Manchester United came from behind to beat LASK 2-1 at Old Trafford as they sealed their spot in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 7-1 victory on aggregate.
Leading 5-0 from the first leg, which was played nearly five months earlier before the coronvairus pandemic halted the season, United were never in any danger, but it was the visitors who took the lead thanks to Philipp Wiesinger’s stunning strike in the 55th minute.
However, United, who put in a lacklustre display for much of the game, hit back 93 seconds later through Jesse Lingard (57) before substitute Anthony Martial’s late strike sealed victory on the night (88).
United are now just three games from silverware and their bid to win the Europa League continues on Monday when they will face Copenhagen, who progressed past Istanbul Basaksehir, in a one-off game in the quarter-finals on Monday in Cologne.
How United reached the last eight
LASK came to Old Trafford with nothing to lose following their thrashing in the first leg and they made United work hard. Andres Andrade saw a looping header strike the crossbar before Wiesinger lashed just wide in the 10th minute, while Sergio Romero had to deal with a Marko Raguz attempt later in the half.
The first half was certainly lacking quality, with United, who failed to muster a single shot on target against a side they scored five against five months ago, looking rusty and disjointed as they searched for a breakthrough.
Things did improve after the break and four minutes into the second half Odion Ighalo wriggled free to produce United’s first effort on target.
Brandon Williams’ cross then just evaded Daniel James and Lingard and they were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal as LASK opened the scoring in stunning style.
After Timothy Fosu-Mensah turned a threatening cross behind his own goal, the corner was only cleared as far as Wiesinger and the defender hit a stunning curler from 25 yards that bent in the top right-hand corner, leaving Romero absolutely no chance.
Wiesinger went close to adding to that 55th-minute wonder strike moments later and it proved a costly missed as United instantly hit back.
Mata met a loose ball with a lovely first-time pass that sent Lingard scampering through to slot past goalkeeper Alexander Schlager in the 57th minute.
Scott McTominay then fizzed wide from the edge of the penalty area as United started to crank up the pressure before Solskjaer handed a first-team debut to 18-year-old defender Teden Mengi, who came on at the same time as Martial.
The Frenchman wrapped up victory two minutes from time as neat build-up with Mata was followed by a shot
that trickled over the line after Schlager failed to keep it out.
Opta stats – United concede first home goal in EL this season
- Manchester United have netted 23 goals in the Europa League this season, at least four more than any other side in the competition.
- Philipp Wiesinger’s opener for LASK was the first goal Manchester United have conceded at home in the Europa League this season.
- Anthony Martial is now Manchester United’s top scorer in all competitions this season with 23 goals. The Frenchman had scored just 23 goals in his last two campaigns combined for the Red Devils.
- Jesse Lingard has scored in back-to-back matches for Manchester United for the first time since December 2018
What’s next?
As previously mentioned, Manchester United will now face Copenhagen in the Europa League last eight on Monday at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany on Monday.
Last-16 ties remaining
- Wolves v Olympiakos (1-1)
- Bayer Leverkusen v Rangers (3-1)
- Basel v Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0)
- Sevilla vs Roma (single knockout game)
Quarter-final draw in full
- Shakhtar Donetsk vs Basel/Eintracht Frankfurt
- Manchester United vs Copenhagen
- Inter Milan vs Bayer Leverkusen/Rangers
- Wolves/Olympiakos vs Sevilla/Roma
Semi-final draw in full
- Wolves/Olympiakos or Sevilla/Roma vs Manchester United or Copenhagen
- Shakhtar Donetsk or Basel/Eintracht Frankfurt v Inter Milan or Bayer Leverkusen/Rangers
Europa League: key dates
- Europa League last-16: August 5/6 (kick-off 5.55pm, 8pm BST)
- Europa League quarter-finals: August 10/11 (8pm BST)
- Europa League semi-finals: August 16/17 (8pm BST)
- Europa League final: August 21 (8pm BST)
For a full assessment of the Europa League state of play read more here
read the full story about Man Utd ease into Europa League last eight
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