Man United were held to a 1-1 draw in their final Champions League group game against Young Boys at Old Trafford.
Mason Greenwood gave the Red Devils an early lead with a well-taken goal, but Fabian Rieder’s equalizer before the half-time break split the points.
United’s starting formation
Ralf Rangnick made 11 changes from the team that won against Crystal Palace. He gave all his starters from that game a day off, opting to go with a mix of experience and youth against Young Boys.
Dean Henderson, Anthony Elanga, Amad Diallo, and Juan Mata all got their first Champions League starts of the season.
Rangnick stuck with the 4-2-2-2 formation from the Palace game, but Diallo and Jesse Lingard started the game quite wide as inverted wingers. This was a bit different than Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho playing more centrally against Palace.
Mata and Donny van de Beek formed the midfield pivot. Elanga partnered Mason upfront.
The Red Devils’ started the game looking sharp, with Greenwood getting the early goal in compelling fashion. The game was pretty open-ended after that, with both teams getting plenty of chances.
Going into half-time, both teams could’ve been in the lead had it been for better finishing. Amad, Mata, and Elanga missed some big chances to multiply United’s goals on the day.
Formation towards the end
Rangnick gave Champions League debuts to the likes of Tom Heaton, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage in the game. Teden Mengi also came on, as did Shola Shoretire.
Towards the end, the United players reverted to what looked like a 4-3-3 formation to force a late winner. It ultimately didn’t work because of some sloppy finishing, with United having to end their group stages with a draw.
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