Manchester United booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League courtesy of a 5-1 victory over FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford this evening.
The hosts trailed 2-1 on aggregate following their defeat in last week's first leg, and that deficit grew when the Danish outfit once again shocked United by taking the lead through Pione Sisto.
A Nikolay Bodurov own goal quickly levelled things up on the night, though, and debutant Marcus Rashford added a brace in the second half after Juan Mata had seen a penalty saved just before the interval.
Ander Herrera was more successful from the spot late on to put the tie to bed, while Memphis Depay added a fifth moments after Andre Romer had been sent off to seal the 6-3 aggregate victory.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League clash between Manchester United and FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford. It is a rescue job for the home side tonight as they look to clean up the mess they left themselves last week with their first-leg defeat, but they are still heavy favourites to progress into the last 16. A 1-0 win, or a victory by two clear goals, would do it. Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at some team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Varela, Carrick, Blind, Riley; Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera; Lingard, Mata, Memphis; Martial
MAN UTD SUBS: J Pereira, Rojo, Poole, McNair, Love, A Pereira, Rashford
MIDTJYLLAND STARTING XI: Andersen; Rømer, Hansen, Bodurov, Novak; Sparv, Poulsen, Olsson, Hassan, Sisto; Urena
What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, United's selection tells you all you need to know about their injury woes at the moment, particularly in defence. Perhaps the most notable inclusion is that of Michael Carrick at the heart of the defence, with Chris Smalling the latest to be ruled out through injury having picked up a knock in the FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury on Monday night. Smalling, in addition to Borthwick-Jackson and Keane, were considered doubts for this match, and none of them make the squad this evening.
Indeed, Blind is the only player in the back five who might make the United defence when at full strength, and even he is more used to playing as a midfielder! He once again fills in at centre-back this evening, alongside Carrick. On the flanks are the inexperienced duo of Varela and Riley, who have featured in six senior matches for Manchester United between them. It isn't a defence that will strike fear into the opposing forwards, that is for sure.
Even in goal they are not at full strength tonight, with David de Gea not have recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the warm-up to the first leg of this tie last week. De Gea has missed two games already due to that injury and tonight will be a third, although it is not thought to be too serious and he may be in contention to return against Arsenal at the weekend.
There are no changes further up the pitch, with Herrera and Schneiderlin once again playing the deeper midfield roles, with Schweinsteiger among the long list of players still sidelined. Mata and Lingard both scored against Shrewsbury on Monday night and start again this evening, as does Memphis Depay, who has been something of a flop since his arrival at United last summer. A match-winning performance tonight would go some way to winning the fans over, though.
Anthony Martial, who has arguably been one of United's better players this season, once again leads the line in the absence of injured captain Wayne Rooney. The teenager made no secret of his desire to play in a central role, and the injury to Rooney will give him a prolonged chance to do just that over the next few weeks. He can be a match-winners on his day and has shown a few flashes of his quality already during his short United career, so a good run of games in his favoured position could be exactly what he needs.
In all, then, United have only made two changes to the side that beat Shrewsbury on Monday night, both of which were enforced with Smalling and Borthwick-Jackson dropping out to be replaced by Carrick and Riley, the latter of whom is making his full debut for the club tonight. There is a notable inclusion on the bench for Macros Rojo, who has been sidelined for some time with a shoulder injury but is expected to play around 20 minutes tonight.
As for Midtjylland, they make two changes to the side that took to the field a week ago in Denmark, with Poulsen and Urena coming in. Kadlec and Pusic are the men to make way for the visitors tonight. Midtjylland are expected to sit deep and play defensively this evening, so presumably manager Jess Thorup sees those two and more capable of keeping United at bay.
That does mean that there is no place in the starting lineup for Onuachu, who came off the bench to net the famous winner in the first leg last week. He would have been hoping that his heroics may have earned him a starting place at Old Trafford, but that is not to be the case. Midtjylland's other goalscorer, Sisto, does start, though.
