... and with that, this MBM closes down. Thanks for reading. Nighty night!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks to BT Sport: “It was a tight game, flowed both ways. I think the first goal was offside, I think he interfered with David’s view. But Cristiano is incredible. It was a difficult chance. His technique, his eye on the volley, it’s incredible. No-one can question the character of these players, they don’t give up, don’t give in, and keep going. The first goal was a proper team goal, the first moment we really played the football that we should do. You’re at a difficult place, the atmosphere was electric, they’re a very physical, aggressive side.” He also reported that “Varane felt his hamstring and you can’t take any risks”, and replied to a question about Paul Pogba’s poor performance by admitting that “the quality wasn’t always there” and quickly changing the subject.
Jamie Jackson was in Bergamo to witness Cristiano Ronaldo’s genius. His report has landed ... and here it is. Keep this tab open, though, because hopefully we’ll have the thoughts of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer very soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to BT. “It was a difficult game. Atalanta at the Bergamo is always difficult. We never give up, and believe until the end. It was a good result for us. They have a fantastic coach, when I played with Juventus it was always difficult. We had a bit of luck at the end, that I scored a goal. We have to improve and adapt and it will take time, but in my opinion we have time to improve and to be better.”
Credit Where It’s Due dept. Ted Graves sent in this email at 21.49, four minutes before Ronaldo’s dramatic intervention. “Analyzing scoring times alone, Atalanta scored in the 12th minute of the 1st and 2nd halves (including the VAR delay). So that would suggest we’ve got a Ronaldo equalizer coming in stoppage time.” Almost Scholesian in its eerie prescience.
It’s deja vu in the BT Sport studio. Paul Scholes, who predicted the Liverpool debacle in the immediate wake of the 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta, is encouraged to repeat that take ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby. He demurs, but Rio Ferdinand picks up the baton. “They can’t have that second-half performance,” he says. “If they go out with that second-half performance against Manchester City, they get slapped again by three, four, five.”
In the other Group F match, Villarreal have beaten Young Boys 2-0. That further emphasises how important that Ronaldo equaliser was, because without it, they’d be third, and facing possible elimination on matchday five when they visit Villarreal. But now look!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Villarreal | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Atalanta | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Young Boys | 4 | -5 | 3 |
FULL TIME: Atalanta 2-2 Manchester United
United weren’t all that ... but how about that Cristiano Ronaldo, huh. Yet another late goal, and it’s one that’s given United’s chances of qualification for the knockout stage a huge boost!
90 min +5: Maguire just about deals with a long ball, then draws a foul from Muriel. That should be enough for the draw!
90 min +4: Van de Beek worms his way down the left. On the left-hand corner of the six hard box, he flashes across Musso and towards the bottom right. But the keeper sticks out a strong arm and saves! What a smash and grab that would have been.
90 min +3: A long, long, long VAR check. Did the ball hit Greenwood’s arm? United hearts in mouths. But no! The goal stands!
Updated
GOAL! Atalanta 2-2 Manchester United (Ronaldo 90+1)
Astonishing! Atalanta fail to clear a ball bouncing along the front of their own box, left to right. Greenwood flicks it to Ronaldo, on the right-hand side of the D. Ronaldo meets the dropping ball and volleys across Musso and into the bottom left. He’s done it again!
Updated
90 min: Shaw floats the free kick into the mixer. Maguire attacks it, but it’s no good. Atalanta clear. It’s the first of five added minutes.
90 min: Koopmeiners needlessly bowls Cavani to the ground, 40 yards out on the left. Free kick, and a chance to load the box.
89 min: Zappacosta is down, Shaw having clipped him in a hard-but-fair 50-50. The clock keeps ticking down.
87 min: That’s Fernandes’ last act. He’s replaced by Sancho, and isn’t happy about it. Van de Beek also comes on, replacing McTominay. Can United’s lesser-spotted duo finally make an impression in the most dramatic style?
