That’s all from me today. Thanks for following tonight. Bye.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:
[On what he was happy with] The football we played at times. First half, I thought we started the game with great intensity. Tempo with our game, combination play, good rhythm with our game. Very happy.
[On Odion Ighalo] The goal was a good example of what you want form Odion. The ball’s come over him and it spins quickly, gets over the centre back and taps it in. What we’ve been lacking a little recently.
[On United’s form] We’re not conceding goals. That’s a good start today we want to play attacking football. Play with confidence, swagger, smiles on our faces. Everton on Sunday is a big one. Now we just enjoy this one tonight, get ready for Sunday
Here is tonight’s report after a job well done by Manchester United.
Odion Ighalo spoke to BT Sport after finally getting off the mark:
The confidence was high. We spoke about that before the start of the game. We’re playing at home, the fans are behind us so we go all out... From the start we work hard until the last minute, so that’s very good
It’s a great moment. I’ve been waiting for this. Played three games, but I don’t play much so no goals and a little pressure. It’s a big dream and realising the dream makes it even better so I thank god for this and I’m very delighted.
Here are the results from the 8pm kickoffs, aside from the Arsenal-Olympiakos game that has headed to extra time.
⏰ LATE RESULTS ⏰
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 27, 2020
✅ Shakhtar, Inter, Manchester United, Sevilla, Copenhagen & Getafe through to the round of 16
* Arsenal 🆚 Olympiacos has gone to extra time#UEL
Manchester United’s last 7 fixtures:
6-0 vs Tranmere (A)
1-0 vs Manchester City (A)
0-0 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
2-0 vs Chelsea (A)
1-1 vs Club Brugge (A)
3-0 vs Watford (H)
5-0 vs Club Brugge (H)
Seems OK?
Full-time: Manchester United 5-0 Club Brugge (agg: 6-1)
Too good from Manchester United, who seem to finally be in the midst building some momentum. An excellent first half driven by new boy Fernandes who is providing the creativity that United have desperately lacked. United fans have plenty of reasons to smile right now.
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GOAL! Manchester United 5-0 Club Brugge (agg: 6-1, Fred, 90+2 mins)
A lovely pull back from Chong, with Fred burying a brilliant left footed strike into the near post from outside of the box. Solkjaer simply applauded.
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90 mins: After playing at walking pace for a while, a quick burst of energy from United ends with a very decent strike from distance by Greenwood.
88 mins: Nice effort from Chong, who has been energetic in this half. He drove into the box and the fired a low shot towards the far post. The ball rolled wide.
3 minutes of added time.
84 mins: Almost 5! Club Brugge made a rare venture forward and won a free kick, but United immediately went on the break. A beautiful first time ball from Mata threaded Wan-Bissaka in on the right, with Lingard eventually having a great chance inside the box. He just couldn’t direct his shot past Mignolet.
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GOAL! Manchester United 4-0 Club Brugge (agg: 5-1, Fred, 82 mins)
An assist for Jesse Lingard! Good work from Luke Shaw, who pressed Mitrovic, picked up the ball and found Lingard. Lingard carried the ball forward and cut back for Fred, who had an easy finish.
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76 mins: This was a fun match in the first half but the intensity is dead now. As Club Brugge keep most of their men behind the ball and fight to control the damage, United are moving the ball around too slowly to penetrate their defence. Many more long shots from the home team now, the last fired wide by Greenwood. Not much to see here.
73 mins: Not surprisingly, the pace of this game has slowed down since Fernandes was substituted. Lingard just attempted to make something happen, but that “something” was a long shot that flew miles wide and ended up landing closer to Belgium than the back of the net.
71 mins: Mason Greenwood, scorer of a brilliant goal on the weekend against Watford, replaces Scott McTominay, scorer of a brilliant goal tonight. An excellent return for the Scotsman.
68 mins: This has been a fairly quiet spell but Chong has been energetic since he came on. His vitality finally paid off as he carried the ball up the left flank and then fired off a shot.
