sk-logo
hero-image

Magic Mkhitaryan and Rashford to the rescue – Man Utd's road to the Europa League final

Marcus Rashford, Manchester United

Manchester United take on Ajax in the Europa League final on Wednesday in the culmination of a gruelling campaign to win the competition.

The stakes are high for Jose Mourinho's side, who need a victory if they are to secure a place in next season's Champions League, having only finished sixth in the Premier League.

United have already played 14 matches to reach this stage of the tournament, where they take on an entertaining Ajax side.

Here, we look at their road to the final.

GROUP STAGES

United were drawn in Group A alongside Feyenoord, Fenerbahce and Zorya.

They got off to a shaky start, losing their opening match 1-0 to Feyenoord, who would go on to be crowned Dutch champions, Tonny Vilhena's late winner punishing Mourinho, who had made eight changes to his team.

United got their campaign back on track as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header saw off Zorya 1-0 at Old Trafford, before Fenerbahce were thrashed 4-1 at the same venue, Paul Pogba's impressive double proving decisive with Robin van Persie scoring the visitors' consolation against his former club.

But another away loss, this time a 2-1 reverse to Fener which featured a sensational Moussa Sow overhead kick, meant United's fate was uncertain going into their final two games.

United, though, defeated Feyenoord 4-0 in a key clash at Old Trafford – a match that saw Wayne Rooney become their record European goalscorer.

They finished the job by winning away for the first time in the tournament, a 2-0 triumph against Zorya coming courtesy of a superb solo goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a strike from Ibrahimovic, ensuring United finished second on 12 points.

You may also like