United will approach this match perhaps a little more cautiously than they did in the first leg, at least in terms of their expectations for it. Many were presuming that they would be able to build a decent lead in the first leg and clinch a couple of away goals against the European minnows, but Midtjylland's shock victory means that tonight's match really is a must-win for United - anything less and they will be out of the competition.
An early exit would really cap off a woeful season in Europe this term. United returned to the Champions League after a year-long absence and were able to cruise past Club Brugge in the qualifying rounds, but despite being handed a kind draw in the groups, they could only finish third behind PSV and Wolfsburg. That in itself was borderline embarrassing for a club on United's stature, but to be eliminated at their first hurdle in the Europa League at the hands of such a small club would be a real low point for the Red Devils.
It is not as though they can suggest that the Europa League is far down their priority list either. This competition is arguably the most important for United now this season as it could hand them their most likely route back into the Champions League next term. Of course, winning the Europa League is no given with the likes of Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla in the competition, but their Premier League hopes are beginning to look bleak so this could be the best bet they have left.
The gap to the top four in the Premier League is currently six points and, while that is by no means unassailable, the four teams above them all have ambitions of winning the title, while United's current form has them looking over their shoulders. Indeed, they could slip down as low as seventh this weekend should West Ham United and Southampton both win on Saturday, and there is no guarantee that they would make that up when they face title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday.
It is hard to talk about United at the moment without giving mention to the ongoing uncertainty over Louis van Gaal's future. It has been a damaging couple of weeks for the Dutchman, with the first-leg defeat in this tie being preceded by a 2-1 loss at the hands of Sunderland. They did return to winning ways on Monday against League One opposition in the form of Shrewsbury, but that is only their sixth win in their last 19 games in all competitions - a run that also includes six draws and seven defeats. Needless to say, that is not good enough for a club like Manchester United.
The positive as far as tonight is concerned is that they have won three of their last four outings at Old Trafford and have only been beaten here twice in their 19 home games all season, excluding penalties. Those 19 games include a very impressive 12 clean sheets, and if they can make that 13 tonight then they will only need one goal to make it through. They will no doubt be happy to return to Old Trafford having not played here since a 3-0 win over Stoke on February 2.
Their unbeaten home run in Europe currently stands at nine games, including seven wins, since a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in Sir Alex Ferguson's final European game in charge of the club. They have kept five clean sheets in those nine games and won two of their three Champions League group games this season, so they don't often miss a chance to make home advantage count in Europe. They have, however, lost both of their previous home matches in the Europa League as part of an ongoing four-match losing streak in this competition.
There is certainly a glimmer of hope for the visitors tonight, then, and any aura that may have surrounded United would have been smashed away by last week's victory. Louis van Gaal himself has admitted that his side have lost their fear factor in recent seasons, and Midtjylland will arrive at Old Trafford feeling that they have a chance of pulling off one of the biggest European upsets in recent years.
Jess Thorup has claimed that his side would need a "miracle" to progress past United over two legs, but should the Red Devils perform to the same laboured level as they did in the first leg then it is easy to see that miracle happening tonight. Midtjylland have put themselves in a superb position in this second leg, certainly compared to where many thought they would be, and if they can nick a draw tonight then it would surely surpass last week's victory as the best result in the club's history.
It has, admittedly, been a short history for Midtjylland so far, but that makes their success all the more impressive. They were only formed in 1999, when Manchester United were crowned kings of Europe and completed an unprecedented treble. Fast forward 17 years, and not many people would have imagined that the Danish minnows would be travelling to Old Trafford with a first-leg lead. Whatever happens tonight, it has been a successful European campaign for them.
Even reaching the Europa League group stages was considered an achievement for Midtjylland, who had never made it into a European competition proper before. They rather squeezed through their group, finishing a full 11 points behind Napoli and two above Club Brugge, who United themselves condemned to Europa League football by beating them in the Champions League knockout rounds. This is the first time that they have even been involved in the spring phase of European competition, which gives some indication of how big a shock it would be for them to knock the three-time European champions out.
The statistics suggest that Midtjylland was the easiest draw that United could have got too. They amassed the fewest points of any side to have qualified for the last 32 via the Europa League group stages with just seven, losing more games than they won. They also failed to win any of their last four group games after starting with back-to-back wins, and their aggregate score over the two meetings with Napoli was a 9-1 loss.
