3 POINTS AS DIEGO SIMEONE KICKS MANCHESTER UNITED OUT OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Manchester United is out of the UEFA Champions League. Well, we all saw this coming but we certainly didn't expect it this soon. Diego Simeone finally got his revenge by knocking out Cristiano Ronaldo.

On Tuesday night, Atlético was up against Manchester United in the Old Trafford to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. It was a typical Atlético Madrid performance with all the dirty work and time-wasting at the absolute peak. The Red Devils didn't play particularly bad in this match, it's just that Atléti came up with a plan and they executed it to perfection. United fans would be feeling hard done by since they were actually the better team, however, football is a game of fine margins and it is the grit and hard work of Atlético Madrid that has handed them this win. Watching Atlético is quite frustrating and their style of play does seem a little unfair for their opponents, however, results are all that matter at the end of the day and El Cholo has once again done enough to get his side just over the line.

As soon as the match started, United came out attacking to try and get an early goal. Sancho looked lively in the 1st half as he tried to make things happen but the standout player was Fred. He was sensational as he made a lot of recoveries and passed the ball quite well. His decision making also seemed to be on point. However, to my surprise, he was substituted in the 75th minute for Edinson Cavani.

Bruno Fernandes was abysmal as he gave away the ball quite cheaply on a number of occasions and always seemed to be whining against the referee's decisions. While we're on this topic, I have to say, the refereeing in this match was a joke. It was quite inconsistent as the referee stopped the play for a leg injury but refused to do so when there was a head injury and Dalot was left helpless on the ground. In the build-up towards Renan Lodi's goal, there was actually a foul on Fred as well as on Elanga which unfortunately wasn't given. However, this shouldn't be an excuse as United lost all focus and conceded a goal on which they should've done better. 

The Spanish side took the lead in the 41st minute when Félix made a run into the box before offloading Griezmann with a neat flick. The Frenchman then curled a delightful cross into the inside-left channel for Lodi to connect and score with his head.

After that, it was a typical Atléti performance as they decided to sit back deep and defend their lead. As expected, United captain Harry Maguire had a horrendous game as he failed to mark his man throughout the match and seemed to be much more of a liability to his team. Serious questions need to be asked against him as he has been terrible throughout the season.

United felt extremely frustrated as they were searching to somehow find an equalizer. Their desperation could be seen clearly when they decided to bring on Juan Mata in the 84th minute. By the way, Juan Mata hasn't played even a single minute in the Premier League this season. Ultimately, it's Atlético Madrid who advances to the quarterfinals courtesy of a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, securing a 2-1 aggregate win in the round-of-16 tie. United was decent but the Spanish side came well prepared with a plan.

Here are my 3 points from this incredible fixture-

1) CR7: Cristiano seemed lively in the 1st half and looked like he was up for the challenge. He was dropping quite deep to try and make things happen but all his efforts were in vain. It was quite heartbreaking to see his reaction after the match. It's tough to say if Ronaldo will stay at United next season considering the fact that they might have to play in the Europa League. It has been a difficult season for him as he goes trophyless for the first time in 16 years. If you ask me, I think he should stay even if United doesn't finish top 4 as it won't make any sense to switch clubs considering he only has a maximum of 2-3 years left at the top. Therefore, he should stay and help United next season.

2) Ralf Rangnick: It's been a tough couple of months for Rangnick since he has arrived at Old Trafford. He certainly has made the team better in terms of structure, stability and balance. However, he isn't the man for this job and therefore, United needs to appoint a permanent manager as soon as possible. As for Rangnick, he will have a crucial role to play in the restructuring of the club and his scouting skills will help United a great deal. I hope he would be given enough power and respect as a technical director to bring about a change in this club and help this team reach new heights.

3) Diego Simeone- Say whatever you want about his style of play, but his tactics have delivered once again and they are through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Personally, I'm not a big fan of him but I have to respect the work ethic and culture that he has imbibed in his club. However, these tactics won't work against teams like Real Madrid, City and Bayern. So it remains to be seen how far he can take his team.

United needs a complete rebuild. The problems in this club run down from the board to the grassroot level. Not finishing top 4 will have major implications as many players like Pogba, Ronaldo and Bruno as rumoured to be leaving. As for now, they have a while to mull over their defeat as they do not return to action until April 2 against Leicester City on home soil in the Premier League.