86 min: The corner leads to a game of head tennis, then Fernandes scissors clear.
85 min: Zapata surprises De Gea with a snapshot from the best part of 30 yards. The keeper dives late, but turns the ball around the post nonetheless.
83 min: Shaw bursts down the left and very nearly finds McTominay with a pass along the channel ... but Koopmeiners reads the danger and intercepts at full pace, saving a corner and falling over the hoardings as he pokes out for a throw. “It sounds like a good game,” writes Stephen Carr. “I’m really looking forward to the highlights.”
81 min: Muriel and Zapata make a balls of a two-on-two. Muriel’s pass to Zapata on the left is slow and behind his man; the one coming back the other way isn’t all that either. Muriel eventually sends a pea-roller into the arms of De Gea. Crisper and faster, and United were in a world of pain.
80 min: Make that nth+1. The corner’s worked from left to right. Zappacosta crosses. Zapata heads over from eight yards. A great chance, but one made a smidgen more difficult by Bailly’s presence.
79 min: Cavani gifts possession to Maehle, who fizzes in a low cross from the left. Bailly, for the nth time this evening, is United’s hero, sliding out for a corner.
78 min: Zapata has the opportunity to send Maehle clear down the inside-left channel, but inexplicably decides not to play the pass.
76 min: A bit of space for Muriel down the right. He crosses to nobody in particular. Atalanta suddenly look a little less threatening in attack. “Great team effort by Atalanta so far tonight,” writes Rob Watson. “Difficult to say if anyone is head and shoulders above the rest.”
75 min: United press Atalanta back for the first time this evening. A few groans from the home crowd as the hosts repeatedly lose the ball. Wan-Bissaka has a lash from the right-hand corner of the box. His shot is blocked by his own man Greenwood.
73 min: McTominay steps across an in-flight Maehle. It certainly wasn’t enough for a booking, but the referee has another word anyway. He’s got to tread very carefully now.
71 min: Ilicic makes way for Muriel. “I’m sure you’re eager to wash your hands of all these hair product references, but do you think Atalanta’s effectiveness thus far might simply be down to better conditioning?” zings Grant Tennille.
70 min: Matic’s shot from distance is deflected wide right of goal. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
69 min: United make a double change, swapping Pogba and Rashford for Matic and Cavani. That’s some indictment of Pogba’s performance, being hooked instead of McTominay, who is on a booking and his final warning.
68 min: Wan-Bissaka strokes a pass down the inside-right channel with a view to releasing Fernandes. There’s too much weight on the pass, and though Fernandes reaches the ball on the byline, he can only hook softly into the arms of Musso from the tightest of angles.
66 min: United string a few passes together in midfield, the possession drawing a little of Atalanta’s sting and offering some much-needed relief.
64 min: In the end, Zapata was well onside as the ball was played forward to him for Atalanta’s second goal. Not sure why the VAR decision took two minutes and six seconds, but there it was.
62 min: Koopmeiners bustles his way down the right into acres of space. He should find Zapata in the middle with his low cross, but the pass is no good and United breathe again.
60 min: United stopped to a man during that move, everyone with their arms in the air, like George Graham-era Arsenal. That nanosecond of inaction proved costly, allowing Zapata to evade Maguire’s eventual lunge and shovel home.
58 min: The decision came on 58 minutes, but this is how things are done now.
Updated
GOAL! Atalanta 2-1 Manchester United (Zapata 56)
The decision is overturned and the goal stands! Maguire, deepest in the middle of the park when the initial pass was made, was playing Zapata on.
Updated
57 min: VAR is still checking. It must be tight.
56 min: A long pass down the inside-left channel, and Zapata is sprung clear. He strides into the box, draws De Gea, holds off the covering Maguire, and dinks into the net. The offside flag goes up ... but there’s going to be a VAR check.
Updated
55 min: McTominay crashes into the back of Freuler, then bear hugs him from behind. Already on a booking, he’s really chancing his arm here. The referee gives him the what-for. One more foul and he’s in trouble.