Alongside fellow Scandinavian outfit Molde, Midtjylland have had the longest campaign of any side to have reached the Europa League last 32 having started all the way back in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. That will seem a long time ago for Thurrop's side, but so may their last competitive action before last week's match against United. Midtjylland had been on their winter break since December 10 when they welcomed Louis van Gaal's side to town, which makes their subsequent victory all the more impressive.
It's not like Midtjylland were in particularly good form before that either. They have only won one of their 10 matches in all competitions before the winter break, with that solitary victory coming on November 8. Their domestic season does not start again until the weekend, and while United face Arsenal on the Sunday, Midtjylland have a big match of their own on Monday as they face title rivals AaB.
They currently trail AaB by three points in the Danish Superliga, although they do have a game in hand against them. Midtjylland are four adrift of league leaders Copenhagen ahead of the resumption of the season, and if they are to overhaul that gap and retain their title then they may need to start scoring more goals. They have managed just 26 from their 17 outings so far, giving the title hopefuls the worst attacking record outside the bottom five.
They will also need to improve away from home too. Their last victory on the road came way back at the start of October, when they beat Club Brugge in their opening away group game in this competition. Since then, Midtjylland are winless in six away outings, losing five of those, including two in the Europa League. Those two European games saw them concede six goals and fail to fire any back in reply.
UPDATE: There is good news for one English team tonight as Liverpool have edged past Augsburg to book their spot in the last 16. James Milner's early penalty turned out to be the deciding factor in a 1-0 win for the Reds. Spurs, along with United, will look to join them there in the later kickoffs.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction! Last week's defeat came as a shock, but surely United can't slip up again tonight, can they? I don't think so - their defensive record at home is sound and Midtjylland don't travel too well, so I'm going for a 2-0 Manchester United win and a place in the last 16 for Louis van Gaal's side.
Some potential bad news for United as Martial appeared to pick up an injury during the warm-up, just as David de Gea did a week ago. You can follow that developing story here, and we will keep you updated with the latest.
United have faced Danish opposition on seven occasions down the years, and last week's defeat was only the second time that they have lost. They are unbeaten at home, though, with two wins and 10 goals from their three Old Trafford fixtures against Danish teams.
BREAKING NEWS: United's fears have been realised, and Martial is OUT of this game with a hamstring injury. Rashford will replace him in the starting XI.
Midtjylland are unbeaten in their two previous visits to England, including a win in Manchester over City during qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds. They eventually went out on penalties in that tie having lost the reverse 1-0 too, which is their only defeat in five previous meetings against teams from the Premier League. Their other visit to these shores came early this season when they drew 1-1 with Southampton on their way to knocking the Saints out of the qualifying stages.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! United get us underway at Old Trafford as they look to overturn that first-leg deficit and reach the last 16.
It's been a rather low-key start to this match, with United seeing the majority of the ball but not exactly probing the Midtjylland defence.
Good play from Memphis as he drives forward down the left before cutting inside past two defenders and going for goal. Sparv is there to nod the shot away before it can test the keeper, though.
There is a rather subdued atmosphere inside Old Trafford tonight, which is only going to help the visitors. There are a lot of empty seats, and it is easy to tell by the noise levels. The visiting fans are enjoying themselves, as you would imagine, but there isn't much buzz amongst home supporters.
Memphis makes another break down the left and this time stays on the outside, but he doesn't look comfortable on his left and tries to flick a cross into the box with the outside of his right boot, which comes to nothing.
The pressure is starting to build on the Midtjylland defence a little now, with United having one or two shooting chances. Andersen is yet to be troubled in goal, but it is the hosts who have had the better of the opening 10 minutes.
Big night for the young man, who comes into the side at such short notice...
Still not much to report here. United are still on top in terms of possession, but neither side have created a chance yet.
SAVE! Rashford is the first to call either keeper into action as he cuts inside onto his right and drills a low striker towards the bottom corner. Andersen is down quickly to turn it behind, though.
