United midfielder Michael Carrick gets fouled and felled but still managed to get the winning goal for his team
Image retrieved from the official UEFA Champions League website
Goals of the Game
Manchester United: Carrick (7')
Galatasaray: --
It was a nervy and lucky night for the Reds at Old Trafford as they faced Turkish giants Galatasaray, with Carrick's goal holding the lead for the English team. The win kick-starts United's Champions League campaign for this season.
Manchester United looked primed and ready for another dominating performance in the very first minutes of the game, with Carrick clinching in the goal as early as the seventh minute, as he made brilliant ball play with team-mate Shinji Kagawa.
After that, United lost its flair and was quick to go shift to defense mode as Galatasaray looked hungry in the counter-attack. The Reds still asked questions and knocked on the door of Galatasaray keeper Muslera's net, but the first-half certainly could've gone better.
United upped the ante in the first minutes of the second-half, with Nani and Evra doing wonderful exchanges in the Galatasaray half, but the Turkish grit and defensive strength proved solid. It was until Paul Scholes made a brilliant pass to Rafael, who was geared to make the goal but was fouled Burak Yilmaz inside the box. A penalty was called.
With the Southampton penalty fiasco fresh in United's memories, it was decided that Nani should take the penalty. The cushion lead that United needed was nowhere to be found when the Portuguese winger horribly failed to take the penalty shot and was easily saved.
Nani falters on his penalty shot, making way for an easy save for Galatasaray keeper Muslera
Image retrieved from the official UEFA Champions League website
From that point, Galatasaray knew there was a great chance to at least share a point with the Reds. The Turkish team went into overdrive and made attack after attack. Questionable referee decisions, apart from United's sheer luck and periods of great defense, made sure the visitors didn't net any goals, giving United the win.
Looking at the game in hindsight, United looked once again to be setting the stage for a repeat of last year's CL campaign. Long periods of sloppy defense plus poor finishing at some points tinge doubt in the Reds ability to progress in the tournament.
Carrick was great for his team once again, as he did great hold of the ball and had stints of brilliant defending, apart from his winning goal.
Evra and Nani had good link-up, but their finishing was a bit poor.
Robin van Persie failed to make his mark in the European stage for his team. Perhaps he's still adjusting to his new club.
A special mention had to be said for Captain Nemanja Vidic, who was United's stalwart defender, neutralizing a lot of Galatasaray's chances.
In the end, it was the scoreline that mattered and United get the full three-points against Galatasaray, who could've easily equalized or won the game. Having said that, the Reds need to better their preparation and performance in their next meeting, for if Galatasaray proved formidable at Old Trafford, who knows what they could do on their own turf?
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