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A second-half strike by Paul Pogba was enough to give Manchester United a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the second leg of their Europa League Round-of-16 tie on Thursday.
Both sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford last week, with Simon Kjaer's injury-time header canceling out Amad Diallo's early strike.
The big news in the buildup to the game was the fitness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the 39-year-old was named to the bench. It was the same story for Pogba, who made a return after a month out.
A slow start to the game saw both sides tread cautiously owing to the delicate balance of the tie. Manchester United fashioned the first chance of the game when Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw combined near the Milan penalty area. However, the Portugal international could only blaze over under pressure.
This was as good as it got for the visitors in the first half as AC Milan seized the initiative and dominated proceedings from then on.
The pace of Samu Castillejo and Theo Hernandez caused problems for the Manchester United defense, but the hosts were often let down by poor decision-making in the final third.
A loose pass by Fernandes saw AC Milan launch a devastating counter-attack. However, Castillejo made a hash of the two-on-one situation, allowing Victor Lindelof to prevent a goal with an excellent challenge.
Alexis Saelemaekers forced Dean Henderson into a smart save with a shot from the edge of the box, and there were mild appeals for a penalty from the ensuing corner.
AC Milan had one final chance right on the stroke of halftime. Hakan Calhanoglu sent in a delightful cross into the box after another break, but Rade Krunic missed the target from six yards, albeit under pressure from Harry Maguire.
Paul Pogba came on for the ineffective Marcus Rashford at halftime to mark his first appearance since suffering a thigh strain on 6 February.
The World Cup winner made an immediate impact as he broke the deadlock just two minutes later. The AC Milan defense failed to properly clear their lines in the area, and Pogba was on hand to punish them with a brilliant goal from an acute angle.
This gave Manchester United the advantage and forced the hosts to push forward in search of an equalizer.
Two players with Manchester United links came on in the 65th minute. Ibrahimovic replaced Samu Castillaejo, while the on-loan Diogo Dalot came on for the beleaguered Pierre Kalulu.
Ibrahimovic almost drew his side level when he rose highest to head a cross by Calhanoglu, but Dean Henderson produced a spectacular save from point-blank range to deny the Swede.
Milan created another excellent opportunity when Franck Kessie found himself in a good position to score. However, Lindelof denied him with a pristine challenge on the goalline.
With time running out, Manchester United controlled the tempo of the game to suit their needs, much to the frustration of the hosts. Tempers soon began to fray, as wild lounges became the order of the day.
Pogba had another good chance late in the game but could only direct his header over the net.
The victory sees Manchester United secure their place in the quarterfinals of the Europa League, while AC Milan have just Serie A action to worry about.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 AC Milan's bright start to the season has slowly unraveled
AC Milan began the season like a house on fire and brought their brilliant form post-lockdown into the new campaign.
The Rossoneri were unbeaten in their first 15 league matches this term. Combined with the 12 games played post-lockdown, they had a 27-game unbeaten run.
This saw them set the pace in Serie A, with many highlighting the youthful Milan team as potential Scudetto winners. However, a 3-1 loss to Juventus on matchday 16 ended their unbeaten run and four more defeats from 11 matches since then has seen them lose their spot at the summit.
They were also eliminated in the quarterfinal stages of the Coppa Italia by city rivals Inter Milan. This loss to Manchester United means that AC Milan are on the verge of ending the season trophyless.
At this rate, there is no guarantee that they will even finish in the Serie A top four, which would mark a disastrous end to a season that promised so much.
#4 Manchester United hitting top gear at the right moment
Manchester United have been plagued by inconsistencies throughout the season, and it was this Jekyll and Hyde performance that saw the Red Devils drop down to the Europa League.
Nevertheless, the depth of the Manchester United squad means that they are favorites to win the tournament, and their chances have been boosted by the eliminations of the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli.
The win over AC Milan means the Old Trafford outfit are now unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions, with eight clean sheets kept in their last 11 games.
This is the standard expected of Manchester United, and fans will hope that they can keep the good run going and end the season on a high.
#3 Should Stefano Pioli have brought on Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier?
AC Milan started the game on the front foot and asked all the questions in a one-sided first half.
However, for all their pressure, they failed to truly make it count, with the lack of a physical presence in the opposition box proving counter-productive.
Stefano Pioli started the game without a recognized striker, with the likes of Rafael Leao, Ante Rebic and Mario Mandzukic all sidelined by injury.
He, however, had the complement of a fit-again Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the recently recalled Sweden international would have relished the opportunity to face former side Manchester United.
A goalless draw would have seen Milan through to the next round by virtue of their away goal. However, considering the sheer quality available to Manchester United, keeping them at bay would have been a tall order.
That proved to be the case. When Pogba struck with just his second touch of the ball, AC Milan suddenly started playing catch-up.
It took until the final 25 minutes before Pioli introduced Ibrahimovic, and the 39-year-old's physicality proved to be a handful for the Manchester United defense to contain.
He kept the opposition defenders occupied and almost grabbed an equalizer with a well-taken header.
Even though Pioli might have been trying to preserve his talisman considering his long injury lay-off, a more high-risk approach might have brought a higher reward for the hosts.
#2 Impressive Victor Lindelof keeps Milan at bay
Victor Lindelof has not always been a Manchester United favorite, owing to his recklessness and lapses in concentration. However, against AC Milan, the Sweden international put out one of his finer performances.
He produced a spectacular challenge in a two-on-one situation to prevent what would have been a certain goal in the first half. He also made another crucial goal-line challenge to deny Kessie in the second.
Ibrahimovic's introduction saw Lindelof tasked with marking his compatriot, and the former Benfica man discharged his duties with flying colors.
In total, he made five interceptions and five clearances and was a key reason why AC Milan did not get on the scoresheet.
#1 Paul Pogba proves to be a difference-maker for Manchester United
Paul Pogba has been out of action since the start of February, and Manchester United have undeniably felt his absence in the middle of the park.
The France international played some of his best football before suffering a hamstring strain and proved to be a match-winner on several occasions in January.
He made a return at halftime against Milan and needed just two minutes to make a mark on the game.
His physicality in the box proved too much for the hosts to handle, and the presence of mind required to score his goal highlighted just why Pogba is so highly-rated.
A scramble in the area saw the ball fall to the Manchester United number six. He made a slight feint before finding the roof of the net from a tight angle despite being surrounded by opposition players.
For the rest of the game, Pogba combined brilliantly with Bruno Fernandes and helped to slow the tempo of the game down when AC Milan upped the ante in search of an equalizer.
