Manchester United fought back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Atalanta, and this time again the winning goal was led by Cristiano Ronaldo. Harry Maguire expressed his disappointment with the team’s defensive performance but praised Cristiano Ronaldo after Manchester United beat Atalanta in a 3-2 match score.
Ronaldo scored in his third consecutive European game for United – he previously did so in 2007-08 while playing for Alex Ferguson’s team and winning the trophy – to conclude yet another remarkable turnaround. In spite of the comeback Manchester United defender Maguire, who scored a goal in the 75th minute of the match, expressed his displeasure with the way in which his team had fallen behind and pleaded for defensive changes.
“We definitely do like doing it the hard way in the Champions League,” Maguire told BT Sport post-match. “In the first half, we conceded two bad goals – the quick free-kick for the first and the set play we shouldn’t be conceding from. The last few games we’ve conceded a lot from set-plays, I think that’s four in the last four games so we need to sharpen up on that.”
“That [conceding from set-pieces] is not good enough for this club. We’re working on the formula to be a lot more solid but it’s about winning football matches. We’ve shown great togetherness, in the dressing room at half-time after the fans cheered and clapped us off, we gave them the result and the energy that they deserved.”
“I had eyes on it all the way,” the centre-back said of Ronaldo’s winner. “I was right behind him. His leap, his timing, it was perfect right in the corner. We see it day in, day out in training and in the goals he has scored throughout his career. He has come up with a massive goal for us again in the Champions League.”
Before travelling to Atalanta on November 2 with a two-point lead at the top of Group F United face Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League.
