Manchester United's long-awaited return to the Champions League got under way on Thursday night at Old Trafford, where Michael Carrick's side hosted Azerbaijani champions Sabah in the opening game of the new league phase. It marked United's first appearance in Europe's premier competition since 2023, a gap of just over 1,000 days.
With a Manchester derby looming on Sunday, Carrick opted to freshen up his line-up, making four changes from the team that drew 2-2 with Everton at the weekend. Luke Shaw, who came off with cramp against the Toffees and did not train the following day, was left out of the squad entirely, paving the way for Patrick Dorgu to make his first start at left-back under Carrick. Dorgu has largely operated further forward since the manager's arrival, and the switch to full-back reflected the lack of alternatives with Shaw unavailable.
Elsewhere in defence, Leny Yoro was handed a first start of the season alongside Lisandro MartÃnez and Noussair Mazraoui, who came in at right-back ahead of Diogo Dalot. Further forward, Benjamin Sesko led the line on his first start of the campaign after coming off the bench to score against Everton, with Matheus Cunha shifted to the left to accommodate him and Marcus Rashford dropping to the bench after recovering from a knock. Bryan Mbeumo made his Champions League debut in the front line alongside Bruno Fernandes, who captained the side, while Manuel Ugarte and Youri Tielemans anchored midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo. Mason Mount, who had impressed in pre-season in a deeper midfield role, was named among the substitutes after picking up another injury setback.
Sabah, formed less than a decade ago, arrived at Old Trafford making their Champions League bow after negotiating four qualifying rounds. Managed by Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas, who began his coaching career at Manchester United's Soccer School, the Azerbaijani champions sit second in their domestic league with three wins from three games this season. Their side featured Rwanda international Joy-Lance Mickels, a self-professed Manchester United supporter, who had scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Zira at the weekend. Mickels lined up just behind Serbian forward Veljko Simic, with Aden McCarthy, formerly of Kaizer Chiefs, part of a back four also containing Dashdamirov, Zedaka and Puchacz.
Speaking before kick-off, Carrick insisted his side would take nothing for granted despite the gulf in stature between the two clubs. He said Sabah