Maguire lifts lid on Carrick half-time team talk that led to first Man Utd goal

Harry Maguire has shed light on Michael Carrick 's half-time team talk that inspired Manchester United to a 2-0 away win over Villarreal.

A trademark Champions League goal from Cristiano Ronaldo followed by a first strike for the club from Jadon Sancho ensured United's first away win in Europe since their trip to Paris Saint-Germain last season.

A hard-fought contest, 78 minutes passed before the deadlock was eventually broken by Ronaldo. The Portuguese executed a delightful lob over Villarreal 'keeper Geronimo Rulli after Fred had nipped the ball off Etienne Capoue on the edge of his penalty area.

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The tackle marked a tactical shift at the demand of Carrick, with United defending further up the pitch rather than inviting pressure on the brink of their own box.

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Maguire revealed as much after the game, when he explained how Carrick's instructions led to United's opener: "As a Man United team we want to be on the front foot and aggressive and play at a high tempo.

"The first half we played with a bit too much edgy and played with too much fear but we were solid without putting in enough pressure on those on the ball.

"We spoke about that at half-time and the first goal came from that."

The pressure was on not only Maguire but United as a club, with the trip to Spain marking the first game since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's dismissal on Sunday morning.

Maguire's recent displays made him one of the most obvious underperforming stars during the latter stages of Solskjaer's reign, the skipper even sent-off during the 4-1 defeat by Watford on Saturday.

The 28-year-old has claimed a win at the Estadio de la Ceramica was the best possible start in turning the tide on United's recent fortunes.

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"It's massive for our season, we knew going into the game the last few months haven't been good enough and we knew we needed a result for our season and fans, we know how tough it's been and we need to make sure that's a start," Maguire added.

"It wasn't pretty, first half especially tough, two teams going for it but knew they couldn't lose the game as well so it was important to stay in the game.

"I think the emphasis was on getting a result, we know how coming away from home in Europe is; you've got to set up solid and not give away goals.

"I thought we did that really well and like I said, second half we controlled the game especially after the 60th minute and we probably got what we deserved with the amount of chances we created."