Manchester United began their return to the Champions League in style, defeating Azerbaijani side Sabah 4-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Goals from Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez sealed a comfortable winning return to Europe’s elite competition, according to Al Jazeera.

The result marked United’s biggest Champions League victory since 2020, the BBC reported, as they swept aside a Sabah team appearing in the competition for the first time.

The night carried an element of romance given Sabah’s remarkable story. As the Guardian noted, this is a club that did not even exist a decade ago and whose title win in Azerbaijan last season came as a surprise, having finished 41 points off the top in 2024-25.

The Guardian praised the work of Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas, who took charge in the summer of last year, describing the turnaround he has overseen as extraordinary.

For United, the win offered some relief after what the Guardian described as the trauma of a last-gasp Premier League draw at Everton on Sunday, in which they gave up two points. Their first-half performance burned slowly before catching fire.

According to Al Jazeera’s live coverage, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford starred during the league-phase fixture. United now turn their attention to what the Guardian called the extremely serious business of Sunday’s Manchester derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford.