Atlético de Madrid 2-0 Manchester United: result and report

Report

Atlético de Madrid beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League, the home win most people expected. The scoreline still makes it look more comfortable than it was, because United created the bigger chances and failed to take any of them.

Pablo Barrios scored in the first minute from Álex Baena's assist. That lead held for most of the match, even though United kept finding openings.

The game turned on 74 minutes, when Leny Jean-Luc Yoro was sent off. Five minutes later, Ademola Lookman made it 2-0 from Jonathan David's pass. That ended any chance of a United response.

Manchester United's missed chances

United had four big chances to Atlético's two, and they missed all four. They also hit the woodwork once and made more key passes, nine to seven. So while they trailed from the first minute, they stayed in the game until the red card.

Their problem was finishing rather than creating. With even one of those chances taken, the final quarter of an hour would have started on very different terms.

Despite that, Atlético were the better side. They finished ahead on xG, 1.32 to 0.93, and had more shots on target, five to four. They also hit the woodwork twice.

Their attacking pressure was heavier across the match. That suggests they carried more of the threat overall, even if United's best moments were sharper. Barrios, who scored the opener, was named player of the match.