Manchester United’s difficult UEFA Champions League campaign worsened as they lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening, with Leny Yoro sent off in the second half as Michael Carrick’s side suffered another setback.
United had hoped to respond positively after drawing with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, but found themselves behind after only 53 seconds. Pablo Barrios completed a flowing Atletico move, with Ayden Heaven unable to prevent the ball from crossing the line despite stretching to make the intervention.
The visitors were repeatedly exposed in midfield, allowing Atletico too much room to build their attacks. Manchester United were fortunate that Julian Alvarez, making his first home start of the season, was unable to make the most of the opportunities that came his way.
However, the match was defined by missed chances at both ends. The woodwork was struck three times, while United wasted several clear opportunities to equalise.
Jan Oblak also played a decisive role for the hosts, producing a series of excellent saves to keep Atletico in front. A combination of poor finishing from Manchester United and the goalkeeper’s quality prevented Carrick’s team from finding a way back into the match.
United appeared to be building momentum as they searched for an equaliser late on, but their prospects suffered a major blow in the 74th minute. Following a review, Yoro was judged to have fouled Jonathan David as the last defender and was shown a red card.
The dismissal halted United’s late push and left them with little chance of recovering. David then contributed to Atletico’s second goal, controlling the ball on the edge of the penalty area before forcing Senne Lammens into a fingertip save.
Ademola Lookman reacted quickest to the rebound, finishing the chance and effectively securing the points for Atletico.
The result leaves both sides with one victory and one defeat after two matches, with the next round of fixtures approaching.
Manchester United will travel to Como, who are making their UEFA Champions League debut, next week. Before then, Carrick’s side face a weekend trip across the Pennines to Leeds United.