Manchester United slumped to their first defeat on their pre-season tour of the USA following a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in Chicago.
First-half goals from Blaise Matuidi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic proved enough as the Red Devils now return to England on the back of a defeat.
Here, Sports Mole reviews how the war was won at Soldier Field.
Match statistics
MANCHESTER UNITED
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 51%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 15
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Shots: 7
On target: 4
Possession: 49%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
Undoubtedly. Louis van Gaal's side were second best throughout a first half in which the damage was done. They were on top for much of the second period, but it was by design as Les Parisiens sat back and comfortably absorbed the pressure put on them by an insipid United attack.
Manchester United's performance
From defence to attack, it was lethargic and slightly apathetic from United throughout a first half that saw their defenders and heavy hitters fail to impress. In defence, Phil Jones allowed Matuidi to get goal-side of him in the build-up to the opener, before switching off as Ibrahimovic nipped in behind him to double the advantage on 34 minutes.
At the other end, Memphis Depay had the Red Devils' one and only chance of the half. The £25m summer signing from PSV Eindhoven had the entire goal to aim at from the edge of the area, but the Dutchman thrashed his first-time effort wide of Kevin Trapp's goal. Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Juan Mata - who had a goal ruled out for offside - also struggled to influence the contest.
The Premier League side regressed in the second half as they found goalscoring chances much harder to come by, with the qualities of Memphis continuing to look wasted in a central position.
Not once did they inspire confidence that a comeback was on the cards. Overall it was not the way in which Van Gaal would have liked to end an encouraging pre-season campaign. This performance takes much of the gloss off their 3-1 win over Barcelona.
PSG's performance
Right from the off it was obvious that Laurent Blanc's side wanted it more, with an uncharacteristic error from David de Gea after three minutes going unpunished by Ibrahimovic.
We saw the best and worst from the Swede throughout the first half; the lethargic and the lethal elements of him. He missed yet another gilt-edged opportunity on the 20-minute mark when the unmarked striker managed to head Lucas Moura's corner wide. Nevertheless, United never acknowledged the warning signs and sure enough it was 1-0 on 25 minutes, with Matuidi showing excellent determination to beat Jones to the ball before prodding past the questionable De Gea.
Ibrahimovic continued to suggest that he had other things on his mind via a rather detached body language, but he made an excellent run beyond Jones to finish Maxwell's superb cross and double their lead on 34 minutes.
A spate of second-half substitutes affected both team's fluency, with PSG struggling to create the same volume of chances. It was their defence which finished the contest under the spotlight as the Thiago Silva-inspired back-four comfortably repelled everything that was thrown at them - which was not much.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Thiago Silva: If Van Gaal's side were deemed sub-par in the final third then Silva played a prominent role. Unlike so many, the Brazilian centre-half refused to treat this like the jovial encounter that it was and produced a thoroughly professional defensive performance. He thwarted them time and time again. Fine display.
Biggest gaffe
With just three minutes on the clock, the usually-lethal Ibrahimovic spurned arguably the chance of the game. He capitalised on De Gea's botched clearance, but lacked the composure that we have come to expect from the towering Swedish striker as he blazed over the bar.
Referee performance Alan Kelly had a quiet enough game. He booked Marquinhos on 75 minutes, and Antonio Valencia shortly after, but other than that the Irishman had very little to do.
What next?
Manchester United: Van Gaal's charges now return to England and prepare for their Premier League curtain-raiser with Spurs on August 8.
Paris Saint-Germain: The Ligue 1 side also leave the US ahead of meeting Lyon in the Trophee des Champions in Canada on Saturday.
Shane Callaghan
