FC Midtjylland vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Europa League
Manchester United stormed into the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League with a 5-1 victory over Midtjylland on Thursday night.
Trailing 2-1 after the first leg in Denmark, United went further behind in the 28th minute at Old Trafford as Pione Sisto scored for Midtjylland. But a Nikolay Bodurov own goal made it 1-1 heading into halftime, and the hosts ran riot after the break.
Marcus Rashford, making his Manchester United debut at age 18, scored a brace in the second half, while Ander Herrera and the outstanding Memphis Depay added late goals to seal victory.
Midtjylland finished the match with 10 men after Andre Romer was dismissed for his second bookable offense in the 89th minute.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Memphis Depay
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Memphis Depay was the man of the match, and it wasn't close. The Dutch winger sparkled from the first minute until the final whistle, tormenting Midtjylland with his speed, dribbling and trickery on United's left flank.
He was instrumental in United's first goal as Nikolay Bodurov turned his cross into Midtjylland's net in the 32nd minute. Just before full time, Memphis finally notched a goal for himself, cutting inside from the left before depositing a fierce, low shot past Mikkel Andersen.
In between, Memphis gave Andre Romer a torrid time, blowing past the Midtjylland right-back repeatedly with blistering pace and eye-popping ball skills.
Just this week, the 22-year-old admitted he hasn't lived up to expectations in his first season with United, telling the Daily Mirror's Mike Walters: "I will fight to show what I can do. I have a lot of expectations of myself, and it will come – confidence and experience will help."
This performance will surely give Memphis plenty of confidence. And Manchester United will be hoping it leads to a consistent run of good form, starting with the Premier League showdown against Arsenal on Sunday.
Loser: Andre Romer
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As mentioned in the previous slide, Andre Romer had a nightmare outing on the right side of Midtjylland's back line. The full-back simply had no answer for Memphis Depay's speed and trickery, and it was painful viewing for the traveling Danish fans.
In addition, Romer picked up a red card in the waning moments of the match after being booked for the second time. Truly a performance to forget.
Winner: Marcus Rashford
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Marcus who?
Ahead of kickoff, few knew the name Marcus Rashford. After scoring twice on his debut, the 18-year-old won't soon be forgotten at Old Trafford.
Almost unbelievably, Rashford never looked overawed during his 90 minutes on the pitch. Despite making his first senior appearance (for any club, not just United), the young striker appeared composed and relaxed on the big stage.
His big moment came in the 64th minute, when Juan Mata kept the ball from rolling over the byline and pulled back a pass into the middle. Unmarked, Rashford kept his composure and dispatched a cool finish past Mikkel Andersen to put United ahead on the night at 2-1.
As it stood, the tie was heading to extra time. But Rashford wasn't finished.
Just 11 minutes later, Guillermo Varela pushed forward on the right and curled an inch-perfect cross to Rashford. Without breaking stride, the 18-year-old finished with a composed half volley that was much more difficult than he made it look.
It was a remarkable turn of events, and the most amazing part of it was that Rashford wasn't even in manager Louis van Gaal's original lineup. A late injury to Anthony Martial during warm-ups gave Rashford his chance, and he took full advantage.
"It's a great night for him and all the other youngsters in the squad," Daley Blind told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "It's great to see them playing well. And I'm really pleased for Memphis too—he was brilliant."
Loser, Then Winner: Juan Mata
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United's big comeback almost stalled in its tracks late in the first half. After the home side won a penalty just before halftime, Juan Mata stepped up to take the spot-kick.
His attempt was poor and Mikkel Andersen saved easily. Rather than striking the ball with power or placing it carefully, Mata did neither, sending a tame effort too close to Andersen, who guessed correctly and dived to his right.
But after missing the penalty, Mata made amends by setting up Marcus Rashford's first goal with a superb effect. The Spaniard kept the ball from rolling over the line and set up his teammate with an excellent pullback that was just crying out to be finished.
Instead of letting his miss affect his performance negatively, Mata responded in the best way possible.
Winner: Pione Sisto
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Pione Sisto is a name that was probably unfamiliar to most English football fans before this tie. But after scoring in both legs against Manchester United, the 21-year-old Midtjylland man might attract some attention in the coming months.
After netting a fine solo goal in the first leg, Sisto topped himself with an even better strike Thursday night. Accepting a pass along the edge of the box with his back to goal, Sisto left Daley Blind for dead with an expert turn, skipped past Michael Carrick's sliding challenge and then buried a low shot past Sergio Romero.
At the time, the goal gave Midtjylland an imposing 3-1 lead on aggregate. As it turned out, that wasn't nearly enough to knock out Manchester United, but Sisto's attacking talents must have turned a few heads among Europe's scouts.
