Manchester United grabbed their first three points in the Europa League tonight after beating Sheriff 2-0.
The Red Devils scored both goals in the opening 45 minutes after a brilliant Jadon Sancho finish and a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty won by Diogo Dalot.
United were relatively comfortable on the evening and never looked like conceding a goal in the 90-minute duration.
One of United’s unsung heroes of the night was Christian Eriksen. The Dane was on show again with another brilliant performance – something supporters have become accustomed to since his arrival.
Eriksen started in a midfield pivot with Scott McTominay, combining well with the Scotland international in the middle of the park to ensure the team were in cruise control the entire game.
The 30-year-old’s numbers highlight just how impressive he was against Sheriff.
In the 90 minutes he was on the pitch, Eriksen had 68 touches of the football.
The Danish international made 58 passes, with an impressive success rate of 81%.
Two of these 58 were crucial passes.
Out of the eight long balls, Eriksen pinged, five were successful.
The midfield dynamo also registered one assist for United’s opener of the game.
Showing his defensive prowess, Eriksen won one ground duel and also made a single clearance. He won one tackle.
Eriksen is moving from strength to strength, and the class he oozes on the pitch show why Ten Hag went to great pains to pin him down to a long-term contract at Old Trafford.
What is certain is he was definitively worth the wait.
