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Man Utd grab win at Plzen in Europa League, Spurs held by Rangers

aquatics12 December 2024 22:21| © AFP
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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.

"The win is important at the moment and it's good to prepare for the next game," United manager Amorim told TNT Sports.

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.

 'SOLID PERFORMANCE'

A much-changed Chelsea side battled the frigid conditions in Kazakhstan and won to all but guarantee a top-eight finish in the league phase, which would ensure automatic qualification to the round of 16.

"It was a solid performance. We knew it was quite cold. We tried to adapt quickly. The players did fantastically with the weather conditions and the long journey yesterday," said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea sit top of the standings on 15 points, three ahead of Fiorentina in second and Legia Warsaw who lost to Switzerland's Lugano to break their perfect record in the competition.

Chelsea wrapped up the points in the first half through goals from Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga.

Marin Tomasov pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of halftime but Maresca's side rarely looked troubled in the second half as they closed out the win.

Guiu gave Chelsea the perfect start by netting a brace inside the opening 20 minutes, bringing his tally in Europe to three goals in five appearances this season.

His first on 14 minutes showcased the ex-Barcelona attacker's budding talent as he drove past a defender on the right flank before stroking home from an acute angle.

The 18-year-old Spaniard doubled up four minutes later with a striker's goal as he forced the ball home at the front post following good wing play by Pedro Neto.

Renato Veiga, 21, headed in Chelsea's third from a corner on 39 minutes.

Croatian veteran Tomasov scored the pick of the goals in the 45th minute for the home side as he stood up Renato Veiga in the box before arcing a fine left-footed strike in off the far post.

Last year's defeated finalists Fiorentina won 7-0 at home to Austria's Linz as they ensured progression to the knockout stages and Real Betis got their campaign back on track with a 1-0 win at Moldovan outfit Petrocub.

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