The rebound rolled back to Shaw, who crunched an even better left footed attempt at Mignolet’s near post. The Belgian keeper was equal to both.
65 mins: Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard is on for Bruno Fernandes. Another wonderful performance from the Portuguese. United fans have every right to be excited about him so far.
64 mins. Simon Mignolet and Tahith Chong just had a nasty collision, with the United youngster coming off far worse. But Chong is walking off and seems to be OK.
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62 mins: As Mata and Fernandes very nearly piece together another lovely combination, Phillippe Clement sends another couple of lambs to slaughter. Krepin Diatta replaces Percy Tau and Clinton Mata is replaced by Matej Mitrovic.
57 mins: Mata and Fernandes are clearly enjoying each other’s company. A lovely combination from the pair, with Mata rolling a backheel to the Portuguese then immediately making a run. Fernandes rolled through a first touch through ball, which was only just diverted out for a corner by the tip of a defender’s toes.
Yes Odion!
— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) February 27, 2020
Always thought that if he got a goal early in his spell at United he’s the type of player who would go on a run of scoring goals.
Would be a special story if he proves the critics wrong but whatever happens he’s living the dream & the #MUFC fans have warmed to him.
54 mins: Fernandes is human after all. Not only did the Portuguese send it well wide, but it was furiously curling in the opposite direction of the goal. Not ideal.
53 mins: A free kick right on the edge of the box for Manchester United after Mata was tripped as he looked to receive a lofted through ball. Fernandes is standing over it...
51 mins: Like Manchester buses, Club Brugge’s first corner of the day immediately yielded a second corner, but the second one cleared everyone and went out for a goal kick. Back to defending.
49 mins: A rare attack from the Belgians here. Ricca picked the ball up on the left flank, carried it forward and whipped in a cross. Cleared for a corner.
47 mins: It has taken the home team mere seconds to get back into Club Brugge’s half, smothering them in the final third. This game may be over, but Solskjaer will surely be looking for continued intensity here.
46 mins: Manchester United kick off the second half.
One change for the home team at half-time: Tahith Chong replaced Daniel James. A good opportunity for the young Dutchman.
The more I watch Bruno Fernandes the more I massively regret Tottenham not signing him last summer.
— Michael Bridge (@MichaelBridge_) February 27, 2020
From Jennifer Craig: “That was the funniest handball since Scholes’ one in the Super Cup against Zenit. Class!”
It certainly would have been an excellent effort for a goalkeeper.
Half-time: Manchester United 3-0 Club Brugge (agg: 4-1)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departs with a smile on his face, and for good reason. A very good half of football from Manchester United.
45+2 mins: Fernandes very nearly sent Ighalo through on goal again. The ball just got caught under Ighalo’s heels and the visitors breathed a sigh of relief. The whistle couldn’t come sooner for the Belgians.
44 mins: United are recycling possession so well, pressing high and and constantly winning second balls. This may be an inferior opponent with 10 men, but the energy and speed of their passing is great. Almost everything good has gone through Fernandes today.
3 minutes added time.
42 mins:
Total shots:
Man United: 14
Club Brugge: 3
GOAL! Manchester United 3-0 Club Brugge (agg: 4-1, McTominay, 40 mins)
This is over. Kossounou was nabbed on the ball by Fernandes, who immediately found Fred with a pass. A great dribble from Fred, who picked out McTominay just outside the box. An excellent side-footed finish from McTominay.
Updated
39 mins: This is has been a masterclass from Fernandes so far, who just looks on another level right now. This time he slipped in a quick 1-2 with Ighalo, who very nearly put him through on goal.
The ball went out for a corner which Brugge cleared, but United recycled possession and immediately found Ighalo who forced Mignolet into a tough save. The pressure from United is relentless.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Club Brugge (agg: 3-1, Ighalo, 34 mins)
Ighalo gets his first goal! Excellent play from Fernandes who threw in about three dummies before launching a beautiful lofted ball to Mata on the right side by the post. Mata cut back to Ighalo who was in the perfect position to slot the ball into the net.
