Man United vs. Melbourne Victory result, highlights and analysis as Red Devils survive early scare in Australia

Joshua Thomas

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Man United vs. Melbourne Victory result, highlights and analysis as Red Devils survive early scare in Australia image

Manchester United have begun their pre-season tour of Australia with a 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory on Friday. 

After beating Liverpool 4-0 earlier this week, the Red Devils were brought back down to earth in the fifth minute at the MCG as Victory opened the scoring through Chris Ikonomidis. 

United would go on to dominate possession but struggled to carve out any clear chances until Scott McTominay's deflected effort looped Victory's goalkeeper Paul Izzo in the 43rd minute. 

Just minutes later, Anthony Martial was gifted another after the ball broke to him just metres out from goal. 

New Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag made 10 changes at the break and Marcus Rashford led the way as he fired home his side's third in the 78th minute. 

Victory spurned a few chances to grab a second goal of their own and ultimately conceded an own goal in the dying minutes after some neat play from Tahith Chong. 

Man United youngster Zidane Iqbal catches the eye

Among Ten Hag's many changes at half-time, the introduction of Zidane Iqbal was one of the most refreshing. 

The 19-year-old was electric through the second half, commanding the ball and more often than not producing with it. 

Iqbal got his first taste of first-team football with United in late 2021 and he looks ready to step up further in 2022. 

Whether that's with the Red Devils or on loan, only time will tell. 

Mixed bag from Bailly

Another half-time substitute was Eric Bailly and the centre-back looked particularly shaky early on. 

A scuffed clearance was nearly disastrous before a scrappy pass then gifted Victory a golden chance to counter. 

Despite those errors, Bailly still had the confidence to venture forward in the 78th minute and delivered a sublime pass that allowed Rashford to score United's third goal.

The 28-year-old was a fringe player at Old Trafford last season and he needs to put in more consistent performances this pre-season if he is to earn Ten Hag's trust. 

Man United vs. Melbourne Victory final score

  1H 2H Final
Manchester United 2 2 4
Melbourne Victory 1 0 1

Goals:

Man United vs. Melbourne Victory live updates, highlights from Australia friendly

Fulltime: United could have made it five right at the death there but they have to settle for a convincing 4-1 win. Two goals in either half for the Red Devils against a Victory side that showed plenty of fight. Ten Hag's side will now face Crystal Palace at the same venue on Tuesday.

90th minute: Goal! United find a fourth via an own goal after some good work from Chong. 

85th minute: A huge roar errupts at the MCG as Victory prepare to bring on former Man United attacker Nani for his club debut. A fitting first opponent. 

80th minute: Victory almost find a quick response as Brooks finds Velupillay, who can't get his shot on target. 

78th minute: Goal! Rashford fires home United's third with Bailly picking out his captain brilliantly. 

75th minute: Bailly once again caught out in defence as a sloppy pass is picked out and Victory dart forward. 

74th minute: Victory's Brimmer whips in a dangerous free-kick but Heaton is on hand to deal with it.

70th minute: Bailly fails to properly connect with a clearance which almost allows Victory in but Heaton is on his toes to come out and defuse the danger. 

67th minute: Savage finds Van de Beek but just as the Dutchman shoots, the offside flag is raised. 

64th minute: Victory nearly break away through Folami but his final pass is cut out. 

61st minute: United pounce on a mistake at the back from Victory but a half-hearted effort is saved easily. 

57th minute: Zidane Iqbal really catching the eye for United since his introduction at half-time. Hungry for the ball, strong enough to hold on to it and then looking to create at every chance. One to watch. 

55th minute: United once again struggling to play that final ball in the final third with Victory sitting back and absorbing pressure. 

49th minute: Savage lobs a ball forward for Rashford but the United forward is caught offside. 

46th minute: United emerge for the second half with a very different XI with Heaton the only player to have returned from the first half. Marcus Rashford is now donning the captain's armband for the Red Devils. 

Half-time: The Red Devils bag a late brace to head into the break with a 2-1 lead.

After conceding early, United struggled to make the most of their statistical dominance but were ultimately rewarded twice in quick succession just before the end of the first 45 minutes. Ten Hag won't be happy with that first-half showing though with his side often too slow in the final third and looking fragile when defending Victory's counter attacks. 

45th minute: Goal! And just like that United take the lead. Martial with an easy finish from right in front. 

43rd minute: Goal! McTominay pulls United level via a deflected effort. The Scottish midfielder is rewarded for his perserverance at the top of the box as he cuts out a pass and unleashes a shot that takes a telling touch on the way to goal. 

41st minute: Elanga curls in a cross to the back post where Martial finds a bit of space but the Frenchman can't keep his header down to trouble Izzo. 

36th minute: Victory with a rare foray forward and United continue to look vulnerable on the counter with players slow to get back. 

