Europa League: Man Utd Grab Win At Plzen, Spurs Held By Rangers
Rasmus Hojlund fired Manchester United to a late 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, while Tottenham were held to a stalemate at Rangers.
Ruben Amorim’s United side came from behind to best the Czech side thanks to a second-half brace by Danish striker Hojlund, they now sit seventh in the league phase standings.
A top eight finish will see United qualify automatically for the round of 16, while finishing ninth to 24th will earn them a playoff tie to reach that stage.
Matej Vydra opened the scoring three minutes after halftime to stun United, before substitute Hojlund scored twice in the last half-hour to seize a vital three points for the English club.
The winner came two minutes from time when Bruno Fernandes cleverly slipped a free-kick into the 21-year-old’s feet and he held off a defender before slipping home.
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Spurs drew 1-1 with Rangers in Glasgow.
The hosts sit in the final automatic qualification spot with Spurs one place below them, but both level on 11 points.
A draw somewhat eases the pressure on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, after his side went into the match with just one win in their last seven outings in all competitions.
Rangers took the lead two minutes after the interval when Moroccan striker Hamza Igamane continued his fine start to life in Glasgow by netting his fourth goal in as many European outings this season.
Captain James Tavernier bent an excellent inswinging pass from the right flank beyond the Spurs defence and into the path of Igamane who finished unerringly at the far post.
Substitutes Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski combined to bring the English side level with a quarter of an hour remaining, the Swede wrong-footing the goalkeeper with a cool finish from just inside the box.
Fraser Forster made a vital save from Cyriel Dessers to keep Spurs level in the last 10 minutes, and moments later the Rangers striker had a goal disallowed for offside.
Lazio top the standings with 16 points — joint with Athletic Bilbao — after beating Ajax 3-1 in Amsterdam to book their spot in the knock-out stages.
Lyon beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 to move up to fourth — one place above the in-form Bundesliga club.
Anderlecht overcame Slavia Prague 2-1 in the Czech capital to jump to third in the standings
