Juan Mata pivotal in Man Utd's victory over Wolfsburg - Matt Le Tissier

Matt le Tissier has praised Juan Mata after his stunning display guided Man Utd to their first Champions League win of the season.

United fell behind early on at Old Trafford after Daniel Caligiuri's fourth-minute effort and the hosts took a while to haul themselves back into proceedings.

Mata was catalyst for the revival, first winning then converting a penalty 11 minutes before half-time before setting up Chris Smalling for the winner with an exceptional backheel.

Speaking on Soccer Special, Le Tissier singled out the Spaniard for his match-winning contribution.

He said: "I thought Juan Mata was excellent all night. He looked a threat coming in from that right-hand side onto his stronger left foot and creating chances. He was probably the difference.

"It was his brilliant flick that created the second goal for Chris Smalling. It was a fantastic bit of skill.

Man Utd 2-1 Wolfsburg

Juan Mata inspires Man Utd to comeback victory over Wolfsburg in the Champions League

"The ball came to him at a really awkward height and he managed to get his leg up, flick it with the outside of his boot, and lob it beautifully over the Wolfsburg defence for Smalling, who guided it into the corner."

United were made to work for the victory as they came under intense pressure from Wolfsburg in the closing 20 minutes in Manchester.

Wolfsburg's late dominance coincided with the withdrawal of Bastian Schweinsteiger and while Le Tissier noted the impact of his substition, he praised Louis van Gaal's side for getting the job done.

"[David] de Gea didn't have that much to do but United had to withstand some pressure in that last 20 minutes," Le Tissier added.

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"It seemed to me that they lost a bit of control in the game when they took [Bastian] Schweinsteiger off. Daley Blind didn't have quite the same impact.

"Wolfsburg really took the game to them and pushed players forward but United stood firm and - once again - they've found a result when it matters."

Wayne Rooney paid tribute to Mata after the game, writing alongside a picture of the pair: "Big 3 points. Great to see @smalling on the scoresheet along with this man [Mata] - he's on fire! @juanmatagarcia."

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