54 min: It’s still very frantic. Long passing sequences are at a premium right now, but it’s an entertaining watch nonetheless, with both teams in search of the win. No settling for a handy point here.
52 min: Bailly blocks again, it’s not even news any more. This time he stops Maehle’s progress down the left touchline. He’s been quite superb this evening.
51 min: McTominay sticks an arm under Maehle’s chin and is booked for his overly aggressive role in a 50-50 tussle.
49 min: Rashford slips Greenwood clear down the inside right. Greenwood, free in the box, slams a shot off the right-hand post and away. The flag goes up for offside, so it wouldn’t have counted, but this is much better from United. A fair chance this won’t end 1-1.
48 min: A fine block down the other end now, as Palomino gets in the way of a spinning Fernandes, shooting from just inside the box. An extremely hectic start to this half, with both teams clearly having been told to step it up a bit.
47 min: Koopmeiners shoots from distance. The ball loops high into the air off Wan-Bissaka and drops to Zapata on the penalty spot. Zapata shapes to slam home, but Bailly once again gets in the road. Turns out Zapata was offside anyway, but that’s another brilliant block by Bailly.
46 min: Zappacosta immediately tears down the right, and tries to trick his way past Maguire and into the box. Maguire reads his intentions well and toe-pokes away from danger.
Atalanta get the second half underway, having made a change. Djimsiti comes on for Pasalic.
Half-time entertainment II. “Going back to the Atalanta crest, I suppose their manager would be Wella advised to apply the hairdryer treatment at halftime.” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week, try the nutri-enrich volume-boost colour recharge.
Half-time entertainment. Chelsea have already finished their Champions League shift today. Jacob Steinberg was at the Eleda Stadion to witness their 1-0 win at Malmo.
HALF TIME: Atalanta 1-1 Manchester United
Ronaldo does it to Atalanta again, and walks off with his arm around a rueful but smiling Gian Piero Gasperini. United are still probably due a good talking-to at half-time, mind. Last word of the half goes to Sam Tinison: “United not good but the goal quite brilliant? Season in a nutshell, there!”
Updated
45 min +4: That’s silenced the home crowd, too. For the first time tonight, the United fans are winning the aural battle.
45 min +2: United sliced Atalanta in two there. A sudden burst of tempo, some pretty triangles, and the visitors were level in a flash. As good as their play up to that point had been bad.
Updated
GOAL! Atalanta 1-1 Manchester United (Ronaldo 45+1)
United haven’t been good. But this is quite brilliant. Ronaldo, 25 yards out, flicks towards Greenwood down the inside-right channel. Greenwood rolls forward, into the box, for Fernandes, running left to right. Fernandes clips an instant backheel into Ronaldo’s path, and he slams into the bottom left from 12 yards. A gorgeous team goal!
Updated
45 min: There will be four additional minutes.
44 min: On the touchline, Solskjaer shouts at his players quite a lot. He’s far from happy with what he’s seen so far.
43 min: Zapata flicks on a long pass down the left, and goes after it himself. Wan-Bissaka does well to read the danger and stand his ground. Had he not, the Atalanta striker was away, simple as that. United do not look secure at the back at all.
41 min: Palomino takes the ball off Pogba with worrying ease. Pogba isn’t at the races at all this evening.
39 min: Greenwood isn’t up to speed, and gifts the ball to Zapata, who sashays towards the United box. The super-busy Bailly dinks the ball away from him and out for a corner, and nothing comes of the set piece. United can’t keep making these sort of basic mistakes.
38 min: Varane can’t continue. The good news is, he’s able to walk off with purpose, and takes up a seat on the bench. So hopefully that’s not too serious. But he can’t continue this evening, and Greenwood comes on in his place.
37 min: Varane, with nobody around him, sits down on the turf. This doesn’t look great. He wears the look of a man who’s pulled something.