34th minute: Martial beats a number of players in the final third but eventually gets overwhelmed in the box. Ball falls for Sancho in the box moments later but his shot is blocked. Frustration building for the Red Devils. 

32nd minute: Fred fires high after being found at the top of the box. The Brazilian scored a stunning chip last time out against Liverpool but this one never looked destined for goal. 

29th minute: United relentlessly attacking now with Victory just doing enough to keep them out. 

26th minute: Martial worms his way into the box before unleashing a shot into a nearby defender. Calls for handball are quickly waved away. 

24th minute: Fernandes finds himself with a bit of time inside the box and his drilled effort is saved well by Victory's keeper Izzo. 

23rd minute: Some rather savage chanting from the Aussies...

21st minute: McTominay once again found inside the box and once again his shot is blocked and cleared for a corner. 

16th minute: United starting to look more lively in attack as Fernandes finds McTominay in the box, whose snap shot on target gets a decisive block. The resulting corner is claimed easily enough by Victory's keeper. 

13th minute: The Red Devils seem to be struggling with Victory's numbers in the middle of the pitch. Not using the width well enough early on. 

8th minute: United looking for an immediate response but leaving themselves vulnerable at the back with Victory continuing to cause headaches on the counter. 

5th minute: Goal! Victory open the scoring through Chris Ikonomidis. The Melbourne side break dangerously down the right flank with Ben Folami squaring a ball for Ikonomidis, who finished calmly past Heaton. 

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3rd minute: Some patient and an ultimately probing attack from the Red Devils with a McTominay cross into the box cut out.

1st minute: United pushed deep into their own half early on. Maguire keeping his cool under pressure at the back as they eventually play the ball out. 

Kick-off: We are underway the MCG. The Red Devils get the ball rolling. 

2 mins to KO: Both teams are out on the pitch. Maguire leads out United and he will be eager to impress in his first match under Ten Hag having missed the Liverpool clash. 

5 mins to KO: A big crowd building here in Melbourne with kick-off looming. While United are the fan favourites, Victory's home supporters have also turned out in force and won't be drowned out. 

15 mins to KO: So how did Nani end up playing in Australia against Manchester United? The man himself spoke about his latest move pre-match and hinted he may play a few minutes tonight. 

30 mins to KO: Melbourne planning to play with five defenders tonight so the Red Devils won't be handed any easy routes to goal. Victory conceded a league-low 25 goals from 26 games last season in the A-League Men. 

45 mins to KO: Victory have now confirmed their line-up for tonight too with new signing and former Manchester United star Nani making the bench despite only joining his new club this week. 

55 mins to KO: The Red Devils have named 16 players on the bench tonight. Fair chance a completely different team will start the second half. 

1 hour and 10 mins to KO: Team news is in with Ten Hag naming his second ever Man United starting side. Harry Maguire starts and reclaims the captain's armband. David de Gea and Marcus Rashford both drop out of the first XI after starting against Liverpool.  

1 hour 30 mins to KO: Manchester United providing an early glimpse of the stadium. Around 90,000 fans are expected to attend the match tonight at the MCG - a venue usually used for cricket and AFL. 

2 hours to KO: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' coverage of the friendly between Manchester United and Melbourne Victory to be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. 

Who could feature for Manchester United and Melbourne Victory?

While the Red Devils remain without Cristiano Ronaldo, a host of big names will likely still feature against Victory.

The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all started against Liverpool so are strong chances of featuring heavily once again. 

New signing Tyrell Malacia made his debut off the bench against the Reds and will be hoping for his first start as a Red Devil. 

Victory’s new star and former United player Nani hasn’t been ruled out of playing some part in this game but only touched down in Australia earlier this week.

Other new recruits like Tomi Juric and George Timotheou are more likely to make their Victory debut on Friday. 

Manchester United pre-season squad

Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Tom Heaton 

Defenders: Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Alex Telles, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ethan Laird, Charlie Wellens, Luke Shaw, Bjorn Hardley, Will Fish, Alvaro Fernandez

Midfielders: Donny van de Beek, Scott McTominay, Charlie Savage, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James Garner, Zidane Iqbal, Ethan Galbraith

Wingers/Forwards: Jadon Sancho, Amad Diallo, Noam Emeran, Facundo Pellistri, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho, Tahith Chong, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Shola Shoretire

How to watch Manchester United vs. Melbourne Victory

In Australia, the match will be shown live on television via Channel 10 and streamed for free on 10 Play. 

Globally, fans can tune in via MUTV which requires a subscription. 

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date Friday, July 15 Friday, July 15 Friday, July 15 Friday, July 15
Time 11:05 BST 06:05 ET 06:05 ET 20:05 AEST
TV channel — — — Channel 10
Streaming MUTV MUTV MUTV MUTV/10Play/Paramount+

Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas Photo

Josh has been covering sport for nearly a decade now having fallen in love with football at a young age. A UTS graduate, Josh has previously worked for GOAL and now covers football closely for The Sporting News.