Manchester United marked their return to Champions League football with a controlled 4-0 win over Azerbaijan’s Sabah at Old Trafford, turning a first European home night in two years into their most comfortable result of the season.
Key takeaways
- Matheus Cunha opened the scoring after Sabah defender Parris surrendered possession in a dangerous area.
- Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko struck shortly before half-time to put the contest beyond Sabah’s reach.
- Lisandro Martínez added the fourth after another visiting mistake following a Fernandes free-kick.
- Sabah’s best opportunity fell to Mickels, whose header missed the target after Parris tried to make amends.
- Senna Lammens preserved the clean sheet by pushing Mickels’ late effort over the crossbar.
Old Trafford’s European return ends in a routine victory
The Champions League anthem returned to Old Trafford for the first time in two years, and Manchester United ensured there was little tension attached to the occasion. Michael Carrick’s side were not at their most dazzling, but Sabah offered only brief resistance as United began their latest continental campaign with an emphatic home win.
For almost half an hour, the visitors stayed in the game without facing sustained danger. Then Parris lost control of the ball, allowing United to break quickly. Patrick Dorgu supplied a low delivery towards the near post and Cunha finished it to give the home side the breakthrough.
Sabah had a chance to answer six minutes later. Parris moved forward in search of a response to his costly error and helped create an opening for Mickels, but the forward headed wide despite being well placed to test Lammens.
United did not immediately build on their lead, but their response before the interval was decisive. Fernandes and Sesko both found the net late in the first half, leaving the Azerbaijani champions three goals down by the break and facing an impossible second-half task.
Martínez completes the scoreline
The pattern remained much the same after the restart: United controlled possession and territory, though clear chances became less frequent. The fourth goal arrived after the hour through another Sabah lapse.
Fernandes sent a free-kick into the penalty area and Joshua Zirkzee brought the ball down well. His back-heel effort lacked force, but goalkeeper Pokatilov was unable to gather it cleanly. With the ball loose on the goal line, Martínez had the simplest of finishes to make it 4-0.
Mickels attempted to claim a consolation goal on his Champions League debut, only for Lammens to turn his shot over the bar. It completed a clean sheet and a serene European night for United, whose return to the competition could hardly have begun more comfortably.
SEO title: Manchester United 4-0 Sabah: Cunha, Fernandes, Sesko and Martínez score in Champions League return
SEO description: Manchester United celebrated their Champions League return at Old Trafford with a 4-0 victory over Sabah, sealed by goals from Cunha, Fernandes, Sesko and Martínez.