35 min: Another block by Bailly, this time to concede a corner on the left, as the ever-troublesome Zapata make a nuisance of himself. Atalanta claim a handball from the resulting set piece, the ball whistling through a crowded box and hitting an unaware Fernandes on the hand, but neither referee nor VAR show interest.
34 min: That was such a well-timed and brave block by Bailly, it would have been so unfortunate had the ball struck his arm. It was poor play from Pogba, though.
32 min: Nope. That came off his shoulder, and nothing comes of the corner.
31 min: A VAR check for a penalty. Pogba faffs about at the throw. His attempt to pass upfield is deflected easily into the path of Zapata, eight yards out and alone! But the ball takes an age to drop, allowing Bailly to come across and spectacularly block out for a corner! That’s a brilliant goal-saving challenge, though did it hit his arm?
30 min: Zapata finds a little space down the right channel. Zapata flicks infield and nearly tees up Ilicic, but McTominay comes across and batters clear, just in time. He whacks Ilicic’s knee in doing so. He goes down but is quickly back up again.
28 min: So having said that, United respond with a little keep-ball of their own. They don’t do a great deal with it, but at least they’ve moved the play back upfield.
Updated
26 min: Atalanta are hogging possession right now. They’re pressing United back, and the visitors are struggling to string anything together. They are, however, holding their shape.
24 min: Zappacosta takes a whack in the mush from Rashford’s shoulder. No intent. A brief break in play as the Atalanta man is sponged down.
22 min: A simple long ball down the inside-right channel nearly opens up United. Zapata chases after it. He’s clear! He faces De Gea at a tight angle, and should square to Pasalic for the tap-in, but goes for goal himself. Wrong choice. Goal kick.
20 min: Fernandes slips a ball down the right channel for Pogba, who stands one up for Ronaldo. The resulting header flashes wide left; you’d expect more from Ronaldo, six yards out. This is a good response from United, though.
19 min: A long, looping free kick is met by Maguire on the right. His header’s not much cop, and the ball hangs in the air, easy pickings for Musso. The keeper is clattered by Ronaldo as he goes up for it, and the pressure is released on the hosts.
18 min: Rashford makes his way down the left at speed and buys a cheap free kick from Ilicic, hanging his leg out in front of the Atalanta man, who witlessly runs into it. Dangerous position, this.
16 min: The atmosphere in the Stadio di Bergamo is electric. A pyro party going on as well. United pour forward nevertheless, Ronaldo digging out a cross from the right. Shaw smashing a first-time volley into the ground and over the bar. Great fun, this. “Not sure about a plastic hanger being top of the range,” argues Paul Howarth. “Surely a varnished moulded wooden hanger is the highest ranked of hangers.”
14 min: United nearly respond immediately, Ronaldo chasing a long pass down the middle. Musso is out quickly to smother and save. Ronaldo, within his rights to go for the ball, sticks the boot in a bit. The home fans aren’t happy but in truth it’s not much of an incident. Game on, though!
13 min: There’s a check for VAR, as Pasalic was arguably in an offside position that unsighted De Gea. But the goal stands.
GOAL! Atalanta 1-0 Manchester United (Ilicic 12)
Zapata gets the better of Wan-Bissaka down the left, and rolls a ball across the face of the box. Ilicic opens his body and slams a low shot towards the bottom left. De Gea lets the ball squirt under him and into the bottom right. Not the keeper’s finest hour.
Updated
10 min: Atalanta work their way back into the game. Space for Ilicic who glides in from the right. He slips a reverse ball down the channel and is this close to releasing Pasalic.
7 min: United have started brightly, no mean feat in a stadium that’s rocking with noise from the home support. “Must disagree with you about the pennant,” writes Adam Hirst. “Completely lacking in opposition badge, which is the thing that sets each game as different, and shows a little more respect for you opponents… even if they do advertise hair gel on theirs. Plus the badge should be Manchester United FC, of course.” Fair points all, but even so: the tassels, man! The tassels!
