Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Sabah: Red Devils Romp to Seismic Champions League Win

Manchester United celebrated their return to the Champions League with a dominant 4–0 victory over debutants Sabah on Thursday evening.

The pressure was on Michael Carrick’s men to come out flying in their league phase opener against a club only founded in 2017. It took 27 minutes for the Red Devils to get on the scoresheet at Old Trafford, but once Matheus Cunha buried the game’s opener, they were off to the races.

Bruno Fernandes finished off a brilliant move from Youri Tielemans to double the hosts’ lead in the 42nd minute before Benjamin Šeško beat Sabah goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov to make it 3–0 just three minutes later.

The game lost much of its sting in the second half, but that didn’t stop United from adding one more to their tally through Lisandro Martínez, who took advantage of a discombobulated Sabah defense to bag his first goal of the season and seal his team’s three points with an exclamation point.

After a rather underwhelming start to the season, Thursday’s statement victory in the Champions League was the exact confidence boost the Red Devils needed before hosting Manchester City on Sunday.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Michael Carrick must now balance an action-packed calendar at United. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

Carrick was faced with a delicate balancing act on Thursday. The manager had to produce a team worthy of taking home three points in United’s long-awaited return to the Champions League, while also preparing for a Manchester derby in just three days.

Most of Carrick’s changes came at the back, starting Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Patrick Dorgu in defense. He also moved Marcus Rashford to the bench to make room in attack for Benjamin Šeško.

By the time the halftime whistle sounded, Šeško had a goal, Dorgu had an assist and United’s new-look defense had little to do. It was the best case scenario for Carrick; he got to rest three of his four first-choice defenders and help his striker continue building his match fitness—and his confidence, too. Plus, he got to assess Dorgu at left back against a rather low stakes opponent.

What made the night even better was Carrick got to remove the likes of Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and Šeško before the game even hit the 65th-minute mark, giving his important players additional rest before Sunday’s affair. It might not seem like much, but considering City got to play their league phase opener on Tuesday, the Red Devils need all the extra recovery they can get.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Sabah (4-2-3-1)

Benjamin Šeško marked his first start this season with a goal. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—6.8: Was not called into action until the 91st minute, but he will happily take his first clean sheet of the season.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui—7.3: United's most dangerous attacker in the early stages. Lucky Joy-Lance Mickels botched a header from close range after he fell asleep at the near post in the first half.

CB: Leny Yoro—7.3: Poised in defense against such an inferior side. Gained valuable experience in the Champions League.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—8.2: Found himself in the right place at the right time to bury his first goal of the season from close range. Put in his easiest outing of 2026–27 so far.

LB: Patrick Dorgu—8.4: Delivered a sublime first-time cross to set up Cunha. Recovered well after being yelled at by Martínez for his subpar defending. Used his pace to run riot against Sabah’s defense.

CM: Youri Tielemans—7.9: Showed off his defensive capabilities when he made a risky challenge inside his own box. Then brought some attacking flare with a brilliant assist as he went to ground to find Fernandes behind him.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—7.6: Did it all. Controlled the tempo of the game, showed off his clinical passing and even sent a sensational ball over the top to find a streaking Fernandes in the first half.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—8.2: Pounced on the errant pass from Sabah to kickstart the action for the game’s opener. Got his assist later in the first half with a sensational ball into the stride of Šeško.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—8.7: Carved out more and more space as the game unfolded, finding pockets to exploit. Felt like a goal was coming, and indeed it did. Unsurprisingly created the most chances on the night.

LW: Matheus Cunha—8.2: Breathed a sigh of relief when he bagged the game’s opening goal. Lucky to avoid a booking after a dangerously high challenge in the dying stages.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—7.7: Bided his time and then capitalized when the moment came, expertly rounding the keeper to bag his second goal of the season. Looked ready to lead the line against City.

SUB: Mason Mount (46’ for Tielemans)—7.1: Logged some much-needed minutes in his season debut. Put in a solid performance, though his passing left something to be desired at times.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (64’ for Šeško)—6.7: A cheeky backheel caught Sabah by surprise, opening the door for Martínez’s goal.

SUB: Andrey Santos (64’ for Mainoo)—6.4: Tidy in possession and did well to pick his head up and look for passes into the final third.

SUB: Shea Lacey (72’ for Mbeumo)—6.6: Had minimal impact, but still managed to create a decent chance.

SUB: Harry Amass (72’ for Dorgu)—6.1: Did not misplace a pass.

Subs not used: Dermot Mee (GK), Karl Darlow (GK), Ayden Heaven, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Tyler Fletcher, Marcus Rashford.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Matheus Cunha bagged his first goal of the season. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

It was no secret Matheus Cunha was not at his best playing as a No. 9. The Brazilian had a slow start to the season leading the line in the absence of Šeško, but looked right at home back on the left wing. With his account now officially open, the forward will hope to build on his form moving forward. United are depending on it.
So much has been made about the Red Devils failing to sign a left back this summer, but Patrick Dorgu appears to be the team’s solution. The 21-year-old had exclusively played as a winger under Carrick, but he showed on Thursday he is a serviceable option at left back against inferior sides. It must be said, though, there was not much asked of him defensively.
After a trying start to his career in a red shirt, Youri Tielemans is settling in at United. The Belgian impressed against Ipswich Town and Everton, and then tallied his first goal contribution on Thursday. He is well suited to games that have a slower pace, when he can pick out his passes and operate more freely, without any rushed decisions under pressure. A massive test is coming against City at the weekend.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Comfortable Win

It was borderline shooting practice for the Red Devils. They sent 21 shots at Sabah’s goal and could have easily scored more than just four on the night.
The hosts enjoyed prolonged spells of possession, fueled by clinical passing in the middle of the park. Carrick’s men finished the game with 572 completed passes to Sabah’s 390.
Sabah gave United little problems defensively. The visitors did not register a single shot on target.

Statistic	Man Utd	Sabah
Possession	58%	42%
Expected Goals (xG)	3.67	0.92
Total Shots	21	11
Shots on Target	10	0
Big Chances	5	2
Pass Accuracy	91%	86%
Fouls Committed	12	13
Corners	7	2

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