Rostov vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction from 2017 Europa League Match

Manchester United battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie with FC Rostov at the Olimp-2 in Russia on Thursday.

After a bruising beginning to the game in tough conditions, United took the lead in the 35th minute through the returning Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Eight minutes into the second half, Aleksandr Bukharov scored a brilliant leveller for the home side.

The second leg of the last-16 tie will be played at Old Trafford on March 16.

Ahead of the contest, there was a lot of discussion about the pitch at the Olimp-2, and with that in mind, manager Jose Mourinho packed his team with physical players in a 5-4-1 system, looking to play a direct style.

The uneven surface didn't make for the most entertaining of encounters early on, with neither side able to string any passages of possession together as the grass cut up badly underfoot.

As the half moved past the midway point without any clear chances for either side, sports journalist Cristian Nyari commented on the lack of quality on display:

However, even in difficult conditions, the superior class of the Red Devils did show 10 minutes before the break, as their attackers combined to brilliant effect.

Marouane Fellaini did wonderfully to bring the ball down on his chest and play in Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the area. The Swede got to the byline and pulled the ball back, where Mkhitaryan was on hand to sweep home from close range.

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Although he didn't grab the final touch or the assist, Fellaini orchestrated the opener, per James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph:

There was a flurry from the home side after they fell behind, with Christian Noboa striking straight at Sergio Romero. However, United's cohesive setup meant they were finding it difficult to find space in the the final third.

At half-time, the Red Devils boss would have been delighted with the away goal and a clean sheet. As noted by Alex Shaw of ESPN, the visitors had plenty to negotiate still:

The second period started well for United, with Ashley Young missing the target narrowly from the edge of the box. A couple of minutes later, out of nothing, the hosts had levelled.

It was a fine goal too. A long ball over the top was controlled expertly by Bukharov on his chest, and on the run, the burly forward adjusted his feet to finish magnificently on the volley past Romero.

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While it was a moment of inspiration from the forward, as noted by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, the Premier League team's defending left much to be desired:

The equaliser did unsettle United, as the fans in Olimp-2 were suddenly enlivened. Indeed, the home side had a brilliant opening to move ahead in the 65th minute, as Aleksandr Yerokhin fired wide after finding space in the area. Suddenly, the visitors were clinging on a bit.

However, United were able to gather themselves as the match moved on, with the defence coping well as Rostov overloaded the area in search of a winner. At the full-time whistle, those in red would have heaved a big sigh of relief.

This was a tough assignment for United, and while they were far from their fluid best, Mkhitaryan's away goal means they are the big favourites to progress in the tie. 

Mourinho will be content with the commitment from his players and delighted to have seen none of them emerge from this minefield of a pitch with injury problems. On a slicker surface in Manchester, it's difficult to see this combative Rostov outfit coping with the superior technical ability of the English giants.

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United's goalscorer, Mkhitaryan, felt as though the players did as well as they could given the state of the surface.

"We have tried to win," the Armenian told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "We have played as [well] as we could on this pitch. I do not want to speak about the pitch because it was awful for both [teams]. For those watching, it was not a very interesting game."

Mourinho explained his thinking behind changing to an unfamiliar system for the game, highlighting the agricultural way in which Rostov operate.

"They are very direct and do not use the wingers," the United boss said to BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "Our three central defenders had a very positive game. The midfield fought for the second goal and tried to give something in attack."