5 min: United nearly take the lead in farcical circumstances! McTominay scuffs a shot from the right-hand corner of the D. He’s aiming for the bottom right, but the ball takes an absurd deflection off Pasalic and towards the bottom left. Musso, going the wrong way, slips and is out of the game. The ball bounces ever-so-slowly towards the corner of the net ... only to gently dink off the bottom of the left-hand post. Atalanta clear. That would have been a proper slapstick start.
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4 min: Pogba is a tad passive in a tussle with Koopmeiners, and is pretty fortunate that the referee decides the Atalanta midfielder has tugged his shirt. Had he not, Pasalic was racing towards the United box as a result.
2 min: Atalanta stroke it around a bit, easing their way into the match. “Say what you like about the United pennant being hooked on a coat hanger,” begins David Wall, “but at least they’re using a broad one that doesn’t wreck the shoulders of your jumper like those thin wire-hangers. They’ve gone top-of-the-range from the hanger market.”
19 sec: Ronaldo has a dig from 25 yards. Easy for Musso in the Atalanta goal, but it’s a statement of intent, and a sign that United’s tails are up after last weekend’s fine result at Spurs.
United get the ball rolling ... but only after both teams take the knee. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! Atalanta are in their Internazionalesque blue and black, while United wear their first-choice red. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed happy enough in the pre-match interview he gave the BT Sport while I was dicking around with photos of haircare brands, but to be honest you didn’t miss much. A loud rendition of the official Uefa anthem. We’ll be off in a minute!
Yes logo. “Is Atalanta’s logo sponsored by hair spray giant Wella?” wonders Ronan O Brien. They are rather similar, it’s fair to say. Not sure who got to market first, but you have to think heads should roll (while maintaining the hair’s long-lasting hold and salon-standard silky look).
It’s another big evening for the perpetually under-pressure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who hasn’t completely bodyswerved the precipice just yet. Whatever happens in the endgame, though, he’ll always be welcome at Old Trafford ... and in parts of north London, too. “Ole will forever be a Tottenham legend irrespective of whatever happens on the pitch,” quips Yash Gupta. Oh Nuno. Poor Nuno.
Say what you like about the team, or the way the club is being run. Because credit where it’s due, that is one classy pennant. Like a velvet pillow. A plush fabric befitting the three-time champions of Europe. Shame about the plastic coat hanger but you can’t have everything.
Updated
A reminder of how things stand in Group F at the halfway point. Manchester United lead the group with six points, two ahead of Atalanta and Villarreal. Young Boys prop up the section with three points. A win for United tonight would put them in a very strong position, one step closer to winning their group for the 16th time in their history.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Atalanta | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Young Boys | 3 | -3 | 3 |
Updated
Manchester United make three changes to the XI sent out to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 last Saturday evening. Eric Bailly replaces the injured Victor Lindelof, while Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford step up in place of the benched Fred and Edinson Cavani.
Atalanta make one change from the first XI selected for their dramatic 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford. Duvan Zapata replaces Luis Muriel up front. Merih Demiral, scourge of United in the first half of that game before going off injured, returned for Atalanta’s 2-2 draw with Lazio three days ago, and is good for this one too.
The teams
Atalanta: Musso, de Roon, Demiral, Palomino, Zappacosta, Freuler, Koopmeiners, Maehle, Ilicic, Pasalic, Zapata.
Subs: Muriel, Pezzella, Malinovsky, Djimsiti, Scalvini, Sportiello, Miranchuk, Lovato, Piccoli, Rossi.
Manchester United: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Bailly, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, McTominay, Pogba, Rashford, Ronaldo.
Subs: Mata, Martial, Greenwood, Lingard, Fred, Dalot, Cavani, Sancho, Henderson, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek.
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia).
Preamble
Lads, it’s Atalanta. Given what happened last time round, you can take that either as giddy encouragement or warning of grave danger. Up to you. Kick off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
