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Paul Pogba said he has ‘big respect’ for Wayne Rooney for allowing him to take the first penalty in Manchester United ’s Europa League win over Fenerbahce .
The Frenchman scored twice on the night, the first from the spot and the second a wonderful curled effort, as United ran out 4-1 winners.
Rooney has been United’s usual penalty taker for the past few seasons but so far has bowed to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Anthony Martial, who also scored from the spot on Thursday night.
The decision for the responsibilities to be passed around the side caused much confusion amongst fans, considering Rooney is only six goals away from surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s United goalscoring record.
But Pogba revealed he asked for the England captain’s permission to take the penalty as he scored his second and third goals for the club since his return during the summer.
"I told him (Rooney) I wanted to take it and he let me take it. I am very happy to score that penalty,” Pogba told BT Sport.
"For a player like him, Wayne Rooney, the captain, just to let me take the penalty, it's a big respect, so I'm very glad for that."
Show all 22 1 /22Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Loris Karius – 4 out of 10 Didn’t have too much to do but looked nervous when the crosses did come in and his loose pass nearly gave United the lead.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Nathaniel Clyne – 5 out of 10 Couldn’t attack anywhere near as much as he normally likes to and was restricted in what he could contribute.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Joel Matip – 7 out of 10 Had a good battle with Ibrahimovic throughout and probably got the better of the big Swede.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Dejan Lovren – 7 out of 10 Like Matip, did well to keep Ibrahimovic quiet and read the play well.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings James Milner – 7 out of 10 Could have had a tough night against Rashford but continued his impressive run at left back.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Jordan Henderson – 5 out of 10 Struggled to get his foot on the ball as he lost the midfield battle to United’s pairing.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Emre Can – 5 out of 10 Much of the play passed him by as it seems he is still lacking match fitness on his first Premier League start of the season.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Sadio Mane – 6 out of 10 Continued to drop deep in hope of making something happen and was probably the liveliest of Liverpool’s attacking players.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Philippe Coutinho – 5 out of 10Philippe Coutinho – 5 out of 10 Looked out of sorts and made uncharacteristic errors with his forward passing and crossing.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Roberto Firmino – 5 out of 10 Similar to Coutinho, he also struggled to find any space between the lines to work in.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Daniel Sturridge – 4 out of 10 Anonymous in the first half and replaced before the hour mark by Lallana. He has now gone 615 minutes without a Premier League goal.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings David De Gea – 8 out of 10 Didn’t put a foot wrong and was needed to pull off two world-class saves from Can and Coutinho.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Antonio Valencia – 8 out of 10 Continued his fine start to the season and saved the game for United with a stunning last-ditch challenge.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Chris Smalling – 6 out of 10 Did well to keep Coutinho and co. out but United’s captain for the night was overshadowed by his new centre-back partner.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Eric Bailly – 7 out of 10 A strong and commanding performance by Bailly as he kept Liverpool’s attacking quartet quiet.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Daley Blind – 5 out of 10 Could have been found out with his lack of pace but held his own against the Reds’ pacey attacks.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 7 out of 10 Helped control the game from midfield and broke up play well alongside Herrera.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Ander Herrera – 8 out of 10 Was the best outfield player of the game. He was dynamic and won possession well on multiple occasions.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Paul Pogba – 5 out of 10 Played in a more advanced role but other than a few neat passes he looked frustrated as he struggled to make anything happen.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Marcus Rashford – 5 out of 10 Didn’t get past Milner as much as he’d have liked but the one time he did he fired in a dangerous cross that Liverpool struggled to deal with.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Ashley Young – 6 out of 10 Did exactly what he was put into the team for. Crossed well and worked back industriously to keep Clyne quiet.
Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 4 out of 10 Cut a frustrated figure up front as he struggled to link with his midfielders amid the pressure from Matip and Lovren.
Pogba was substituted with the Red Devils 4-0 up after Jesse Lingard got his first European goal, before Robin van Persie got a consolatory goal in the 82nd minute against his old club, much to the delight of the Old Trafford crowd.
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