Real Madrid's Gareth Bale tussles with Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the friendly on Sunday.
Anthony Martial was the star man for Manchester United as they beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the International Champions Cup in the United States on Sunday.
The Frenchman was in top form and provided the assist for United’s opener, as he went past Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric to set the ball onto the path of Jesse Lingard, who tapped in to put the Red Devils in front.
Real did level in the second half, with Casemiro scoring from the spot after Victor Lindelof conceded a blatant penalty in the 69th minute, of which the Brazilian midfielder put past David De Gea to give Los Blancos some respite.
The game ended 1-1 in normal time, with United going on to win the ensuing penalties 2-1 to make it four wins in four pre-season games in the United States.
Both sides meet again next month – in a competitive game – when they face off in the UEFA Super Cup, with Real and United having won the Champions League and Europa League respectively last season.
Here are five things we learned from the match.
United look ready to take the season by storm
Everybody knows this: pre-season performance is hardly a yardstick to judge how a team will fare when the season begins, but there could be signs of how a team’s start to the season will be. Based on what we have seen of United so far in pre-season, it sure looks like they will hit the ground running in the Premier League next season. Whether they will go all the way to lift the trophy is another topic entirely.
Martial shows class but must now show consistency
Anthony Martial endured a difficult second season at United, managing just eight goals, having plundered 17 in his debut campaign following his £36million move from Monaco. But the France forward was unplayable against Real, as he showed signs of his huge talent with an impressive display. He must now find that consistency going into the new season. There was so much inconsistency in his game last season, but he must show a lot of maturity going into the new campaign.
Empty seats everywhere
Three years ago, when United and Real faced each other in the Michigan Stadium, also known as 'The Big House', 109,318 fans packed into the cavernous area. It was a different story here at the 67,500 capacity Levi's Stadium, with great swathes of empty red seats all around the venue, which hosted the Superbowl back in January. Exorbitant ticket prices for the pre-season friendly have been cited for the game between arguably the two biggest clubs in the world not being a sell-out.
Herrera injury a blow to United
Ander Herrera has emerged as a key man for Jose Mourinho, his industry, tenacity and passing range making him an automatic pick, with the midfielder set to earn a new deal to reward the progress he has made. So the sight of him walking off with what looked like a hip injury, just five minutes after the restart, is a huge cause for concern for Mourinho, who must hope the Spaniard will be fit for the European Super Cup against Real on August 8 in Skopje.
Lindelof's struggles continue
Victor Lindelof arrived from Benfica in a £30m deal this summer with a reputation as one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe. United tried to buy him in January, but had to wait until the summer to prise him from Benfica. So far, however, Lindelof has looked vulnerable on tour, making a couple of mistakes late on which led to two goals in United's 5-2 win over LA Galaxy, and here, taking out Theo Hernandez to concede a penalty from which Casemiro scored. On the evidence of his performances on tour so far, Lindelof is by no means first-choice to partner Eric Bailly in central defence.
