Zorya Luhansk vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction to Europa League Match

Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored his first goal for Manchester United on Thursday, as the Red Devils beat FC Zorya Luhansk 2-0 in the UEFA Europa League, booking their spot in the knockout stage of the competition in the process.

United controlled a drab first period with sterile possession, although neither side created a clear chance before the break. In the 48th minute, it was left to Mkhitaryan to showcase his quality with a brilliant solo goal, weaving through the Zorya defence and finishing calmly; Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his recent fine form, adding a second a couple of minutes from time. 

The result means United qualify for the last 32 of the competition, having finished second behind Fenerbahce in Group A; the Turkish giants beat Feyenoord 1-0 on the night.

United boss Jose Mourinho described the pitch in Odessa, Ukraine, as "hard and fast" ahead of the game and said dealing with near-freezing conditions was going to be tough for the visitors. In the early exchanges, Goal.com's Kris Voakes commented on how testing the surface was:

Even though the away side were unfamiliar with the conditions, they quickly grasped control of the game and sought to unpick the massed ranks of Zorya defenders.

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Paul Pogba looked the most likely in the early stages, fizzing a shot wide from distance and then heading a decent cross from Ashley Young well off target. But they were the clearest openings of the first 30 minutes, as the Red Devils struggled to inject any fluidity into their forward forays.

The nerviest moment for United before the half-hour mark was actually little to do with the game itself, per Mark Ogden of ESPN FC:

As the match rolled on, the home side started to play with a little more ambition, and Oleksandr Karavaev flashed a half-volley narrowly wide of Sergio Romero's post. But even though they were short of their best, it was United who looked the more likely before the referee called time on a moribund first half of football.

The match, in truth, couldn't get much worse as the second half got under way. And within three minutes of the restart, Mkhitaryan took it upon himself to breathe some life into the Red Devils' attack.

The Armenian slalomed past the challenges of the Zorya defence after driving forward from near the halfway line, and after nutmegging the onrushing Mikhail Sivakov, he struck a low shot beyond the goalkeeper.

Per Squawka Football, the playmaker is beginning to come alive after a tough start to life at United:

Watching on after being left out of the squad for this one, veteran Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick enjoyed Mkhitaryan's mazy run, too:

After his brilliant goal, a confident Mkhitaryan almost put one on a plate for Ibrahimovic, but his cross was just too strong for the United No. 9 to connect with.

The Red Devils were well in control after going ahead and seemed content to keep their opponents at arm's length. However, United fans would have been jolted to attention after Eric Bailly, making his return from an injury layoff, suffered a heavy landing; the Ivorian was eventually able to return to the field.

Zorya noticeably flung more men forward as the match entered the last 10 minutes, but they didn't showcase the craft needed in advanced positions to trouble Bailly and his defensive companions. It meant spaces were there to exploit as the clock ticked down, and United did just that in the 88th minute.

Pogba did superbly for the goal, surging forward and playing in Ibrahimovic with a pinpoint long ball. Given his recent glut of goals, there was only ever going to be one outcome once the Swede saw the whites of the goalkeeper's eyes; he coolly rounded off a comprehensive performance for the visitors.

Per WhoScored.com, the 35-year-old has found his touch in front of goal in spectacular style as of late:

With United off the pace in the Premier League—13 points back on leaders Chelsea and nine back on fourth-place Manchester City—at the moment, winning the Europa League looks to be their best route into the UEFA Champions League next term. Subsequently, Mourinho will breathe a big sigh of relief that they remain in the competition despite this edgy evening.

The performance was again fractured for long spells, and the balance of the team still seems to be skewed despite the individual talent the manager has on hand. If United can better align their setup when the knockout stage begins in 2017, including more progression from Mkhitaryan, the quality is in the squad for them to go all the way.

Post-Match Reaction

United's injured defender Chris Smalling expressed his delight at the win with the following post on his Twitter feed:

After getting off the mark for his new club, Mkhitaryan admitted he's already eyeing more goals. "I was waiting a long time for this goal," he told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "My next goal has to be at Old Trafford because I want to score at home."