Updated
32 mins: A big chance to double the lead is missed by Daniel James. That was a gorgeous ball from Scott McTominay whose pass found James in space on the edge of the box. The Welshman just sent his shot wide. Head in hands and for good reason
29 mins: It took United about 30 seconds after the restart to nab the ball and move straight back into Brugge’s half. Nothing came of it, but Solskjaer has to be very pleased with his team’s energy so far.
From Justin Smith:
The wait for the red card to be reviewed is craziness before the penalty is taken. Waiting around and building nerves for the taker is ridiculous. Lucky Fernandes has ice in his veins but come on people!!!
Love the little jump btw...
Agreed. There is enough pressure without a player waiting nearly four minutes to take a penalty.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Club Brugge (agg: 2-1, Fernandes 27 mins)
3 minutes and 40 seconds after the penalty was awarded. Fernandes calmly sent the Mignolet the other way with a stuttering run and rolled his penalty into the net. Too good.
Updated
26 mins: The referee has confirmed the penalty and red card. Let’s see Fernandes’ composure here...
23 mins: Well, this is pretty tough for Fernandes. The referee is going over to look at the monitor to review the red card. Fernandes has already been standing over the ball for minutes.
Updated
22 mins: Penalty for United! A handball from Simon Deli after a shot from James. In addition to the penalty, a red card for the Brugge defender. VAR is checking the red card...
Updated
20 mins: United have had 65% of possession so far. Smothering the Belgian league leaders.
17 mins: United continue to threaten but they can’t get through so far. Their last attack greater resembled pinball than football with three consecutive shots blocked in the blink of an eye. They are knocking on the door but the Brugge defence and goalkeeper, Mignolet, have been in the right place at the right time so far.
From Michael Lafua:
Luke Shaw? Best left back in Europe? Don’t get me wrong, I love Scholesy, he was one of the best midfielders we have ever had at Manchester United : tenacious, insightful, sublime, etc ... So you can imagine the horror I felt when I read his statement about Shaw.
I thank my stars Scholesy isn’t a part of the EA sports(FIFA20) team.
11 mins: Goodness, this is breathless end-to-end stuff already. Just as United fans exhaled in relief after Rits’ shot missed the target, Fernandes picked up the ball in space on the right, moved into the box with a lovely first touch and then fired a solid attempt at goal. A pretty damn good save from Mignolet was the only thing keeping it out.
10 mins: After facing a barrage from the United attack, a major opportunity finally opens for Brugge. Vanaken carried the ball down the left flank before curling a nice cross towards Rits, who was in tons of space. Rits’ shot just flew over the bar.
8 mins: Another attack from United. Most of their joy so far has come from the left but Fernandes drifted to the right and produced a beautiful 1-2 with Wan-Bissaka who slipped a low cross into the box. A good cross, but nobody was there to connect with it.
6 mins: United already look a heck of a lot up for this than in the dire opening half hour last week. Maguire just went on a brilliant run with the ball from way back in defence, dribbling about 30 yards and beating a couple of men until he lost the ball just outside the box. The home team is clearly looking for a goal as soon as possible and United may just get it.
3 min: What a start! United generate a corner and after a frantic rush in the box, Maguire’s shot is blocked. United are already moving forward in waves, with Fernandes’ wonderful strike tipped onto the post.
1 min: And we’re off. Club Brugge kick things off tonight.
The first set of games are done. Not long now...
⏰ EARLY RESULTS ⏰
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 27, 2020
✅ Roma, Wolfsburg, LASK, Basel, Leverkusen & Wolves through to the round of 16
* İstanbul Başakşehir 🆚 Sporting CP has gone to extra time #UEL
Luke Shaw on BT Sport:
When people doubt you so much, mentally it makes me stronger and it makes me want it more. I just gotta keep on working hard and not just myself, but on the team too.
“If he wants to be, I believe he can be one of the best left backs in Europe,” says Paul Scholes. Thoughts?
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer just fronted up for the BT Sport cameras:
On Martial: Muscle injury, I think. Let’s give him the days he needs. I hope for the weekend but I’m not sure.
