Luke Shaw enjoyed sticking it to those that continue to write off Manchester United with a stunning win away to Juventus.
A daunting double-header, with a Manchester derby on Sunday following the trip to Turin, looked set to start with disappointment for Jose Mourinho’s men on Wednesday, only for the visitors to produce a response that was nearly as remarkable as Cristiano Ronaldo’s breathtaking volley.
Juan Mata levelled with a superb free-kick which was followed by Juventus turning Ashley Young’s late set-piece into their own goal as United enjoyed another famous Champions League night in Turin.
The dramatic 2-1 victory provides a timely shot in the arm for Mourinho’s men, who have not only injected new life into their hopes of making the last 16 but provided the ideal platform on which to prepare for Sunday’s trip to bitter rivals City.
“I think tonight was a very special win, especially with going 1-0 down,” United full-back Shaw said.
“We all know how hard it can be coming here and, especially going down 1-0, it’s huge credit to the team for keeping on fighting and never giving up.
“I felt like we were going to get something out of the game even before the start of the game. Juan, with his free-kick, I felt it was going in as soon as he stepped over it and obviously Ashley with another great delivery at the end and it shows how much the team wanted it.
“We were fighting for the ball and luckily we got that bit of luck that it went in and I feel it’s deserved. We fought until the end.
“I think at times we had good possession of the ball, especially in the first half. We’ve had a poor first half recently, but I felt today was a bit better.
“It’s very good momentum now for us to go into (the Manchester derby).”
Sunday’s match at Pep Guardiola’s City is a chance to secure another memorable victory and quieten those that have been critical during United’s drab start to the campaign.
“I think tonight a lot of people will have written us off,” Shaw said.
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“There’s always a lot of negative comments about us, but hopefully tonight they might say something positive for once because I think we deserve it – the team deserve it, the manager deserves it – for getting this amazing result.
Shaw thanked the raucous travelling fans for their unwavering support in Italy and hopes to give them more to celebrate at the Etihad Stadium.
“We knew Valencia had won before the game and we knew we needed to get something out of the game,” the England international added.
“I think you would have been happy with a point, especially with the way Juve are at home. It’s very big for us and the group is so tight at the moment.
“It’s a tough group and today winning was a very big step to hopefully gaining qualification, which is our main goal.”