Manchester United reached the Europa League knockout stages by beating Zorya Luhansk as Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck a fine first goal for the club
Man United have booked their spot in the last 32 stage of the Europa League after recording a 2-0 win over Zorya Luhansk in Thursday night's Group A clash in Odessa.
The Red Devils only needed a point to be sure of a spot in the knockout round of the competition, but secured all three courtesy of Henrikh Mkhitaryan 's first goal for the Red Devils and a late Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike.
Jose Mourinho made six changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Everton at the weekend, with
Sergio Romero, Ashley Young, Eric Bailly , Daley Blind , Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney all coming into the Man United XI.
As for Zorya, goalkeeper Igor Levchenko and full-back Artem Sukhotskiy were handed starts following their 3-2 defeat to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the league, but skipper Zeljko Ljubenovic kept his attacking position in support of lone striker Denys Bezborodko .
As expected, it was Man United that immediately took control of the possession against a Zorya team that showed their nerves with a series of wayward passes in the opening five minutes of action.
Zorya actually had the game's first shot on target in the ninth minute when Ihor Kharatin unleashed from the edge of the Man United box, but Romero made a smart save before Ivan Petriak fired the rebound into the side netting.
Paul Pogba was the first player to come close for Man United after striking one from distance in the 18th minute of action, but the Frenchman's effort just missed the post as the away side continued to control the pace of the match against their defensive hosts.
Rooney should have made more from a Pogba through ball in the 23rd minute as Man United created another opening, but clear chances were few and far between as Zorya dropped deep and continued to make it difficult for Mourinho's side to find space between the lines.
Olexandr Karavaev was Zorya's main threat in the first period and the on loan winger came close with a well-executed volley 10 minutes before the break, but his effort was just wide of the post, before Levchenko did well to palm a Rooney effort over the crossbar in the latter stages of the first half.
Marcos Rojo also came close for Man United in what proved to be the final action of the first 45 minutes, but the Argentine defender fired into the stands after a corner was only half cleared, leaving the score goalless at the break.
It was not goalless long into the second period, however, with Man United taking the lead in the 48th minute courtesy of Mkhitaryan's first goal for the Red Devils. It was a special effort from the Armenian, who drove through a host of Zorya challenges before picking out the bottom corner with a very smart finish.
The English giants might have doubled their lead in the 57th minute when Ibrahimovic unleashed one from inside the Zorya box, but Levchenko was down to make a smart save during a very difficult period for the home side.
Teenage forward Emmanuel Bonaventure caused Man United problems with his pace and trickery after entering proceedings, but it was the away side that continued to look the more likely to score the game's second goal.
It did appear that Bailly's return to the Man United XI would end with another injury after a heavy challenge with Bonaventure 20 minutes from time, but the Ivorian centre back returned to the field during a period where Zorya were starting to cause problems.
Indeed, Mikhail Sivakov came close to levelling in the 73rd minute after meeting a deep free kick inside the Man United box, but Romero was on hand to make another smart save when his team needed him. Down the other end, Mkhitaryan set up Marouane Fellaini with a clever free kick, but the Belgian headed over the crossbar.
Zorya's threat continued into the final 10 minutes, but Man United, who have finished Group A in second position, scored a second two minutes from time when Pogba released Ibrahimovic and the Swede slotted into the corner from close range to cap a professional performance.
Scorers [Mkhitaryan 48 ', Ibrahimovic 88 ']
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