PSV comeback floors Manchester United
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Article summary
PSV 2-1 Manchester United
Goals from Héctor Moreno and Luciano Narsingh eclipsed PSV old boy Memphis Depay's strike in the Group B opener in Eindhoven.
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Article body
- Memphis Depay scores against his former club
- Héctor Moreno equalises against the run of play
- Luciano Narsingh also nets a header to secure famous victory
- Game stopped for eight minutes due to Luke Shaw's leg injury
- Next games: CSKA Moskva v PSV, Manchester United v Wolfsburg (30 September)
PSV Eindhoven upset the odds by coming from behind to beat Manchester United 2-1 in an entertaining UEFA Champions League Group B encounter in Eindhoven.
The visitors suffered an early blow when Luke Shaw was stretchered off after Héctor Moreno blocked his surge into the box. But they quickly regained their rhythm and almost inevitably it was Memphis Depay who opened the scoring, latching onto Daley Blind's assist and bamboozling two defenders with a sublime touch before rifling the ball past Jeroen Zoet.
Depay and Chris Smalling also came close as the Red Devils looked to consolidate their advantage. But the next goal surprisingly fell at the other end when Moreno headed home Maxime Lestienne's corner despite Blind's best efforts.
Depay and Anthony Martial linked early in the second half but Zoet saved his former team-mate's low drive. Yet as Louis van Gaal's men threatened to take control it was the Eredivisie champions who once again struck. Andrés Guardado released Lestienne on the left and his magnificent cross was nodded in emphatically by Luciano Narsingh.
United upped the tempo and brought on Marouane Fellaini to add punch to their attack. But Phillip Cocu's men defended well and ran out relatively comfortable winners. Van Gaal will certainly not have enjoyed his return to the Netherlands.
Key player: Héctor Moreno
Describing himself as "really sorry" for his part in the incident that left Shaw with a broken leg, Moreno added: "I don't know what happened; I just feel really bad because I was involved." More positively, he contributed at both ends of the pitch: stifling the danger from Martial and also using the ball intelligently whenever winning possession. His prowess brought his side back into the game when it seemed to be slipping from their grasp. Signing the former AZ Alkmaar defender from Espanyol was a smart piece of summer business by Cocu.
How badly do PSV miss Depay?
The match was finely in the balance until the former PSV forward produced a moment of brilliance to break the deadlock. That kind of skill invariably makes the difference at this level. In saying that, his successor Lestienne was always menacing and his direct running caused Matteo Darmian problems all evening. A new Eindhoven star is born?
The Rooney factor
Much was expected of Martial after his sizzling substitute appearance against Liverpool on Saturday, but he didn't manage to stamp his presence on this fixture. United missed the injured Wayne Rooney's guile and clinical finishing – and ultimately failed to win a contest they controlled for long spells.