Manchester United beat PAOK 2-0 at Old Trafford on Thursday evening to finally kick-start their Europa League campaign with a much-needed three points.
Amad Diallo was the difference between the sides – with the Ivorian winger helping himself to a brace of goals in the second period to put United in control.
After a bright start to proceedings, the first half fizzled out, with the Red Devils struggling to find the killer pass against their Greek visitors.
However, Amad’s second-half salvo proved enough to give Ruud van Nistelrooy a crucial victory.
Here are five talking points from the game.
Amad Diallo delivers his best performance yet
It was a mightily impressive display from the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international, who always looked a threat down the right-hand side.
His clever link-play with his teammates was a joy, buzzing around – and continuously probing for openings.
Inevitably, the youngster opened the scoring five minutes after half-time – connecting with Bruno Fernandes’ cross at the back post to send a looping header into the far corner.
The former Atalanta man scored his second with a superb strike – forcing a turnover high upfield before bending a beautiful left-foot curler past the PAOK goalkeeper and into the net.
It was great to see the little winger take his chance tonight, and – despite withdrawing early with a knock – United fans will hope to see more of this.
Finally, a win in Europe
It was United’s first win in continental competition for just over a year – the last one coming against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League in October 2023 – 380 days ago.
Naturally, it will come as a relief for the club – getting back to winning ways and putting some points on the board after three consecutive draws in the tournament thus far.
With games against Bodo Glimt and Viktoria Plzen to come this side of Christmas, the Old Trafford outfit will now hope to build on this positive result.
Manuel Ugarte produces another solid shift
It was another impressive performance from summer signing Manuel Ugarte, who stuck to his task well and mopped up around the midfield against the Greek side.
Following a slow start to life in Manchester for the former Paris Saint Germain and Sporting Lisbon man, he is now starting to prove his worth with a string of solid showings.
The 23-year-old gets stuck in and does a lot of the dirty work whilst keeping things simple throughout.
His partnership in the engine room with fellow South American Casemiro has been an impressive feature of Van Nistelrooy’s temporary reign.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s unbeaten run continues
It has been an overall positive ten days for the three-time European Champions under the guidance of the Dutchman – as his charges are still unbeaten after three games as interim manager.
After United were defeated 2-1 at West Ham in the Premier League at the end of last month, things looked rather gloomy under Ten Hag. But Van Nistelrooy has steadied the ship since his compatriot was dismissed.
The legendary United striker may only be keeping the manager’s chair warm for incoming manager Rubem Amorim, but the former Netherlands international has had a good impact so far.
It will be intriguing to see if the new boss keeps Van Nistelrooy within his ranks once the Portuguese pitches up in the North West.
Noussair Mazraoui shows his class once more
It has been a super start to life at Old Trafford for Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui – with the versatile 26-year-old taking to English football with minimal fuss.
The former Ajax and Bayern Munich full-back has demonstrated his quality since arriving from the Bavarian giants in the summer – displaying aggression and excellent technique in his play.
At this rate, the Dutch-born star is well on his way to becoming a fans-favourite and has proved to be a great signing so far – and a bargain, too, at an initial £12.9 million.
It will be interesting to see what role Mazraoui now plays under Amorim – in what could potentially be a total change of system.
Who stood out for you in Manchester United’s Europa League win over PAOK on Thursday?
Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments or across our social channels.
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