Manchester United secured their Europa League last-16 spot by defeating Romanian side FCSB 2-0, while Tottenham Hotspur, amidst their struggles, relied on their youth talent for a win against Elfsborg to progress on Thursday.
The two Premier League sides avoided the Europa League play-off round, with United finishing third and Tottenham securing fourth place.
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The leading eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, earning seeded positions against victors from eight two-legged knockout play-off matches involving teams positioned between ninth and 24th place.
United maintained their eight-match unbeaten run in the competition with second-half goals came from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo at the National Arena in Bucharest
In north London, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou found relief as youngsters Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore netted their maiden goals for the club, contributing to a 3-0 triumph over Swedish side Elfsborg.
UNITED THROUGH
The first half showed inconsistent performance from United, but Amorim's strategic introduction of Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho after the interval proved influential in shifting momentum.
United secured their advantage on the hour mark when Mainoo delivered a precise low cross into the six-yard area, allowing Dalot to time his approach perfectly for an unchallenged finish.
FCSB nearly equalised straightaway through Daniel Birligea's powerful attempt, which struck the crossbar and nearly crossed the goal line.
The victory was secured in the 68th minute as Mainoo finished calmly from Garnacho's assist.
YOUTH POWER TAKES SPURS TO KNOCKOUTS
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, three talented youth academy products helped lift the sombre atmosphere.
Tottenham suffered another injury blow when centre-back Radu Dragusin left with a knee issue in the second half, but his replacement Scarlett broke through Elfsborg's defence in the 70th minute.
Kulusevski delivered a precise cross that found Scarlett, who converted with a header. The young striker, aged 20, had just come back from his loan stint at Oxford in League One.
Making an immediate impact, 19-year-old Ajayi needed only four minutes after coming on to score on his debut, finishing from Scarlett's assist in the 84th minute. The scoreline was completed when 17-year-old Moore found the net during added time.
IN OTHER MATCHES
Rangers advanced to the last 16 by securing eighth position with a 2-1 victory over Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox.
The Scottish club's triumph came through goals from Nicolas Raskin and Vaclav Cerny, whilst Kevin Mac Allister scored for the visitors in a nail-biting conclusion.
Fenerbahce, under Jose Mourinho's leadership, narrowly qualified for the play-offs in 24th position, edging out Braga on goal difference after drawing 2-2 with Midtjylland.
Despite suffering a 1-0 loss at Braga, Lazio claimed the top spot in the league phase, whilst Athletic Bilbao secured second position with a 3-1 win against Viktoria Plzen.
The remaining top eight positions were filled by Eintracht Frankfurt in fifth, Lyon in sixth and Olympiakos in seventh place.
Roma earned their play-off spot by defeating Frankfurt 2-0