The resulting corner eventually leads to the ball being played in towards the near post, and Hansen slices his attempted clearance narrowly past his own target. A second corner is picked up by Memphis, but his swinging delivery is catching practice for the keeper.
United have enjoyed 64% of possession so far, and Midtjylland may be giving them a bit too much respect on the ball at the moment. They aren't pressing with much conviction, instead allowing United to knock the ball about at their own tempo.
Varela tries a float a pass over the defence for Rashford, and it almost finds the youngster, but he just can't bring it down and a promising attack goes begging.
Midtjylland are defending very deep here, and that almost hurts them when Lingard's cross is deflected towards the visitors' goal by a defender. Fortunately, though, it flies straight into the arms of Andersen.
CLOSE! Almost a freak goal for United as Mata and Rashford link up well on the edge of the box. The ball ricochets to Novak, but his attempted clearance strikes Lingard and bounces into the side-netting.
Midtjylland have got through the opening quarter of this game with relatively few scares, but they may not be too happy at how this match is shaping up. They can barely get a foot on the ball and it is hard to see United's pressure not paying off sooner or later.
UPDATE: Spurs look to be on course to join Liverpool in the last 16 of the Europa League having taken the lead against Fiorentina at White Hart Lane. Ryan Mason got the goal to make it 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 FC Midtjylland (Pione Sisto)
Oh my word! Midtjylland break the deadlock at Old Trafford to take a 3-1 lead on aggregate against United! They have not threatened at all so far, but it is a real moment of quality from Sisto to open the scoring. He collects the ball on the edge of the box and keeps his composure to dance into a better position before rather scuffing an effort into the bottom corner. United are in big trouble now!
That goal means that United must now score three times without reply to go through inside the 90 minutes this evening. A 2-1 win for the hosts would force extra time and perhaps penalties, but that goal certainly puts Midtjylland in a much better position.
CHANCE! United look for a quick response as the ball is fed into the feet of Memphis, who tries to wrap his foot around it with a first-time effort. It flies straight into the arms of Andersen, though.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 FC Midtjylland (Nikolay Bodurov og)
That is exactly what United needed - a quick response to level things up on the night and restore the aggregate deficit to one goal. Memphis creates the own goal by bursting down the left, beating his man far too easily on the way to the byline. He cuts a low ball back into the box, and Bodurov turns it into his own net past a helpless keeper.
YELLOW CARD! Novak becomes the first name in the book this evening for a trip on Lingard.
Memphis is the danger for United tonight. He picks up the ball at the back post after Hansen had only got a glancing header to a cross, and spins cleverley into space before getting a cross away. It is a teasing ball, but Midtjylland just about deal with it.
CLOSE! Bodurov almost scores a second own goal when defending a testing ball into the box, but this time makes a brilliant clearance instead. United keep the pressure up, however, and Schneiderlin goes for a bicycle kick that bounces narrowly past the post.
SHOT! Memphis opts to go for goal himself this time, letting fly from a fair distance out and trying to curl the ball into the near corner. It bends wide of the target, though, and Andersen had it covered anyway.
United have responded well to going behind. Such a setback could well have made their heads drop, particularly with such a young side, but they got the equaliser quickly and are looking dangerous right now.
OFF THE POST! United are inches away from a second as Schneiderlin plants a header against the post!
PENALTY TO MAN UTD!
SAVED!
What a chance for United to move level on aggregate right before half time, but Andersen saves Mata's penalty! It is Romer who concedes the spot kick, diving in and bringing down Herrera after being bamboozled by Memphis yet again. It is a clear foul, and the referee correctly spots that it is just inside the area too. Mata steps up to take it, but Andersen guesses right and turns it around the post.
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
Great burst of pace from Rashford as he reaches the byline down the left before firing a low cross in, but it slams into the side-netting.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-1 FC Midtjylland
We've reached the halfway stage of this second leg, then, and in many ways it is as you were between Manchester United and FC Midtjylland. It is 1-1 at the break, which means that United still need a goal to stay in the tie. The hosts have dominated things so far, controlling possession and playing the game at their own pace, but they still have work to do here.
