Manchester United secured a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Europa League, marking their third consecutive victory in the competition. The win also ended United’s 20-month wait for an away victory in Europe and extended their unbeaten run in the Europa League to six games.
The match played in freezing cold conditions at the Doosan Arena, saw Plzeň edge the proceedings in the opening quarter-hour without threatening the United goal. However, the home side gradually grew into the contest, and United posed a threat on the counter-attack, led by the pace of Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford.
The first real effort on goal arrived just after the half-hour mark when Bruno Fernandes carried the ball forward from inside the United half and unleashed a bouncing effort from a distance, which Martin Jedlička palmed away. Despite enjoying over 70% possession throughout the opening 45 minutes, United had little to show for it come halftime, as the Czech side held out for a goalless first half.
However, the Red Devils conceded within three minutes of the restart, as André Onana bizarrely passed the ball straight to Pavel Šulc on the edge of the box, allowing Matěj Vydra to fire home his first goal in six appearances against United. United manager Ruben Amorim rang the changes, making three substitutions before the hour mark, and one of those introduced, Rasmus Højlund, proved to be the game-changer.
Højlund equalized on 62 minutes, poking home a rebound after an Amad deflected shot fell into his path. The Danish striker then delivered the winning goal in the 88th minute, showing great composure in the box to finish from a quickly taken Fernandes free-kick. The win ended United’s seven-match winless run on the road and provided a much-needed boost ahead of the Manchester derby on the weekend.
The victory marked a significant milestone for United, who had not opened a European campaign with six unbeaten games since the 2013/14 season. Amorim will hope that this win can ignite his reign, and the Red Devils will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming fixtures.