On the importance of this game: It’s very important that we keep on winning games, get a momentum. These are the only team that has scored against us in the last 6 games. A quick team, counter attacking team, so we have to be focused.
The latter quote was a response to whether this is a “season-defining game” for his team. A bit of a dramatic question there, but it is a huge opportunity to build some momentum.
Solskjaer confirms that Martial is out after picking up an injury in training yesterday. Given how well he Martial performing right now, the boss be desperate for a quick return.
Solskjaer on Martial: "He didn't feel right after the training yesterday. He is injured but hopefully not too bad." #mufc
— Rich Fay (@RichFay) February 27, 2020
✌️ Our January reinforcements start together for the first time 🔴#MUFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/0GLHBLNxXX
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 27, 2020
Tonight’s teams:
Man United: Romero, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, James, Fernandes, Mata, Ighalo.
Subs: de Gea, Lindelof, Williams, Lingard, Matic, Chong, Greenwood
Club Brugge: Mignolet, Mata, Mechele, Deli, Ricca, Kossounou, Rits, De Cuyper, Tau, Okereke, Vanaken.
Subs: Horvath, Mitrovic, Sobol, Diatta, De Ketelaere, Krmencik, Schrijvers
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The boys are in! Are you ready? 😍#MnuClu #UEL pic.twitter.com/Pe7KAl2ezD
— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) February 27, 2020
Life has not been the same since noted philosopher Andreas Pereira’s glorious words of wisdom ahead of the first leg:
I am trying to get back to scoring goals in my game. Goals are like ketchup, if you score one, more will come.
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Some ominous statistics for Club Brugge today:
- Manchester United have won all games against Belgian clubs at home, including a 3-1 win over Club Brugge in the 2015 Champions League play-offs and 5 wins over Anderlecht.
- Manchester United are unbeaten at home in the Europa League since 2012 with 2 draws and 10 wins.
- Club Brugge have never beaten an English team away from home, with 2 draws and 10 losses in previous encounters.
Here is Club Brugge manager Philippe Clement on tonight’s game, speaking in yesterday’s press conference:
“It will be a bigger challenge than we thought due to the absence of [Ruud] Vormer, [Eder] Balanta and [Emmanuel] Dennis... For the first game I said that we needed a miracle to qualify for the next round. Now we need more than that. We are here with a young team with less experience, but this will be instructive. My team will be able to gain experience... It will be different circumstances in the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. But let’s dream. We are going to give everything. ”
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Preamble
Hello! Welcome to our coverage of tonight’s decisive Europa League clash between Manchester United and Club Brugge at Old Trafford. Last week in Bruges, both teams left fairly satisfied with a 1-1 draw that could have been snatched by either team. While Club Brugge punched above their weight, created ample chances and played an excellent game, United started horrendously and an average performance was salvaged by two players in particular: Anthony Martial single-handedly dragged his team into the game with a moment of tenacity and skill to score the equaliser, and then the night ended with a startling cameo from new kid Bruno Fernandes who offered a potential preview of what is to come.
Both players flowed into this weekend’s excellent 3-0 win over Watford, with Fernandes scoring his first goal for United after winning the penalty, before Martial produced an absurd piece of skill to delicately chip home his third goal in three games. United have clearly shown some good football over the past 10 days and the challenge now is to turn a couple of solid performances into a good run of games. So far this season, inconsistency has defined them.
Tonight seems to present a good opportunity for United to lay down a marker and move deeper into the Europa League. Club Brugge nabbed a 1-0 win over Charleroi on the weekend to retain their 9 point lead in the Belgian Pro League but they will be without two of their most important players when they arrive in Manchester. The best player on the pitch last week was Emmanuel Dennis, who ran Harry Maguire ragged for 90 minutes and scored Brugge’s goal with a lovely chip. He will play no part tonight after being ruled out by injury. The club’s talisman Ruud Vormer, responsible for 14 assists in the Belgian Pro League so far, is also out.
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