Paris Saint-Germain attackers such as
Neymar and Kylian Mbappé are,
United have only themselves to blame,
especially the foolish Fred, who was
eventually dismissed, and their
manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose
decision-making came under intense
scrutiny. United were all ifs and butts
last night.
With Fred diving in to challenges,
risking cautions by going to ground and
almost comically fortunate to escape
dismissal for a first-half headbutt, the
situation cried out for Solskjaer to
remove him at the break.
PSG players had been at the referee,
Daniele Orsato, going down the tunnel
at the interval, inquiring loudly as to
why Fred had not been sent off after
pushing his forehead into the face of
Leandro Paredes. It was clear that any
challenge deemed of excessive force by
Fred, even if targeting the ball, would
bring the deserved, if delayed, sanction.
Solskjaer had midfield options on the
bench: world champions such as Paul
Pogba, the deft Donny van de Beek and
the most like-for-like alternative for
Fred in Nemanja Matic. Instead,
Solskjaer betrayed either naivety or
excessive faith in Fred, who inevitably
departed for another overly robust
challenge. Eventually even the lenient
Orsato had had enough of the mid-
fielder.
Solskjaer’s hesitation cost United,
and almost as perplexing was his deci-
sion to keep the misfiring Anthony
Martial on too long and to take off their
main centre forward, Edinson Cavani,
when they were hunting the equaliser
that would guarantee progress to the
knockout stage. Now United face a
tricky trip to RB Leipzig still needing a
point. If they don’t qualify, their fans
will look back in anger on Fred’s loss of
composure and Solskjaer’s poor hand-
ling of the situation.
Because they had been reprieved by
Orsato. Uefa has just released a series of
documentaries about leading referees,
and episode four chronicles the quali-
ties that brought Orsato stewardship of
last season’s Champions League final
between Paris Saint-Germain and
Bayern Munich. If Uefa films a second
series of Man in the Middle, Orsato’s
contribution to this group-stage game
would make fascinating viewing, argu-
ably a video nasty, not that United were
complaining after an extraordinary
incident in the 24th minute.
PSG were in control, with Neymar
and the right-sided Mbappé causing
havoc down the flanks. It was as if they
were on a mission to show that they
were not missing Cavani. Mbappé was
an absolute livewire, full of sudden
bursts of pace, stops and starts, twisting
United legs and minds, seizing the lead
after six minutes. The French world
champion cut in and laid the ball off to
Neymar, then took the return and
drove towards goal. Mbappé’s shot
struck Victor Lindelof, the ball bounc-
ing right, and United froze. Alex Telles
was too slow to react, allowing Neymar
to race in and shoot past David De Gea.
This was not in the script. The narra-
tive had all been about Solskjaer chas-
ing a third successive victory against
PSG, Thomas Tuchel being under
pressure and the possibility of Mauricio
Pochettino heading to Parc des Princes.
The talk had all been about Cavani.
But there were Neymar and Mbappé
running the show, and the flair pair
were also tracking back, putting in a
real shift. All seemed to be flowing
PSG’s way, until the 22nd minute. With
Orsato distracted by Bruno Fernandes
down injured, Paredes walked towards
Fred, who reacted stupidly, pushing his
forehead into the Argentinian. Paredes
milked the contact, collapsing to the
cold turf as if hit by a wrecking ball,
rather than being brushed by the
slightest of touches.
Orsato did not see the offence. But
many of the visitors did, including their
bench, and particularly Mbappé and
Neymar, who ran towards Fred,
pointing at him. PSG’s goalkeeper,
Keylor Navas, marched 50 yards to join
the Parisian protest.
The VAR, Marco Guida, advised Or-
sato to check his monitor, and here was
precisely the type of clear and obvious
error technology was brought in to
catch. Orsato had missed a serious of-
fence, and strode to the touchline near
the dugout before realising the screen
was on the far side and making a U-turn.
His comedy of errors continued.
Having reviewed the incident, Orsato
ran back on to the pitch and brandished
a yellow card at Fred, to United’s relief
and PSG’s total bemusement. Even
Harry Maguire, United’s captain,observed afterwards that it was either a
red or nothing. It should have been
Fred the red, even if the challenge
contained all the force of a mascot’s
gentle nudge.
Orsato’s mercy made this game even
more fractious. PSG lost their focus, still
fuming, and lost their lead after 32 min-
utes. Aaron Wan-Bissaka cut the ball
back to Marcus Rashford, whose strike
deflected off Presnel Kimpembe and in.
