Manchester United beat Anderlecht to book their place in the Europa League semi-finals after bearing down Anderlecht’s goal on numerous occasions, but not finishing off as many chances as they should have.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford scored the two goals after Sofiane Hanni equalised in the first half. The game went into extra-time as both sides were level after 90 minutes. However, an extra time goal from Rashford won it for the hosts.
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Here are the talking points from the game.
#1 Summer signings combine as Pogba’s pass to Mkhitaryan breaks the deadlock early on
Just as Anderlecht were making a good account of themselves in the opening exchanges and showing desire and determination, Manchester United’s quality immediately hit them on the break. Paul Pogba’s pass in the build up to Mkhitaryan’s goal was of the highest quality, straight out of the top drawer.
He dissected Anderlecht’s defence with a perfect, splitting ball that found Marcus Rashford with some space ahead of him. Rashford’s second effort at a cross found the Armenian who shot low to score. Mkhitaryan has given a proper account of his worth in the Europa League this season scoring five goals now in all.
Pogba, on the other hand, currently leads the Europa League with most passes completed at 664 (i.e. before this game) and that pass to Rashford was as pivotal and classy as it gets. The summer signings combined to give the Red Devils a much-needed lead. Pogba would go close from a corner, producing a fantastic save soon after as well.
#2 Anderlecht’s passing between the lines pays off as Sofiane Hanni levels the game and the tie
Anderlecht did not sit back and try to hold off Manchester United or looked for a counter attack; in fact, they took the game to the Red Devils at Old Trafford. A daunting task for a club from Belgium, but the fearlessness with which the Belgian team attacked showed glimpses of the belief they had that they could level the tie, and so they did.
Their passing between the lines into space and creating chances continually would pay rich dividends as they finally levelled through their captain Sofiane Hanni. Tielemans’ shot deflected on to the bar with Sergio Romero scrambling and Teodorczyk did just enough to steer the ball into Hanni’s path for the Anderlecht captain on the night to slam it into the goal. It became 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate, which cancelled out Manchester United’s away goal advantage.
The goal which was the culmination of Anderlecht’s dynamic gameplay changed the course of the game. This was Old Trafford and Anderlecht pegged them back showing desire and a fighting spirit.
#3 Michael Carrick couldn’t be a vital pivot in the two-man midfield
In the latter part of the first half and for a bit of time in the second half, Anderlecht played admirably, switching it out wide, in space, and into the middle, finding the free man or the right through pass, and that took United by surprise as they were the outright favourites for the tie. The game was well and truly on after Hanni’s leveller and Anderlecht were in no mood to lie down and take a beating.
The several chances for Anderlecht embodied the spirit in the team and the belief which their coach had instilled in them. Anderlecht zipped the ball around quickly and with precision as they created a few more chances. However, they were lucky at times at the back with United not being decisive enough in the final third.
Michael Carrick could not prove to be an effective pivot in central midfield as he usually so gallantly displays in his assured performances. Perhaps, this match indicates that this is well and truly Carrick’s last season as his powers are waning.
Maybe Ander Herrera’s combative attributes would’ve suited the Red Devils better after his Man of the Match performance against Chelsea. Mourinho had no choice but to re-enforce the midfield with the aerial threat of Fellaini which swayed the game in United’s favour.
#4 Woeful finishing as Manchester United miss a number of chances
Perhaps United’s quality should have ensured a couple of goals but it wasn’t to be. Luke Shaw drilled a ball across the box that a lunging Lingard could not finish; Rashford had a 1 v 1 that he overran and could not finish off; Fellaini got his head to the ball and Zlatan shot onto the keeper's outstretched foot from point-blank range; Pogba missed a gaping goal from six yards out in the 80th minute, and soon after, Ibrahimovic opened his body from a good position inside the box to shoot, but it ended somewhere in the crowd.
With the last 10 minutes of extra time looming, United had a host of chances in the second half which they simply could not bury. The Red Devils should’ve buried at least three of those chances if not all as Anderlecht hung on for dear life heading into the end of the 90 minutes.
Rashford had another chance close to the end of normal time but United’s woeful finishing this season continued. The Mourinho-managed team have been poor in front of goal and Ibrahimovic was very static. For a Manchester United side playing a European cup tie, their finishing was largely off-colour.
#5 Fellaini’s crucial header to Marcus Rashford to finish off Anderlecht in extra time
The game inevitably went to extra time and Marcus Rashford’s emphatic finish turned out to be the winner. Jose Mourinho’s ploy to play direct to Marouane Fellaini paid off after a goal was disallowed just a little earlier when Pogba found the back of the net but Fellaini was ruled to have fouled the Anderlecht defender Spajic. The big Belgian midfielder’s knock down straight to Marcus Rashford proved crucial as the young Englishman, with some work to do, cut and slotted into goal.
It was a huge goal that was long overdue after United’s persistent pressure. The Red Devils needed a winning goal and Marcus Rashford scored immediately after being switched to the centre following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s injury. The youngster is clearly more suited to a more central role despite starting on the flank for the Old Trafford outfit.
Raptures of relief echoed from the home crowd when the ball hit the back of the net as Manchester United, via their star youth product Rashford, finished off the game 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. Manchester United are now through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
