Manchester United's Axel Tuanzebe was imperious at the back as the Red Devils beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the French capital.
With Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly not fit for the fixture, the 22-year-old made his first appearance since December and dropped a defensive masterclass.
His last game before tonight was a Carabao Cup tie against Colchester United and here he was up against one of the world's best in Kylian Mbappe.
But he kept the Frenchman incredibly quiet thanks to a solid performance. There was one instance where the PSG speed demon got in behind in a dangerous situation but Tuanzebe, one of the fastest players at United, darted back in and made a sensational last-ditch tackle.
The statistics highlight just how strong Tuanzebe was in his first outing of the year. He won every one of his duels in the air, had a pass accuracy of 92% and made a total of seven clearances.
Axel Tuanzebe's game by numbers vs. PSG:
- Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 20, 2020
100% aerial duels won
92% pass accuracy
7 clearances
2 fouls
1 block
Excellent performance. :clap::clap::clap: pic.twitter.com/eDdlKgGS8h
Marcus Rashford was the match-winner once again at the Parc des Princes but Tuanzebe was the Man of the Match and his thwarting of Mbappe became the talk of the town on social media.
Axel Tuanzebe should be the FIRST NAME on Ole's team-sheet in defence.
- Guztavo Khanage (@GuzKhanOfficial) October 20, 2020
Everyone else can come after. Man has synergy with Wan Bissssss 'n' all!
If it was any other defender who came in after a year and put in a performance against that PSG attack, it would be spoken about for weeks.
- The United Link :trophy: (@TheUnitedLink) October 20, 2020
Axel Tuanzebe, take a bow. :red_circle::heart::crown:
Axel Tuanzebe produced that performance - against that front three - in his first appearance since December 2019. Absolutely immense! :red_circle::white_circle::black_circle: #MUFC pic.twitter.com/O5r3itONs9
- Mark Froggatt (@Mark_Froggatt) October 20, 2020
Axel Tuanzebe emptying his pockets tonight: pic.twitter.com/LuqR4F6HRV
- Ashley (@Mr_AJA) October 20, 2020
Axel Tuanzebe played his first game for Manchester United since December last year.
- B/R Football (@brfootball) October 20, 2020
He had Kylian Mbappe on lock :lock: pic.twitter.com/mVn4H2Q0IP
I genuinely think Axel Tuanzebe could be the next Rio Ferdinand pic.twitter.com/dsy8cwGlcw
- Caleb . (@Caleb_Mufc) October 20, 2020
Commenting on Tuenzebe's exceptional display, David De Gea told MUTV: "He was unbelievable. He did really, really well. He has been in difficult moments but now he has showed he is capable of playing in big games."
Topics: Football News, Axel Tuanzebe, Football, Manchester United
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