Manchester United made a winning return to Champions League action this evening with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge in the first leg of their playoff tie.
The hosts fell behind early on through a Michael Carrick own goal, but Memphis Depay opened his account for the club with a first-half brace to send his side into the break ahead.
Brugge were reduced to 10 men late on courtesy of a second yellow card for Brandon Mechele, and their resistance was finally broken for a third time when Marouane Fellaini glanced a header home right at the death.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether United deserved to prevail in an entertaining contest at Old Trafford.
Match statistics
MAN UTD
Shots: 19
On target: 8
Possession: 69%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 11
BRUGGE
Shots: 1
On target: 1
Possession: 31%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Absolutely. It was by no means a bad performance from the visitors, but United controlled the match for long spells and there can be no doubt that they deserved to run out winners this evening. For the vast majority of the second half it looked as though they may have had to settle for just a one-goal lead to take back to Belgium, which would have been a good result for Brugge, but in truth they deserved more than that and Fellaini's late goal gives the scoreline a more accurate representation of how the match went.
United had plenty of chances to make things more comfortable before Fellaini's header, with Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Chris Smalling all missing very good goalscoring opportunities. They would have felt hard done by had they not found a third goal eventually and, for all of Brugge's stout defending - even with 10 men in the closing stages - they can't have any arguments at the final score this evening.
Having said that, the statistics above suggest a much more one-sided affair than what actually occurred. United dominate the shot count and possession stats, but Brugge were always in the game and showed enough signs to suggest that this tie is not yet over. They offered less going forward in the second half, and it is hard to argue against them managing 18 fewer attempts on goal than their opponents, but Michel Preud'homme's side did not play particularly badly here.
Man Utd's performance
Following two winning but not exactly encouraging performances in the Premier League, this display will create much more buzz amongst the fans. United started brightly enough and, even when they fell behind in the eighth minute, there was a feeling that it was only a temporary setback. It was by no means a perfect first-half display from the hosts, who were cut open too frequently and easily for Louis van Gaal's liking, but they looked dangerous every time they came forward.
They controlled possession for long spells and deserved to go into the break ahead courtesy of Depay's goal right on the stroke of half time. However, throughout the opening 45 minutes Brugge continued to carry a threat, and there was a feeling that the hosts needed a third to make sure of things. That dissolved somewhat in the second half, however, as United dominated possession and dictated the tempo of the match, creating a number of clear chances along the way.
The third goal did eventually arrive, and it could well be a huge one in the context of the tie, particularly taking into account Brugge's away goal. It was no more than United deserved, but Van Gaal will know now if he didn't before that Brugge are capable of asking questions of his side. However, if the likes of Smalling and Depay - United's two standout players this evening - play in Belgium like they did tonight then the Red Devils should be fine.
Brugge's performance
The statistics paint a pretty grim picture for the visitors, but they by no means tell the full story. Brugge were seen as arguably the kindest draw United could have hoped for in the playoffs, but the hosts quickly knew that they were in a game. The Belgian side were not afraid to get on the front foot, and the attacking intent they showed throughout the first half seemed to take United by surprise. Far from sitting back and attempting to stay in the tie for the second leg, they went at United and got some success out of it.
The own goal had no small element of fortune about it, but they will argue that they deserved that for the way they went about the match. However, for all of their bright play, they did still only manage one shot throughout the 90 minutes. It must also be said that they struggled to get into the match after the break, and but for some poor United finishing they could have found themselves dead and buried at the halfway stage of this tie.
Defensively there must also be questions asked over how they continually allowed Depay to cut inside onto his right foot and go for goal, rather than showing him down the line. The Dutch winger got two goals and an assist through that route, and it could have been more. There are certainly negatives for Preud'homme to address, then, but there were also encouraging signs from this performance and they will be given more of a chance by many onlookers going into the second leg following tonight's display.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Memphis Depay: United have made some high-profile signings this summer, but none have created the hype that Depay has done. Handed the famous number seven shirt, the Dutch winger was quiet in his first two league games but sprung into life tonight. The stage - playing in the Champions League under the floodlights - looked made for him and he terrorised the Brugge defence throughout.
As mentioned, some more shrewd defensive work could have limited his chances, but he took both of his goals very well and delivered a peach of a cross for Fellaini to add the third. In truth, Depay should have had four himself tonight having missed two other golden opportunities that were arguably better than the two he scored, but it would be harsh to criticise the big-money arrival after such an impressive showing. The United fans may well have a new number seven to worship.
Biggest gaffe
Sergio Romero almost wrestled this off his teammate when he misjudged a back-pass, but the biggest gaffe has to go to Carrick for his own goal. The United midfielder could not get his feet sorted in time as he went for the interception from a free kick, and in the end it was a rather half-hearted attempt to cut the ball out. Romero was perhaps slightly out of position, anticipating the cross into the box, but the main bulk of the blame lies with Carrick.
Referee performance
Deniz Aytekin didn't enjoy the best game in the middle this evening. The German official made a number of questionable calls, twice awarding free kicks against United when he could have given penalties for the hosts. He also controversially denied a Brugge goal following Romero's error, although that decision is easier to understand after the keeper was caught late. The red card was the right decision, however, with both of Mechele's fouls being worthy of a booking.
What next?
Man Utd: Next up for the Red Devils is a home tie against Newcastle United on Saturday, before they travel to Belgium for the return leg of this fixture a week on Wednesday.
Brugge: Brugge, meanwhile, will travel to face Zulte-Waregem on Saturday evening.
Barney Corkhill
