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Manchester United edged past AC Milan at San Siro to make it through to the last eight of the UEFA Europa League on an aggregate scoreline of 2-1. The second leg ended at 1-0, with superstar midfielder Paul Pogba proving to be the game-changer for the Red Devils as he came off the bench to score the winner.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named the same lineup that beat West Ham United by a scoreline of 1-0 at Old Trafford and had a couple of big names on the bench in Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek, who returned from injury. The Rossoneri had a few high-profile absentees of their own, including Ante Rebic, Mario Mandzukic, and captain Alessio Romagnoli, among others.
After a good 10-15 minutes of initial pressure from the Red Devils, AC Milan grew into the game and appeared to be the side likelier to score. They saw more of the ball and were the better side in what was a half that was devoid of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
A fair few Manchester United players such as Scott McTominay, Fred, Marcus Rashford, and up to a great extent, even Bruno Fernandes had a half to forget as they were largely ineffective. The two midfield pivots were run over time and again by Milan's midfield and gave the ball away on numerous occasions.
With Manchester United in desperate need of a goal as Milan have the edge due to their away goal, Solskjaer drafted Pogba into the side at the expense of a weary-looking Rashford, and his decision paid off in stunning style.
Just two minutes after coming on, Pogba kept his cool amidst a chaotic sequence of play in the box and broke the deadlock with a beautiful strike to beat Gigi Donnarumma from close range, lofting the ball above the towering Italian.
The Frenchman's introduction was simply a game changer for Manchester United as well as the tie overall as the game opened up a lot more since the restart, making it a much more lively watch for the neutrals. Stefano Pioli responded to the situation by sending a former Red Devil and an on-loan one in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Diogo Dalot. The pair injected some much-needed directness and urgency into the hosts.
Despite the pressure they began to pile onto their illustrious hosts, Manchester United kept their nerve and defended excellently. Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, in particular, were superb on the night, putting their bodies on the line to protect Dean Henderson in goal.
The English goalkeeper was solid on the night when called upon and made a brilliant save in the 75th minute. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the target of an early cross into the box and the Swede got the better of Luke Shaw to arrow the ball into Henderson's goal, but the 24-year-old made a sharp reflex save to tip the ball over the bar.
Manchester United began to keep the ball a lot more towards the backend of the game and won a string of fouls in Milan's half, with Franck Kessie, Dalot, Hernandez, and others committing rash challenges born of frustration. Pogba was offered a superb opportunity to double his and the team's tally with a header in the box after some good work by James but the Frenchman headed it into the roof of the net.
Pogba's superb finish proved to be enough to take Manchester United past the finish line in the end against a very well-drilled AC Milan side who had their fair share of chances to find the back of the net. The visitors' renewed defensive prowess prevailed on the night as they registered their sixth clean sheet in the last seven games across all competitions.
Manchester United join Premier League side Arsenal in the last eight, while Tottenham Hotspur faced a shock elimination earlier on the same night. Meanwhile, the Rossoneri's elimination leaves AS Roma as the only Italian side remaining in the Europa League.
Here are some of the best tweets from the game!
