Sancho back amongst the goals as Manchester United earn a comfortable victory against Villarreal

Jadon Sancho helps to inspire Manchester United to a 2-0 victory against Villarreal as the Red Devils progress into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer relieved of his duties earlier in the week, it was down to Michael Carrick to lead the team into battle against Villarreal with a place in the Round of 16 up for grabs.

The ex-Manchester United midfielder’s first call was on the starting 11, and he pulled out a few surprises, with Anthony Martial coming back into the fold and Donny Van de Beek getting a start with the Dutchman sat just behind Cristiano Ronaldo in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

It was Sancho however that managed to catch the eye as he showed glimpses of his Borussia Dortmund form which earned him his move to Manchester United in the first place.

The winger netted the second, and most crucial goal, of the evening, with his pace and directness causing problems for Villarreal full-back Pervis Estupinan which saw the Ecuadorian substituted in the 78th minute.

Sancho didn’t manage to register a key pass or successful cross in the game but he still impacted the game in a way he hasn’t managed to yet this season.

By keeping it simple and going back to the basics of maintaining possession, this allowed the players around him to be more creative such was the case with Bruno Fernandes when he came on.

The England international completed 37 of his 40 passes on the night leading to a 93% pass completion rate and he troubled the Villarreal goal on two occasions. The first effort was saved by Gerónimo Rulli but the second one resulted in a goal as an unstoppable effort from the right-hand side of the box thundered in off the underside of the crossbar.

The 21-year-old has struggled since joining the club in the summer but this could be just the sort of performance he needed to instil some confidence back into his game for the rest of the season.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt