FIVE ASIDES Europa League: Sheriff Tiraspol 0, United 2
Two-nil! It’s been a while. The last time United finished a game like this was back in February, 23 games ago: Brighton (home), before Ralf Rangnick lost the plot. The time before that was last November, at Villarreal, under Michael Carrick. So Erik ten Hag’s challenge now is to make it all the way to two two-nils. Coming after the one-nils at Southampton and Leicester, this 1800-mile trip turned into another short step forward. For United it was a first win in the 2022/23 Europa League, a third win in a row on the road, a third clean sheet in five games, a solid response to the Sociedad defeat and the surrounding postponements, and the first time this season they had scored twice against modest opposition. Maybe these big-game Charlies can rise to the small occasion after all.
The frustrating thing was that United had the game in the bag after 40 minutes. After a poor first act, which largely consisted of Lisandro Martinez taking too many touches, they were two up and in total command. There was time enough for two or three more, for a resounding win and a boost to the goal difference. Tiraspol were lively but naive and wasteful, so there was no real threat: they didn’t even have many fans there, as their home ground, 40 miles away in Transnistria, had been ruled out for geopolitical reasons. And yet, for much of the second half, United were just going through the motions. Charlie McNeill, after his six-minute debut in defeat the week before, could have a decent go here, but even when Ronaldo went off he wasn’t sent on. How is he going to be United’s top scorer in 2024/25 if he doesn’t get 20 minutes now, on a gentle Thursday night in Moldova?
Jadon Sancho’s goal was a gem. Not so much the finish, though it was good enough – precise, composed, left-footed. The magic lay in the whole move, which consisted of 12 quick passes with Antony winning a 50-50, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes combining well, and Christian Eriksen first strolling about, then suddenly coming to life as he sniffed the opening. He saw that a packed defence could be unlocked by one crisp reverse pass to Sancho, who had swapped places with Fernandes. On the wing, where there tends to be time to play with, Sancho often freezes and makes a bad choice, but stick him in the area with barely a moment to think and a predator’s instinct kicks in. He makes the one swift jink that leaves his marker on the floor and allows him to plant the ball in the corner. As against Liverpool, so here: now the Tiraspol defenders know how James Milner and Alisson felt.
Ronaldo took his penalty well, notching up his 699th club goal and his first in the Europa. He’s up and scoring, but he’s still not himself. When chances fell to him in open play, in the 33rd and 69th minutes, he lofted the ball into Row Z, and when he could have had an assist for Fernandes, he overcooked the through ball. It’s hard to see him starting United’s next game, which happens to be the Manchester derby – but not hard to see him coming on as a sub and grabbing his 700th.
Both goals were Ten Hag goals. The penalty because it came from a smart exchange between Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, marauding down the right wing; the Sancho goal because it came from patience, incisiveness and a left-foot finish. In training, Ten Hag has been making the players practise passing and shooting with their weaker foot. This shouldn’t even be worth remarking on, but, since it doesn’t seem to be standard, good on him for starting it. Half of management is making sure the simple things are done well. The other half – making sure the difficult things are done too – awaits him at the Etihad.
Tim de Lisle writes about sport for The Guardian and music for The Mail on Sunday. If you’re on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing.