CSKA Moscow head coach Leonid Slutsky has admitted that tiredness was the major reason as to why his side were unable to make the most of their 1-0 half-time advantage over Manchester United in the Champions League last night.
The hosting Russians' domination of the opening 45 minutes was rewarded when Seydou Doumbia put them in front after United goalkeeper David de Gea had saved Roman Eremenko's penalty.
However, Louis van Gaal's visitors dictated proceedings after the restart and claimed a 1-1 draw thanks to Anthony Martial's 65th-minute header.
Speaking to UEFA's official website, Slutsky said: "We showed very good quality in the first half. Things were working well for us and we might have gone even further in front. After half-time, though, we didn't manage to play well enough on the counter-attack.
"Looking at it, if you feel fatigue, mistakes happen. Given the current condition of Alan Dzagoev and Roman Eremenko, and Bibras Natcho's injury, we didn't have a player to dictate play in the middle of the park.
"We had to defend a lot and when you do that against a really good team then it's hard to avoid conceding goals. It's a shame but there are reasons why we couldn't continue playing at our best in the second half."
The two sides will meet again at Old Trafford on Tuesday, November 3.
Liam Apicella
