Manchester United vs RB Leipzig result: Five things we learned as Marcus Rashford scores Champions League hat-trick

Greenwood adds verve up front

These past few months have not been easiest for Manchester United’s heir apparent. A breathtaking introduction to professional football stunted by teenage naivety and controversy, dropped by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and circled by certain sections of the media. When a player rises so quickly, so authoritatively, there always seems to be a strange sense of schadenfreude at their first misstep.

But while this might have been something of a baptism for Greenwood off the pitch, it would be foolish to paint it as any type of redemption arc on it. He may have only turned 19 earlier this month, but even the earliest memories at United’s academy tell of his undoubted potential, long before a stunning first season in the Premier League. And so, restored on the right-wing, his impression on this game was immediate, loitering off the last man, his change of acceleration constantly striking fear. 

There are many dimensions to his play, but perhaps, his greatest ability is his ball-striking. The debate over which is his strongest foot, the whip, crack and gunshot when he shoots. It’s such a rare blend of power and precision, and so when Greenwood was gifted a single opportunity in the first half, he took it perfectly. Slipped through by Pogba, after a brilliant recovery by Fred in midfield, he timed his run and rifled a low shot across the face of goal and into the far corner. He may have been forced to endure something of a learning experience as of late, but this was a move he’s practised so long it’s practically innate.

Van de Beek shows promise

Certainly when he signed for £35m in the summer, Donny van de Beek imagined a little more grandeur than being an awkward topic for press conferences, consigned to the bench, a seemingly dispensable back-up to Bruno Fernandes. Admirers have leapt to his defence, questioned his manager, and after just a few weeks, whether this was even the right move for the Dutch midfielder at all.

But in those rare glimpses when he has been given a chance, Van de Beek clearly adds a new dimension to United’s side. Always intent on running between the lines, a natural ball-carrier, he is the impetus behind attacks and combines play very neatly, a skill well harnessed in his years at Ajax. Still, with Fernandes restored to the team, it’s hard to envisage how the pair can thrive alongside one another without leaving weaknesses behind, but Van de Beek is clearly a huge asset, rather than only an alternative.

Upamecano proves his prodigious talent

Manchester United fans are no stranger to Dayot Upamecano, a player whom they courted and ultimately rejected as a teenager. The centre-back who Bayern Munich failed to snatch under the Red Bull system’s noses, and has since risen to being possibly the world’s best young centre-back. The quiet, unassuming Frenchman plays in complete contrast to his personality; uncompromising and assertive in defence, deft and audacious with the ball at his feet, regularly stepping into the midfield, slipping through balls into space and even at one stage marauding around 30 yards upfield. Liverpool and United continue to be linked with approaches for him and, despite the occasional unnecessary risk, his ceiling is frighteningly high for a player just who is still only 22-years-old.  

Pogba finds harmony in formation

The debate around Paul Pogba’s best position continues to rage, a seemingly insolvable conundrum, and yet tonight, perhaps, Solskjaer finally stumbled upon an answer. Playing a diamond in midfield, Nemanja Matic guarding the defence, Fred scampering maniacally around him, Pogba found his rhythm, the freedom to express himself without the unlimited constraints whereby supporters demand everything from him at once. He assisted Greenwood’s opener, ran well with the ball, and used his vision to pick holes in Leipzig’s defence. There will always be more demanded of him and it was by no means a standout display, but United can ill-afford to leave out a player of his quality. Instead, it must be a mutual relationship, a formula that allows both the team and player to thrive. Tonight, was certainly a step in the right direction.

United’s embarrassment of riches off the bench

It was something of an embarrassment of riches to bring off the bench. Holding onto a one-goal lead, in control but not without nerves, Solskjaer introduced Marcus Rashford and Fernandes. The pair were imperious, practically unplayable, and combined to devastating effect for the second goal as Rashford sprung the offside trap. 

The England international, while concerting such incredible efforts off the pitch, was utterly electric from the moment he came on, too fast and skilful for Leipzig’s crumbling defence, his speed and intelligence in a dimension of its own during such a dazzling cameo. The substitutions completely transformed United as a team, and it was an option to which Leipzig simply had no answer.

As full-time neared, and Rashford completed his hat-trick despite selflessly passing Anthony Martial the ball for a penalty, Solskjaer even afforded himself a smile and a giggle in the dugout, because while this might not necessarily be the beginning of a new chapter, you have to savour nights like these, and certainly in this competition, they are only becoming more common.