Manchester United vs PAOK Review
Manchester United defeated PAOK 2-0 at Old Trafford, maintaining their unbeaten home streak against Greek teams at seven matches. United entered the match still looking for their first European win of the season, with Ruud van Nistelrooy eager to achieve that before his interim tenure concludes this weekend.
However, it was the Greek side that had the first opportunity, as Andrija Živković passed the ball to Mady Camara at the edge of the box, whose shot was nearly misdirected into the goal by a deflection off Casemiro, but Jonny Evans was there to clear the danger.
The Red Devils gradually became more involved in the match and soon took charge of possession, generating several good chances, but their final passes were consistently lacking. Amad Diallo did manage to send a ball into the box, but Ramus Højlund’s header was easily caught by Dominik Kotarski. The home team continued to press until halftime and found themselves in a good position again after some smooth play from Amad, Noussair Mazraoui, and Bruno Fernandes, but, as had been the case throughout the half, their final pass was inadequate.
After the half time break, United scored within five minutes of the second half, with Fernandes delivering a perfect cross to the back post that Amad headed in. Amad was eager for more and nearly added another after being set up by Fernandes, but his weak right-footed shot was saved by Kotarski’s legs. PAOK rarely posed a threat after their initial attempt, but Tarik Tissoudali wasted a golden opportunity to equalize when he was found unmarked in the box, his weak shot was easily stopped by Onana.
Amad Diallo continued to be United’s main attacking threat, and after some excellent defensive effort, he stole the ball from Baba Rahman in his own half, drove into the box, and scored with a precise shot into the corner. With a two-goal lead, United comfortably managed the last 15 minutes, securing a crucial win at the halfway point of the UEL league phase. Their next match is against Leicester, which will be Van Nistelrooy’s final game as manager, while Rúben Amorim will take charge for United’s upcoming UEL match against Bodø/Glimt. PAOK remains winless in their four matches (1 draw, 3 losses), with their next game against Latvia’s RFS.
