Man Utd drop victory in Russia

Mourinho's team drew 1-1 with Rostov in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 despite scoring first through Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

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Goals: Mkhitaryan 35' - Bukharov 53'.

Unable to win, this was an acceptable result for Man Utd because they had to play on a poor quality pitch, just as coach Jose Mourinho complained before and after the match. This forced the English team to completely change their playing style.

Man Utd's passing accuracy in this match was only 61%, far below their lowest level in the past matches this season. In addition, Man Utd had to use 87 long passes, while their average number of long passes per match in the Premier League is 62.

Man Utd had to play on an unusually bad pitch. Photo: Reuters.

Coming back from a draw, an away goal and, more importantly, injury-free, Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief and declared that his team could not have done any better. The match marked a notable change for the Portuguese coach as he adopted a three-man defence.

This is a familiar formation of Chelsea under Antonio Conte but Mourinho's use of it is rare. In this match, Mourinho used three central defenders: Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo. Ashley Young and Daley Blind were arranged to play as attacking defenders.

Man Utd's defenders seemed unfamiliar with this tactic, as evidenced by the goal when Jones and Rojo failed to maintain a reasonable team formation. The two centre-backs showed their confusion in the attacking situation with a high ball into the centre of the home team. As a result, they let Aleksandr Bukharov move into the penalty area like no one was there and then finish.

Mkhitaryan marked his return with a goal. Photo: Reuters.

In this match, Mourinho put Marouane Fellaini in the starting lineup and the Belgian midfielder did not disappoint his coach when he contributed to the only goal. Fellaini defeated the opponent in an aerial duel before overlapping for Ibrahimovic to pass back to Mkhitaryan to score.

This was only Fellaini's seventh start of the season. With Man Utd having to rely on long passes, the former Everton man's aerial prowess was brought into play. Late in the game, Fellaini headed the ball to Anthony Martial, but the Frenchman failed to seize the opportunity to score the decisive goal.

Mkhitaryan’s return from injury is also a vital addition. United have benefited from the Armenian’s partnership with Ibrahimovic on numerous occasions. The opening goal was one such move, with Mkhitaryan in the right place to receive a pass from his teammate.

In the context of the battle for the top four in the Premier League is still very fierce, Europa League has become a bright path for Mourinho and his team to win a place in the Champions League next season. Man Utd is the most promising candidate for the championship when their formidable opponents are only Roma or Lyon, teams with inferior forces.

According to VNE