Zlatan Ibrahimovic just continues to bang in the goals. The Swede struck a hat-trick, to take his season tally to 23, as Manchester United got the better of St-Etienne in the first leg of their round of 32 clash in the Europa League.
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Playing at home, Manchester United would have known the need for a strong result, and despite not playing at their best, particularly in the first half, they managed to pick up a 3-0 win, which puts them in a strong position to qualify for the next round.
Ibrahimovic, first, found the back of the net, via the aid of a deflection, in the 15th minute. But it was not until the 76th minute that Manchester United made the result in this first leg safe, with a tap-in on 75 minutes giving Manchester United a 2-0 lead.
An 88th minute from the striker penalty made it a satisfying evening for Manchester United, even if Jose Mourinho is refusing to take the second leg in St. Etienne for granted.
"The result is really good, especially after a first half when we didn't play well, far from it," Mourinho said. "It is a really good result but it is not over, it is still dangerous."
Mourinho admitted he had to rouse his players at halftime, after seeing that they were not quite as tuned in to the game as he wanted them to be in the first 45.
"My first message was that it is impossible to play football at a high level without concentration, without intensity," Mourinho added. "That was the first message.
"It was down to lack of concentration, I had a feeling immediately in the dressing room – too noisy, too funny, too relaxed.
"My assistants had the feeling in the warm-up with some of the guys not really focused, not the right adrenaline in their bodies. Even on the touchline I felt the communication was difficult so we needed halftime. The second half was a different story, a different result."
One of the stories of the game was Paul Pogba, the Manchester United superstar, playing against his older brother Florentin, who took his place in defence for St. Etienne. While the younger brother took the plaudits after the first leg, something Mourinho was happy to see, the manager also insisted there is still plenty to play for in the second leg.
"I've had crazy experiences in football," Mourinho said. "I was losing against Tottenham once, 3-0 at halftime, and we drew 3-3. I was winning, it was Real Madrid against Galatasaray, we won 3-0 at home and then were losing 3-1 in Istanbul.
"I have been through so many crazy experiences that I believe in anything. We have to go there, defend well, not concede and try to score a goal that will put them in a very difficult situation."
