Manchester United needed a miracle going into the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, having lost the first leg 2-0 at home.

They got it.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice in the first half, either side of a Juan Bernat goal, and Marcus Rashford stepped up to slot home an ice-cool penalty in injury time to send the United fans in Paris into raptures.

Lukaku was at the heart of this brilliant comeback, and we put his performance under the scanner here.

KEY STATS

Goals – 2

Shots – 2

Dribbles – 3

Aerials won – 5

Aerials won % – 56

Passing accuracy – 65%

30-SECOND REPORT

Coming into this game on the back of two successive braces, Lukaku’s confidence was at a high, and it showed. He was sharpest to react in the second minute when Thilo Kehrer’s pass back to Gianluigi Buffon was under-hit, then again when the veteran Italian goalkeeper fumbled a skidding Rashford shot.

And though he tired in the second half, he kept at his task diligently, occupying PSG’s defence, cleverly finding his team-mates, and at the end, joining his own back-line to close out a famous win.

GOT RIGHT

Poachers’ instincts

Both of Lukaku’s strikes were classic poachers’ goals. Yes, they relied on mistakes – one poor back pass, one error from Buffon, but it takes a good striker’s instincts to pounce on those moments. Lukaku, with his confidence at a high, was on hand to deliver.

Work rate

As United sat deep facing wave after wave of PSG pressure, Lukaku was everywhere. Jose Mourinho often praised him for being a good right-back when the situation required, and the Belgian’s tracking back was superb. He ended the game as a third centre-back, which says it all.

GOT WRONG

Nothing. Even Lukaku’s much-maligned first touch was superb today, as the striker unveiled an array of flicks and tricks. He ran with purpose, linked up well, and led the line in his best display in a United shirt.

VERDICT

Lukaku has come under criticism this season and there was talk of a summer exit and being replaced by a superior striker. It’s taken the Belgian one week to win everyone over again.

Three straight braces, and the last one will be the most famous. They weren’t particularly great goals, but they helped United pull off one of the most significant wins in the recent history of the club.

At the moment, everything is going his way, and he can do no wrong.

RATING – 9/10