Manchester United began their Champions League campaign in style as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Sabah at Old Trafford. Michael Carricks side were in control for much of the game and eventually pulled clear with three goals in the space of 18 minutes either side of half-time.Matheus Cunha opened the scoring in the 27th minute with his first Champions League goal for United, before Bruno Fernandes doubled the lead 15 minutes later.Benjamin Sesko then struck just before the interval to give United a three-goal advantage at the break, with Lisandro Martinez completing the scoring in the second half.Table of ContentsUnited rewarded for patient startRed Devils round off in styleUnited rewarded for patient start United made a patient start and Sabah were able to frustrate the hosts during the opening stages, with the visitors defending well and limiting opportunities around their penalty area.Mazraoui fired into the side-netting after being found by Fernandes, while Cunha also saw an effort saved by Sabah goalkeeper Andrey Pokatilov.The hosts eventually broke through in the 27th minute after Parris gave the ball away cheaply. United immediately broke forward, with Fernandes finding Patrick Dorgu on the left.Dorgu sent a first-time cross into the box and Cunha was on hand to turn the ball home at the near post.The goal settled United and gave them more control, although Sabah almost responded immediately when Kaheem Parris created space on the right and delivered a cross towards the back post.Joy-Lance Mickels, who had scored a hat-trick at the weekend, was left unmarked but could only head wide from close range.United made the most of that let-off as Fernandes doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute.Youri Tielemans started the move before combining with Dorgu and Cunha, with the Belgian eventually slipping Fernandes through. The United captain kept his composure to side-foot into the bottom corner.There was still time for United to add another before half-time.Mbeumo took a long ball in his stride before sliding Sesko through on goal, and the striker rounded Pokatilov before passing the ball into an empty net.United therefore went into the break 3-0 ahead, having registered 13 shots and five on target compared with Sabahs four efforts without a single shot on target.Red Devils round off in style Carrick made a change at half-time, bringing Mason Mount on for Tielemans, while Sabah introduced Orphe Mbina for Christian Nwachukwu.The second half was played at a slower tempo, with United comfortably managing their advantage and beginning to make further changes with Sundays Manchester derby in mind.Andrey Santos replaced Kobbie Mainoo in the 64th minute, while Joshua Zirkzee came on for Sesko.United continued to threaten, with Cunha forcing a save from Pokatilov and Fernandes also testing the Sabah goalkeeper from distance.The visitors enjoyed spells of possession but struggled to create clear opportunities, with United largely keeping them at arms length.United then added a fourth goal in the 68th minute.Fernandes cleverly clipped a free-kick over the Sabah wall, with Zirkzee bringing the ball down before backheeling it towards goal while under pressure from two defenders.Pokatilov appeared to lose sight of the ball and Martinez was able to tap home from close range.It was the Argentines first Champions League goal in his 21st appearance in the competition and his first for United at Old Trafford.United saw out the remainder of the game without serious trouble, although Sabah came close to a consolation late on. Topics Manchester United F.C. Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read WATCH: Manchester United take the lead in Champions League Mitch Fretton 10th September, 2026 LIVE Manchester United v Sabah: Commentary, updates, goals and stats Jon Fisher 10th September, 2026 Manchester United vs Sabah: Line-ups confirmed for Red Devils Champions League return Mitch Fretton 10th September, 2026 Premier League Christmas fixtures confirmed with seven Boxing Day matches Mitch Fretton 10th September, 2026 Man United teenager Gabriel scores hat-trick in UEFA Youth League demolition Nicholas McGee 10th September, 2026 Fantasy Premier League 2026/27: Semenyo and Maguire headline this weeks must drops Jon Fisher 10th September, 2026
