Manchester United registered a hard-fought 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen on the road on Thursday. The Red Devils dominated proceedings in the opening half at the Doosan Arena, but were unable to break the deadlock before the half-time interval. Plzen scored shortly after the restart from a goalkeeping error, but United managed to fight back with two fine goals from substitute Rasmus Hojlund.
His first goal was a tap-in after some clever work from Amad Diallo but his second came via a cleverly disguised pass from Bruno Fernandes at a free-kick that caught Plzen’s players off guard. Hojlund was undoubtedly the man of the match for his game-changing display, but we were particularly impressed with Casemiro’s showing in midfield. Casemiro made his first appearance in three outings and he stepped up with a solid display. He won each of his eight ground duels contested. He also won 100 percent of his dribbles with five recoveries, three clearances and two tackles.
It will be interesting to see whether the 32-year-old gets the nod alongside Ugarte for Sunday’s much-awaited derby against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. United will need more defensive assurance despite City’s poor league form. Bruno Fernandes could play in attack with Casemiro and Ugarte pairing up centrally.
Casemiro did not face the most difficult of opposition, but he did his work splendidly well before being replaced by Manuel Ugarte in the 81st minute.United can play a big part in ending their title prospects with a first win at the Etihad since 2021.
