Manchester United are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League, but they made it hard for themselves against Anderlecht, being taken to extra-time at Old Trafford before Marcus Rashford’s goal settled the quarter-final tie.
United started well, having made five changes from the side that beat Chelsea on Sunday, and took the early lead. A beautiful ball from Paul Pogba sent Rashford through into the box. His first cut-back was blocked, but the second found Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who rifled his shot past Rubén to take the lead.
José Mourinho’s side then had several chances to extend the lead, before Sofiane Hanni equalised for Anderlecht after Youri Tielemans’ effort had deflected off the bar. Just before that however, United suffered a blow as Marcos Rojo went off with injury.
And another blow followed at full-time, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic went off with what looked to be a serious hyperextension of the knee after landing awkwardly. With United misfiring in front of goal once again, it looked to be a long night for everyone involved with the club.
But up stepped Rashford, collecting Marouane Fellaini’s knock-down, wriggling past two Anderlecht defender and curling the ball past Rubén’s fingertips in the second period of extra-time, ensuring that United’s road to Stockholm continued.
Here are the player ratings after a dramatic night of football:
Sergio Romero - 6
Made some good saves to keep United in the game, but got slightly nervier as the encounter heading deep into extra time.
Antonio Valencia - 6
Subdued performance from the Ecuadorian, who didn’t get forward as much as he would have liked.
Eric Bailly - 6
A misunderstanding with Marcos Rojo gifted Anderlecht a massive chance in the first-half and looked shaky alongside Daley Blind in the centre of defence after Rojo went off with injury.
Marcos Rojo - 5
Massive disappointment as the Argentine went off with injury in the first-half. Here’s hoping it’s not serious, as United looked lost without him at the back at times.
Luke Shaw - 7
Started slowly but grew into the game, threatening several times with some marauding forward runs down the left.
Michael Carrick - 5
After impressing last week in Brussels, didn’t build on that performance. Looked out of place in a two-man midfield, but did look better in extra-time.
Paul Pogba - 6
Couple of excellent balls and took the game by the scruff of its neck at times. However, missed a gilt-edged chance and faded slightly after a fine first-half.
Jesse Lingard - 7
Worked hard on the right-hand side and often moved centrally to provide creativity. However, his runs were often nullified by a static Zlatan in the middle of the pitch.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 6
Always looked to create something, but was sometimes lax in possession. For someone who only started become a regular fixture in the side in December, 10 goals is a fantastic return and he took his goal well.
Marcus Rashford - 9
What can I say? This man is magic. Great composure to play in Mkhitaryan after seeing his cutback blocked the first-time round and scored a wonderful winner, just as it seemed that they would not find a way through. Needs to be played down the middle now.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 1
Some may think this rating is harsh, but it’s perfectly justified. Barely offered anything in attack and missed several sitters. Still, his injury is a big blow to United and he might well be spending a significant amount of time on the sidelines.
Substitutes
Daley Blind (4) – Looked very nervy throughout and he was at fault for Anderlecht’s equaliser, failing to spot an unmarked Hanni.
Marouane Fellaini (7) – Game-changing performance from the Belgian, providing United with a solid foothold in midfield and assisting Rashford’s winner.
Anthony Martial (5) – His introduction allowed Rashford to move up top, but his performance may not have impressed Mourinho again.