The defeat will have come as a surprise, as many believed the Red Devils would have a good chance of recording a first leg victory.
The defeat saw interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffer his first defeat in 12 games in all competitions during his short tenure so far.
PSG simply a better team
The first half of Tuesday’s game was a scrappy affair, with the focus on the number of yellow cards handed out by the Italian referee. However, the visitors produced a far improved display in the second half, with former United midfielder Angel Di Maria in particularly in inspired form.
The Argentinian set up both goals and seemed to feed off the abuse he continually received from the fans on his former stomping ground. Italian midfielder Marco Verratti was also superb, controlling the game and helping subdue United’s in-form Paul Pogba, whose frustrations boiled over late on as he saw red after picking up a second caution for a poor tackle on Dani Alves.
PSG quite simply were cleverer, quicker and had more know-how in their team. In short, they were by far the better team on the night.
Solskjaer needs to keep up spirits
Interim boss Solskjaer undoubtedly now needs to keep the recent positive atmosphere going on after this defeat. The players will be down, as it is only human nature. However, the Norwegian really must now really prove he has what it takes to be the United boss on a full-time basis.
The Red Devils have a big couple of weeks coming up. They face a trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday night, before playing a potentially crucial home game against bitter-rivals Liverpool in their next Premier League outing.
If Solskjaer can maintain the positive atmosphere at the club, then there is no reason why United will not bounce back quickly. However, if not, then the same frailties display under former boss Jose Mourinho may just come to the fore, which would be terrible news for everybody connected with the Red Devils.
Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keep the recent positive momentum going after the PSG defeat?
