‘They didn’t let me have my best time there,’ said Angel Di Maria in a recent interview about his time at Old Trafford.
Di Maria is considered a flop in the eyes of United fans. The winger signed for £59.7million from Real Madrid in 2014 and largely did nothing during his one year at United before he moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
So, Tuesday night was his chance to make a statement. After all, he had barely been mentioned in the build-up.
A melee sparks involving the two sides after Ashley Young clatters in Angel Di Maria
Manchester United captain Young sends Di Maria clattering into the pitchside barriers
It was there that Di Maria needed treatment after enduring a fairly miserable first half
He managed to get back to his feet and from then on produced an inspired performance
The talk had centred on how PSG would do without Neymar or Edinson Cavani. Kylian Mbappe entered the conversation due to being fit yet no airtime for Di Maria.
It was only when he was booed walking into the ground that he became a topic of interest for Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Paul Ince in the BT Sport studio.
It was a mistake. The 30-year-old had scored in his last two Ligue 1 games and understands PSG’s philosophy of fast, attacking football.
His boss, Thomas Tuchel, had alluded to it in his pre-match press conference.
Di Maria was taunted throughout the game with some choosing to throw bottles at him
He also had a bottle of beer thrown in his direction during the second half of the last-16 clash
Di Maria throws the bottle that was aimed at him off the pitch as he continued to receive abuse
‘Obviously we’re going to be missing a couple of key attackers, but you don’t change your identity for that reason,’ Tuchel said.
Di Maria was positioned on the left with the expectation of his manager to get forward in a flash and be able to support Mbappe, who was playing in front of Julian Draxler.
He kept making run after run after run but the passes forward weren’t finding him. Each one sloppy, under-hit or not to his feet.
In the end, he did the work himself when the ball became loose just inside the left touchline.
He chased after it, took a touch and then took a hit from United captain Ashley Young, which sent him into the pitchside barriers.
It is a steep drop from the pitch to the advertising boards at Old Trafford and Di Maria felt the full force of Young’s rash and out-of-control challenge.
Maybe it was at that point, after being sent to the ground and receiving insults from the home supporters, that he felt enough was enough.
Di Maria reacted after Presnel Kimpembe scored to put Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 up
He celebrated wildly again seven minutes later after he set up Kylian Mbappe to score
Di Maria reacted to the taunts he received by blowing kisses at a number of supporters
You could almost imagine Tuchel in the visiting dressing room at half-time, telling Di Maria to use the bumps and the taunts as his driving force for what would become a memorable second half.
A second half in which he would remind those same United supporters of his qualities when played in an appropriate system.
The sort of system Tuchel made him appear instrumental in during the second half at Old Trafford.
He was now on a revenge mission and wasn’t going to stop until he had done what he needed to do.
PSG’s first goal, the one that led to such a fractious reception thereafter, was created by Di Maria.
It was from his corner on the right side, which he swung in with his left foot, that PSG profited.
Central defender Presnel Kimpembe moved quickest to the in swinger and connected with his left foot at the back post, sending the ball past goalkeeper David De Gea.
It was only then, though, that Di Maria could really vent. He joined in the celebrations and then turned his attention to the United supporters.
Thiago Silva, clearly aware of the tension between player and supporters, tried to move his team-mate on but Di Maria wasn’t moving before his message was heard.
‘F**k off! Puta! [Spanish for b***h]. Fuck off!’ he appeared to shout while looking towards those in the East Stand.
Di Maria joined his team-mates at the end of the game to celebrate in front of visiting fans
The 30-year-old applauds the travelling supporters after being substituted in the 81st minute
An unnecessary reaction, perhaps, but you could understand how he had reached a point of no return.
Of course, the abuse only got worse. In the corner that joins the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the East Stand, more fans had waited for a chance to shout and swear at the winger.
This time a bottle was thrown towards him – an act no doubt UEFA and the club will choose to investigate further.
He saw the funny side given it didn’t hit him and blew into the bottle before placing it away from the pitch.
But if this was a night of statements, a night of taunts or mindless behaviour then Di Maria’s final intervention is how it should be remembered.
He controlled the ball on the far left side and drove towards the corner where just minutes before he was jeered.
Mbappe had started to make a clever run into the box. Di Maria saw him but chose to dribble further forward. Young was now in his way but Di Maria simply dropped his right shoulder and caressed the ball towards the six-yard box.
United’s central defensive pairing of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof both saw Mbappe coming but couldn’t stop him as he got between both of the to slide the ball underneath De Gea.
A classic fist pump was enough for Di Maria this time, who was no doubt by now confident that he had finally made his mark in an arena that so often had previously been the cause of personal annoyance and exasperation.
He came off to applause from the visiting supporters and rightly so. His involvement may well prove decisive in the outcome of this Champions League last-16 tie.
