Top Winners and Losers After Europa League 2019 Round of 32 Leg 2 Results
Manchester United emphatically beatย Club Brugge 5-0 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League last-32 encounter on Thursday.ย
The 6-1 aggregate victory sees the Red Devils into the next round after goals from Bruno Fernandes, Odion Ighalo, Scott McTominay and a brace from Fred.
Arsenal crashed out of the competition after losing 2-1 at home toย Olympiacos, and the Greek side advanced on away goals.
Wolverhampton Wanderers progressed 6-3 on aggregate despite losing Thursday's second leg 3-2 at Espanyol.
Ajax are also out after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Getafe, while Celtic were eliminated by FC Copenhagen.
Thursday's Results
Confirmed Teams in the Round of 16
Winners and Losers
Winners: United's New Signings
The Red Devils flexed their muscles againstย Brugge at Old Trafford, and the Belgian team offered little resistanceย against the rampant hosts.
A red card forย Simon Deli in the 22nd minute shaped the match, allowing United to overpower the visiting side.
A spectacular handball from Deli was punished with a sending off, with the Brugge player diving across the box to illegally stop Dan James's shot from hitting the target.
Fernandes made no mistake from the penalty spot, and the Portugueseย once again inspiredย his new team to an exciting display and victory.
The former Sporting CP captain combined with Juan Mata moments later, with the pair creatingย Ighalo's first goal in a United shirt.
McTominay had returned to the startingย line-up for the first time since recovering from injury, and it felt like the Scotland international had never been away.
The midfielder curled home a wonderful effort to make it 3-0 after 41 minutes, and the tie was effectively over.
Fred was rewarded with a pair in the final eight minutes, but it was United's January captures who took the plaudits.
Loser:ย Simon Deli
It was one of the most bizarre moments in the Europa League this season when Deli was sent off for handball at Old Trafford.
The dismissal seriously damagedย Brugge's chances, but the nature of the player's own decision was baffling.
The moment of madness saw the referee quickly brandish a red, but a long consultation with VAR didn't result in the decision being overturned.
Deli trudged off the field after his indiscretion, and the defender will probably be considering his actions long after this match.ย
Winners:ย Olympiacos
The Greek outfit caused one of the shocks of the competition when they dumped Arsenal out of the tournament in north London.
Mikel Arteta's men provided an abject display, and the visitors took full advantage in a match of few chances.
Pape Abou Cisse's opener after 53 minutes rocked Arsenal, but the Premier League side simply couldn't create the chances needed to fight back.
The game crawled towards the full-time whistle, and both teams accepted the challenge of extra time. However, once again, chances were few and far between.
A spectacular overhead kick fromย Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appeared to give Arsenal the winning strike with seven minutes left, but poor defending allowedย Youssef El-Arabi to be unmarked in the box, and the striker grabbed a dramatic winner.
There was still time forย Aubameyang to miss a golden chance in stoppage time at the end of the contest, and the skipper was distraught as the away team advanced.
Losers: Arsenal's Forwards
Multiple criticisms can be levelled at Arsenal after their elimination, but it was their attack that let them down most at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners didn't have a shot on target until the 76th minute, and it was a lack of creativity and invention which punished Arsenal.
Aubameyang proved he can find moments of inspiration, with what appeared to be a winner out of nothing, but the former Borussia Dortmund striker missed a simple chance to save his team at the end.
It was another disappointing night forย Nicolas Pepe,ย Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil. Neither forward was able to unlock the door against a side Arsenal should expect to beat.
Credit must go toย Olympiacos for their heart and courage, but a better team would have cruised past them into the last 16.
Instead, Arteta is left with more questions than answers, and the Gunners' European campaign comes to an abrupt end.
