Villarreal vs Manchester United: 3 things we learned

Manchester United started their new era with a huge 2-0 win against Villarreal away in Spain. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho were enough to secure their place in the Champions League knockout phase with one game still to be played. That is certainly impressive considering the troubles that they have had in this campaign already.

While their domestic form has been disappointing and led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being shown the exit door, their form in Europe has been quite the opposite.

After losing in the opening game, they have won thrice and drawn once. Of course, a large part of the credit should go to Ronaldo, who has scored in every game as well as David de Gea, who has produced some immense performances in goal.

Manchester United will be hoping to use this result as a platform to bounce back and get their season back on track. It has certainly breathed new life into their campaign.

Villarreal vs Manchester United: 3 things we learned

Here are three things we learned as Manchester United beat Villarreal away from home in order to book their place in the Champions League knockout stage:

Michael Carrick gets the job done

Michael Carrick finds himself in an unfamiliar position. After Solskjaer’s exit, he has been made the caretaker manager, while Manchester United search for an interim manager to guide them until the end of the season.

There is a possibility though that he could get that role if the side impress under his management. And this was certainly an impressive start, getting an away win in the Champions League against a tough side while keeping a clean sheet as well, which has been a rare sight this season.

Now, it remains to be seen if Carrick retains his role or if the club bring someone in. But it is safe to say that the former Manchester United star got the job done on this occasion.