It came down to three aspects, really. United stayed compact in the defensive shape, scored an early goal and retained possession well. All in all, this allowed for a great deal of control over the game.
Rangnick has regularly emphasised his desire to see United control games. Matches can swing to and fro, any football fan knows that, but the ultimate aim, as Rangnick has outlined, is to control the vast majority of the 90 minutes.
United couldn’t quite do that on Saturday evening, as a frustrated Bruno Fernandes summed up: “We let the result escape at the end.