Man Utd won the second leg, won a ticket to the round of 16
A 1-0 win at St Etienne saw Man Utd progress 4-0 on aggregate after two legs of the Europa League.
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Goal: Mkhitaryan (17').
Leading 3-0 thanks to Ibrahimovic's hat-trick in the first leg, Man Utd confidently entered the second leg in France. The advantage of the English team was even greater when Mkhitaryan opened the scoring in the 16th minute after a pass from Mata on the left wing.
The goal left St Etienne needing five more to progress, an achievement that was unthinkable even with Man Utd missing Mkhitaryan to a hamstring injury and Eric Bailly to two yellow cards in quick succession in the second half.
The home team had an extra man in the last 30 minutes of the match but could not take advantage to score a goal after two matches. Man Utd qualified for the round of 16 with a perfect record in both matches.
Man Utd will also enter the League Cup final against Southampton on February 26 with the motivation of five consecutive wins, conceding just once.
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Man Utd's ambitions will suffer a big loss if Mkhitaryan is sidelined for a long time. Photo: Reuters. |
Man Utd's victory would have been more complete if Mkhitaryan had not had to limp off the pitch. The Armenian midfielder's form has been the highlight of Man Utd's impressive run of form since late November last year. Along with Ibrahimovic and Pogba, Mkhitaryan is an important member of the attack.
Coach Mourinho believes that Mkhitaryan has almost no chance of joining Man Utd in the League Cup final this weekend. Besides Mkhitaryan's absence, Man Utd may also lose veteran midfielder Michael Carrick due to a muscle injury. This could lead to the return of captain Wayne Rooney, who may leave this February.
It has been nine years since Man Utd last enjoyed success in Europe, winning the Champions League under manager Alex Ferguson. Despite being in what is considered a second-tier competition, Mourinho and Man Utd showed how hungry they are to win the title. The Portuguese coach fielded a strong team despite almost certainly progressing after the victory at Old Trafford.
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Pogba is one of many Man Utd pillars on the field. Photo: Reuters. |
Unfortunately, while leading and needing to hold on, centre-back Bailly received an indirect red card, which means he will miss the first leg of the round of 16. However, in a 10-man game, Man Utd still made the home team sweat thanks to Rashford's speed and finishing situations from Pogba and Ibrahimovic.
The strong opponents that Man Utd can face in the next round are Lyon and Roma. This will be a challenge for Mourinho and his team's ambition to maintain their position in all four current arenas.
Since their last Europa League group stage win against Zorya in December 2016, Man Utd have conceded just seven goals in 18 games, winning 14 of them. Man Utd have kept four consecutive clean sheets in European competition for the first time since 2013. Mkhitaryan has been directly involved in five goals in his last six games in all competitions for Man Utd (scoring three, assisting two). Man Utd have scored in all of their last 26 games, except against Hull on February 1. |
According to VNE
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