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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Nathan Ridley

Man Utd 0-1 Atletico Madrid (1-2): Six talking points as Ralf Ragnick's side dumped out

Manchester United were unable to produce another magical night under the Old Trafford lights as they were knocked out the Champions League by Atletico Madrid at the round-of-16.

Ralf Rangnick's side were dumped out of Europe's elite competition thanks to Renan Lodi's 42-minute header, as Diego Simeone's men ensured safe passage to the quarter-finals thanks to a typically resolute display. The Red Devils enjoyed a strong start but Atletico's opener punctured their spirit, with the second half a story of United huffing and puffing to no avail.

Los Rojiblancos had goalkeeper Jan Oblak to thank for some superb saves, meaning Rangnick and co will make it five years without lifting a trophy. Atletico, meanwhile, continue to hope for their first ever Champions League title.

Here are six talking points from Old Trafford.

1. Goalies saving face

Although it wasn't predicted to be a classic by many, the game got off to a frenetic start, with neither team wasting any time when it came to trying to nab the opening goal. And as a result, both Oblak and David de Gea were called into action.

First up was Atletico's stopper, using his face to deny Anthony Elanga with just 13 minutes on the clock. Bruno Fernandes had done well down the right flank, with Elanga's outstretched boot making a connection on his cross at the near post.

But the big Slovenian was able to get his noggin in the way in a frankly bonkers intervention. Then it was De Gea's turn, producing a spectacular save after Rodrigo de Paul's long-range effort looked destined for the top corner to mark an end-to-end opening 20 minutes.

Join the debate! What went wrong for Man Utd against Atletico? Give us your verdict here.

2. Felix flagged

Just as the game began to settle down, Atletico's counter-attacking gameplan was put into practice, with wing-back Marcos Llorente - in for the injured Sime Vrsaljko - finally getting out of his own half and marauding into the final third.

The Spain international saw Joao Felix bounding beyond a scrambling Raphael Varane, leaving Llorente the simple task of sliding the Portuguese starlet through. And it was looked certain that Felix would once again open the scoring like in the first leg when he tapped in - only for the offside flag to be raised before the Stretford End even had a chance lament United going 1-0 down.

3. Lodi nods in

After the frustration of their offside goal, Atletico didn't let their heads drop and when the opportunity came to take the lead again only eight minutes later, they made it count.

Lodi was the unlikely man on the scoresheet, as the wing-back planted a header at the back post to finish from a delightful Antonio Griezmann cross, coming courtesy of good work from Felix in the build up to drag a host of red shirts towards him and the ball. The Red Devils were hapless with their pedestrian defending and left Lodi unmarked to easily slot past a dumbfounded De Gea.

But there was controversy before the Brazilian broke the deadlock, as just 34 seconds earlier, Elanga had been brought down by Los Rojiblancos centre-back Reinildo in a challenge that Old Trafford and the angered United players deemed a foul. A VAR check ensured but this time around, Atletico weren't denied their opener.

4. Ronaldo's landmark

It was a frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo in his favourite competition, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner did have something to take away from the match in the 47th minute. It was at that stage which Ronaldo passed Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas for the most minutes played in Champions League history, beating his 15,908.

The superstar already has the most total appearances and goals in the competition's history, but the landmark gave him another reason to be nicknamed 'Mr Champions League'.

5. Rangnick's triple twist

With 66 minutes gone and no sign of an equaliser, Ralf Rangnick lost patience with his starting XI and made a changes - three of them in fact. Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic all entered the fray, replacing Fernandes, Elanga and Scott McTominay respectively.

The triple substitution raised eyebrows considering Rashford and Pogba's recent form compared to them men they came on for, while Rangnick was clearly hoping Matic would have a similar impact as he did in the first leg, calming the midfield and playing a part in the Red Devils' goal.

Shortly after, Edinson Cavani was called upon, as the acclaimed German coached opted for all-out attack to the crowd's approval. An equaliser almost came within a matter of minutes, with Oblak's sharp save stopping a Varane header from levelling the scores in round two.

6. End of the road

By the time of Rangnick's fifth and final substitution, the sarcastic cheers of Harry Maguire being withdrawn spoke volumes, as United's club captain jogged off in place of Juan Mata. Old Trafford has endured another night of frustration, whether it was because of the referee's performance of their own team's.

The Red Devils' struggles in the knockout stages of Europe's elite competition continued, with no sign - at least if you look at the Premier League table - of them being back there any time soon. United were once again shown to be a long way from the top, while Simeone and co held on in the closing stages and marched on in search on an allusive Champions League title.

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