Tuchel names the star he felt was key to PSG sinking Man Utd

PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel highlighted the performance of Angel Di Maria on his return to Manchester United as the Ligue 1 side claimed a deserved 2-0 Champions League win at Old Trafford.

Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe condemned the Red Devils to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash– leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to lament a massive gulf in class between the sides.

Both goals were set up by Di Maria on his return to his former club and Tuchel, who thought his Argentinian forward had been below par before the interval, was delighted he delivered a stunning riposte in the second half.

He said: “In the first half it was a bit hard for him playing right in front of me and losing many easy balls. He had a bit of a hard time because I was close to him.

“Maybe he was a bit nervous and a bit overused because he plays all the time for us.

“I’m happy he stayed confident, he’s always super reliable, he always gives his best and for that it’s easy to forgive him when he has not such a good first half.

“It’s always dangerous for him from the corners and of course a superb assist, it was a perfect pass for Kylian. It was a nice comeback for him, I’m very happy for him and of course he helped us a lot.”

United could face a UEFA probe after it emerged a bottle was thrown at Di Maria from the crowd. PSG could also be in trouble as an item landed at the feet of Luke Shaw in the first half.

Solskjaer, meanwhile, has told United to put the defeat behind them with fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively up next.

He added: “You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Whoever feels sorry for themselves will not play probably against Chelsea.”

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