Fred’s fuse was burning, and his duel
with Paredes continued. Paredes slid in
on Fred, who trod on his ankle as he fell.
So it was a considerable surprise to spot
Fred scampering from the tunnel after
the break, rejoining and intensifying
the fray. United actually played well
and could have sewn up the game, and
qualification. But Martial was in one of
those frustrating profligate moods, and
shot over. He did then release Cavani,
who sped forward, the 33-year-old
outstripping PSG’s defence, lifting the
ball over Navas but on to the bar.
United should have been clear but
instead they were behind again on 69
minutes. After a Neymar corner the
substitute Ander Herrera sent the ball
back in and Abdou Diallo worked it to
Marquinhos, who slipped his shot
under the diving De Gea.
Fred went into meltdown. Within a
minute he flew in on Herrera and
although he made contact with the ball,
he followed through on the former
United player, catching his foot. It was
not the worst of challenges but a gamble
given his earlier imprudence. Another
yellow. Fred walked, reluctantly.
Pogba came on for Rashford, who
appeared to be hobbling. Solskjaer
completely rearranged his strike force
by removing Cavani and Martial for
Van de Beek and Mason Greenwood.
United were inevitably vulnerable on
the break, Rafinha broke clear and
eased the ball to the unmarked Neymar,
who finished with ease. Game, set and
Paris match. United have made qualifi-
cation unnecessarily complicated.Manchester United (4-2-3-1): D De Gea 6 —
A Wan-Bissaka 5 (O Ighalo 90min), V Lindelof 5,
H Maguire 6, A Telles 5 — Fred 3, S McTominay 6
— M Rashford 6 (P Pogba 74), B Fernandes 6,
A Martial 5 (M Greenwood 79) — E Cavani 6
(D van de Beek 79). Booked Fred. Sent off Fred.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): K Navas 7 —
A Florenzi 7 (T Kehrer 78), Marquinhos 7, P
Kimpembe 7, A Diallo 8 (I Gueye 90) — M Verratti
7 (Rafinha 78), Danilo 7, L Paredes 7 (A Herrera
65, 6) — K Mbappé 7, M Kean 7 (M Bakker 65, 6),
Neymar 9. Booked L Paredes, M Verratti.
Referee D Orsato (Ita).How they stand in group H
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Man United 5 3 0 2 13 7 6 9
PSG 53028 5 3 9
RB Leipzig5302810-2 9
Istanbul B 5104613-73
Fixtures: Dec 8 Paris Saint-Germain
v Istanbul Basaksehir (8.0); RB
Leipzig v Manchester United (8.0).0
21
Manchester Utd
Rashford 32PSG
Neymar 6, 90+1, Marquinhos 691
3
Hot-headed Fred
and United blow
their big chance
Henry Winter
Chief Football
Writer
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BRADLEY ORMESHERNeymar opens the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain with his finish past De GeaOle Gunnar Solskjaer said that Man-
chester United had only themselves to
blame for the loss to Paris Saint-
Germain that left their Champions
League hopes hanging in the balance.
United needed only a draw to qualify
for the round of 16 with one match to
spare, but they lost 3-1 and now need to
draw away to RB Leipzig, last year’s
semi-finalists, next Tuesday if they are
to progress.
Neymar rounded off the win with his
second goal at the end of a feisty match
in which Fred was sent off for a second
yellow card.
Solskjaer, the United manager, rued
the fact that Anthony Martial blazed
over and Edinson Cavani hit the bar
when the score was 1-1.
“With more clinical finishing we
should have finished the game midway
through the second half. They wereGoing, going, gone:
How midfielder left
his side a man short
Neymar, left, and PSG team-mate Mbappé confront Fred after the ManchesterSolskjaer: We have
there for the taking,” Solskjaer said.“We
had some big chances and that’s the dif-
ference when you get to the big games.
“They were more clinical. With bet-
ter finishing we would be smiling.”
Fred was sent off shortly after Mar-
quinhos had put PSG 2-1 up after nar-
rowly being played onside by Cavani
and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Fred had already been booked in the
first half for nudging his head into the
head of Leandro Paredes in the first
half. Solskjaer admitted that the mid-
fielder was lucky to be on the pitch after
the clash with Paredes but insisted that
he should not have received a second
yellow for a foul on Ander Herrera as he
won the ball.
“Fred knows he shouldn’t put his
head towards someone even though he
doesn’t touch him, but the second yel-
low wasn’t a foul,” Solskjaer said. “Fred
played really disciplined second half
and when he makes a tackle like thisPaul Hirst