Europa League 2016: Scores, Odds After Thursday's Round-of-16 Leg 1 Results
Liverpool grabbed a vital 2-0 win over Manchester United during Thursday's UEFA Europa League action, boosting their odds of winning the tournament after the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino took care of the scoring, and while the Reds will be somewhat disappointed at not scoring more, a two-goal lead is nothing to scoff at heading into the second leg.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund smashed Tottenham Hotspur 3-0, while defending champions Sevilla held Basel to a 0-0 draw in Switzerland.
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Here's a look at Thursday's full results:
| Basel | 0-0 | Sevilla |
| Borussia Dortmund | 3-0 | Tottenham |
| Fenerbahce | 1-0 | Braga |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3-1 | Anderlecht |
| Athletic Bilbao | 1-0 | Valencia |
| Liverpool | 2-0 | Manchester United |
| Sparta Prague | 1-1 | Lazio |
| Villarreal | 2-0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
The latest Europa League odds, courtesy of Oddschecker.com:
| Dortmund | 2-1 |
| Liverpool | 6-1 |
| Sevilla | 13-2 |
| Villarreal | 10-1 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 14-1 |
| Lazio | 14-1 |
| Shakhtar | 16-1 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 16-1 |
| Valencia | 20-1 |
| Fenerbahce | 25-1 |
| Manchester United | 33-1 |
| Basel | 40-1 |
| Tottenham | 50-1 |
| Sparta Prague | 50-1 |
| Braga | 66-1 |
| Anderlecht | 100-1 |
Recap
Liverpool dominated rivals Manchester United during their first-ever meeting in Europe, winning 2-0 to take a strong lead into the second leg of their tie.
Sturridge opened the score from the penalty spot after Memphis Depay clipped Nathaniel Clyne on the edge of the box. There was some confusion over whether or not the foul happened inside the box or not, but Sturridge didn't care as he smashed the ball home to give his team the lead.
The Reds dominated the first half, and United goalkeeper David De Gea was almost solely responsible for ensuring the hosts didn't increase their lead. Per Fox Soccer, this save was probably the best of the bunch:
Firmino finally managed to put a second goal past De Gea after half-time, putting the final score on the board after a defensive blunder. The second goal means United will have their work cut out for them when the two sides meet again at Old Trafford next week.
Dortmund cruised to a 3-0 win over Tottenham, all but securing their spot in the quarter-finals after a single leg of their tie. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino paid the price for fielding a side featuring plenty of backups, as the hosts dominated from start to finish.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring before half-time and Marco Reus added a brace after the break, but Dortmund could have scored at least two more goals as they made Spurs look silly at times.
Former England international Gary Lineker didn't understand why Pochettino decided to rest his stars for the Premier League match against lowly Aston Villa:
Dele Alli was suspended and Harry Kane started on the bench, but even with those two, it's hard to see how Spurs would have fared much better. Dortmund also fielded a number of backups, and they simply looked awesome on Thursday.
Per the club's official Twitter account, Pochettino also saw that Die Schwarzgelben were simply the superior team:
It will be difficult to stop Dortmund from scoring at White Hart Lane, and unless Spurs can pull off one of the best comebacks in Europa League history, they will be eliminated from the tournament next week.
Shakhtar Donetsk also have one foot in the next round after beating Anderlecht 3-1, although Frank Acheampong's vital away goal could prove the difference in the return leg. Sevilla didn't concede away to Basel, and the defending champions sit in the driver's seat heading into the return leg.