It was the visitors who stunned Old Trafford with the opening goal shortly before the half-hour mark on what was their first meaningful attack of the game. Their danger man Sisto provided it, picking the ball up on the edge of the box before scooting past rash challenges from Blind and Carrick and sliding an effort past Romero and into the bottom corner. It was poor defending from United, but take nothing away from the composed finish.
United were quick to respond, though, and levelled things up just four minutes later when Memphis, who has been by far the best player on the pitch so far tonight, reached the byline before cutting a low cross into the middle. Bodurov stuck his foot out in an attempt to deal with it, but it pinged off his toe and past his own keeper for the equalising goal.
United had a glorious chance to add a second right on the stroke of half time too, which would have levelled things up on aggregate. Romer has had a torrid evening so far, being beaten by Memphis time and time again, and he was tied up in knots by the winger again before diving in to a challenge on Herrera and bringing him down inside the area. Mata lined up the resulting penalty, but Andersen got down to his right and pushed the spot kick past the post.
Schneiderlin has also hit the post and come close with a bicycle kick, while Rashford and Memphis have also drawn saves from the Midtjylland keeper so far. I'd still expected United to win this one and go through, but they don't make things easy for themselves!
KICKOFF: FC Midtjylland get us back underway for the second half, and the visitors have made a change at the break as Paul Onuachu, who scored the winner a week ago, replaces Urena.
CHANCE! Big chance for United right at the start of this second half! It is Schneiderlin, who hit the post just before that penalty, who finds himself unmarked at the back post. Mata picks him out with a lovely diagonal pass, but Schneiderlin gets his finish all wrong and Midtjylland clear from inside their own six-yard box.
CHANCE! Another chance for the hosts as they take a free kick quickly to Memphis, who once again ties his marker in knots down the left before standing a cross up to the far post. Herrera is there in space and has half of the goal gaping, but he plants his header into the side-netting! What a chance!
Midtjylland make a very rare break forward, and it is no surprise that Sisto is involved. He collects the ball at the back post and works a yard to cross, but his delivery is low into the arms of Romero.
Romero is called into action again here as Midtjylland make another good break forward. Sisto is again waiting at the back post, but Romero claws the ball away before Poulsen's cross can reach the danger man.
How big could this moment prove to be? Mata saw his penalty saved and, as things stand, United are still crashing out of the Europa League. Mind you, they have had other chances that have gone begging too tonight.
Midtjylland are starting to show a little more going forward now. They win their first corner of the game and it is flicked on at the near post, but Romero is able to collect it.
We're approaching the hour mark now, and still it is Midtjylland who are going through. United certainly look as though they have at least one more goal in them, but with every passing minute the pressure is going to increase on them to get that goal.
Romer is having a real stinker. He does well initially to intercept a pass meant for Memphis, but then seems to forget the ball on his way upfield and is out of position as it is fed back to Memphis. Hansen comes to the rescue with a good block, though.
Desperate defending from Midtjylland as they hold the fort under sustained pressure, and then Onuachu does really well to win a free kick for his side down the right flank.
UPDATE: United may be making a meal of this, but the same cannot be said of Tottenham. They have just doubled their lead against Fiorentina on the night through Erik Lamela, making it 3-1 on aggregate. Pochettino's men continue to impress.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 FC Midtjylland (Marcus Rashford)
What a big goal for United, and what a moment for Rashford! Called into the side just moments before kickoff, he scored the crucial levelling goal on aggregate. It is poor defending from the visitors down their right yet again as they don't take the chance to clear the ball behind, allowing Mata to squeeze it back into the middle. Rashford is the most alert to the situation and fires the ball home from inside the area.
Suddenly things are looking a lot more rosy for United. They now have 25 minutes to get another goal which would send them through to the last 16 without the need for extra time or penalties. As things stand, we will require an added 30.
MIDTJYLLAND SUB: The visitors make another change here as Vaclav Kadlec replaces Hassan.
It will be interesting to see how the visitors approach these final 20 minutes now. That change is quite an attacking one, but they may fancy their chances more of holding out for penalties than they do nicking another in normal time here.
