Two closely matched teams played out an entertaining encounter here, though the MiB had the best of the midfield battle with Saul and Jorginho in fine form. It was a game short of genuine chances but Mbappe seized on a late one, walking in shadow and moving in silence through a static Ducks defence. The hosts seemed to fall apart in the following 10 minutes, with both Pedro and Rabiot coming on to prosper from a tired back line. The loss of Lewandowski to a knock, prompting Barnes to come off the bench, seemed to prompt Le Roy’s men to switch off mentally, and the Polish striker is now set to be out for two-to-three months.

By the actor Ioan Gruffudd