Victor Lindelof was an obvious man-of-the-match contender for Manchester United as they scored two crucial away goals in the first-leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Granada.
Marcus Rashford’s brilliant finish and Bruno Fernandes’ late penalty ensured United are huge favourites to secure their semi-final place at Old Trafford next week.
United’s La Liga opponents offered little threat and Lindelof, partnered by Harry Maguire, kept an important clean sheet.
But what was arguably more impressive was Lindelof’s use of the ball.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men struggled to assert any sustained dominance before Lindelof’s pass to Rashford on the half-hour mark.
Quick-thinking Lindelof showed superb vision and technique to catch out Granada’s sleeping defence and find Rashford perfectly.
Rashford’s touch and finish was exemplary, but the goal wouldn’t have been possible without the exquisite long through-ball from Lindelof.
The centre back remained tidy in possession throughout, finishing with 90% pass accuracy and two long passes completed.
He was also impregnable defensively, albeit rarely troubled, making six ball recoveries and four clearances.
See Lindelof’s stats in full below courtesy of Statman Dave.
Victor Lindelof’s game by numbers vs. Granada:
90% pass accuracy
6 ball recoveries
4 clearances
5 long passes attempted
2 long passes completed
2 chances created
1 assist
0x dribbled pastIce cool in Spain. 🧊 pic.twitter.com/YnkUS9Qwla
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 8, 2021
READ MORE: (Video) Bruno Fernandes squeezes spot-kick past Granada to gift Man United daylight