Brilliant from Memphis yet again as he twists and turns in very little space inside the box, leaving bodies on the floor in his wake. He attempts to make it a magnificent goal by chipping the keeper, but Andersen paws it away.
YELLOW CARD! Big moment here as Lingard goes down inside the box after a rash diving challenge, but the referee books the United man for a dive! It is an interesting one as Lingard would have been brought down had he not hurdled the challenge, but as it was there wasn't any contact.
Just 15 minutes remain here, and as things stand we are in for extra time. As expected, it is United who are asking all the questions in the search for another goal, though.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 FC Midtjylland (Marcus Rashford)
He has done it again! The youngster doubles his personal tally on his debut by planting a finish past the keeper after good work from Varela. The full-back worked space to cross the ball and hung his delivery up to the back post. Rashford makes a good run into space there, and simply focuses on keeping the ball down and sweeping it beyond Andersen.
There will be no extra time tonight, then, but United are by no means clear of danger yet. A goal for Midtjylland would put them back ahead on away goals, so the main thing for United now is to avoid conceding.
CHANCE! Alternatively, they could go for another goal to really kill things off. Mata swings a cross into the middle where Rashford is, but the youngster nods the ball over the top when looking for his hat-trick.
MAN UTD SUB: Time for the long-awaited return of Marcos Rojo as he replaces the debutant Riley at left-back.
MIDTJYLLAND SUB: The visitors also make their final change of the game as Martin Pusic replaces Olsson.
Almost a chance for Midtjylland as Poulsen swings a cross into the middle that Onuachu meets, but he can't steer his header anywhere near the target.
Memphis has had probably his best game for United tonight. He has brought out all of the skills and has had poor Romer on toast all night. It has been one of the most one-sided winger vs. full-back duels that I can recall seeing for some time.
Just five minutes remain for Midtjylland to save this match, but in all honesty they haven't shown any signs of doing so at all. Their only attack provided their goal, and aside from that it has been all-out defensive from the visitors.
MAN UTD SUB: Another change for the home side as Andreas Pereira replaces Lingard.
PENALTY TO MAN UTD!
GOAL! Manchester United 4-1 FC Midtjylland (Ander Herrera, pen)
This one is over, folks! United put the game beyond doubt as Hansen concedes a penalty for handballing a Memphis effort. This time it is Herrera who is entrusted with the spot-kick duties, and he slams it home from 12 yards.
RED CARD! Andre Romer (FC Midtjylland)
GOAL! Manchester United 5-1 FC Midtjylland (Memphis Depay)
Moments after Andre Romer caps off what is one of the worst performances I have ever seen with a red card, Memphis adds gloss to the scoreline with a deserved goal, slamming a low strike past the keeper from 25 yards after cutting inside.
MAN UTD SUB: A third and final change for United as Regan Poole replaces Herrera in the first of three added minutes.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 5-1 FC Midtjylland (Man Utd win 6-3 on aggregate)
The referee puts Midtjylland out of the misery following that late collapse, which makes this tie look a lot more straightforward for United than it actually was. In the end they run out 5-1 winners on the night and 6-3 victors on aggregate, with four of those goals coming in the second half tonight. Midtjylland also ended the match with just 10 men due to a late red for Andre Romer, who also conceded a penalty and was repeatedly beaten by Memphis in one of the poorest individual displays you will ever see.
Memphis was the main tormentor all evening, but it was Midtjylland who stunned Old Trafford by taking the lead shortly before the half-hour mark courtesy of a Sisto strike. Nikolay Bodurov's own goal soon levelled things up on the night, but United missed a glorious chance to grab a second behind half time when Mata saw his penalty saved. Debutant Marcus Rashford, who was only playing due to an injury to Martial in the warm-up, proved to be the unlikely hero with a second-half brace to nude his side ahead on aggregate, and a late penalty from Herrera and goal from Memphis either side of Romer's red card added gloss to the result.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's action-packed match as United survive another scare from Midtjylland before booking their place in the last 16 of the Europa League. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
