Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa cut a frustrated figure on Tuesday night as Manchester United defeated CSKA Moscow 1-0 in their Champions League Group B clash at Old Trafford.
Musa started as the lone striker in a defensive CSKA set-up and struggled against the powerful Chris Smalling.
The Nigeria star only started to come alive when Seydou Doumbia came on and Musa was deployed wide.
Wayne Rooney’s second-half header ended Manchester United’s three-match goalscoring drought after a toothless first half.
The hosts showed good chemistry from the off, passing the ball around seamlessly before Rooney collected a loose ball inside the opposition box and rifled just wide.
Nine minutes in Marcos Rojo pounced on a rebound but CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was able to palm the ball out for a corner, which Jesse Lingard blasted into the stands following Rooney’s delivery.
Juan Mata was next to try his luck on the quarter-hour mark when he received a precise lofted cross inside the box and fired a low effort down the centre, which Akinfeev was able to stop comfortably.
United continued to push forward and threatened through Lingard and Rojo, but they could not break the deadlock come half time as the home fans voiced their displeasure at what they perceived to be their side’s lack of attacking endeavour.
The start to the second half brought more of the same, with the Red Devils pushing forward at every opportunity but lacking incisiveness in CSKA’s final third, Rojo and Anthony Martial fluffing their chances as their side racked up the offside count.
The United fans’ frustrations then boiled over when Martial was taken off in place of Marouane Fellaini in the 66th minute, booing the decision and chanting the French teenager’s name in protest.
Results
Manchester United 1-0 CSKA Moscow
PSV 2-0 Wolfsburg
Shakhtar 4-0 Malmo
Sevilla 1-3 Manchester City
Gladbach 1-1 Juventus
Benfica 2-1 Galatasaray
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