Manchester United 2-1 Rangers: Bruno Fernandes scores last-gasp winner to all but seal Europa League progress

The Red Devils skipper popped up with a melodramatic stoppage-time volley to seal an important location triumph for Ruben Amorim’s broadside successful Thursday night’s entertaining alleged ‘Battle of Britain’ clash astatine Old Trafford, aft Rangers substitute Cyriel Dessers looked to person snatched a invaluable precocious constituent to cancel retired a fearfulness ain extremity from Jack Butland.

A breathless precocious triumph each but guarantees United a spot successful the knockout rounds up of their last league signifier fixture distant against FCSB successful Bucharest adjacent week, portion the play-offs whitethorn present loom for Rangers aft dropping to 13th arsenic they hole to big Belgian opponents Union Saint-Gilloise astatine Ibrox.

Amorim - lone the 3rd United manager ever to triumph his archetypal 3 large European matches successful charge, aft lone Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson - made 5 changes to the broadside that started their latest location decision by Brighton successful the Premier League connected Sunday, with FA Cup leader Altay Bayindir replacing the error-prone Andre Onana successful goal.

Academy postgraduate Toby Collyer made his first-ever European commencement successful midfield, with Alejandro Garnacho besides drafted successful contempt the latest transportation links involving Chelsea. In besides came Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen arsenic Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte each dropped to the bench.

Rangers, meanwhile, made six changes from their Scottish Cup demolition of minnows Fraserburgh, with ex-United subordinate Butland backmost successful extremity aft missing the past six matches pursuing an interior bleed successful his limb that required infirmary treatment.

United dominated possession successful the opening exchanges, but gave up the 2 champion aboriginal chances arsenic Bayindir denied Nicolas Raskin and past parried a volley from compatriot Ridvan Yilmaz.

Garnacho was providing the hosts’ champion attacking threat, trying his luck respective times on with skipper Fernandes earlier United saw a extremity ruled retired erstwhile Matthijs de Ligt’s front-post header from a country did not number acknowledgment to a airy propulsion from Leny Yoro connected Robin Propper.

United were mostly successful the ascendancy for the remainder of a competitory archetypal play played retired successful a febrile atmosphere, Joshua Zirkzee’s onslaught blocked by James Tavernier earlier Butland made a important halt to contradict erstwhile Rangers loanee Amad Diallo aft good link-up play with Fernandes.

At the different end, Hamza Igamane’s thrust was scrambled astir the station by Bayindir aft taking a immense deflection disconnected Martinez, who past tested Butland with a fierce onslaught that was tipped implicit the crossbar.

There were changes from some managers astatine the break, with De Ligt making mode for Maguire aft a setback arsenic Rangers replaced the injured Leon Balogun and Connor Barron with Ross McCausland and 18-year-old Bailey Rice.

It was a lively commencement to the 2nd half, Igamane heading an Amad country disconnected the enactment with Fernandes lurking earlier Rice blazed implicit for Rangers.

Bayindir held a tame effort from Vaclav Cerny and Fernandes had an effort blocked aft much bully enactment from Garnacho.

A unspeakable blunder by Butland past broke the deadlock with 52 minutes connected the clock, the erstwhile England goalkeeper not getting the due acquisition connected an attempted punch from a country arsenic the shot alternatively flew backwards into his ain net.

Amad tried to rapidly treble the pb with an acrobatic effort aft being picked retired by Fernandes, but the offside emblem was up. There was much wounded strife to travel for some sides, with Yoro picking up a sound and being replaced by Tyrell Malacia for United earlier Rangers’ Cerny could not proceed and made mode for different teen successful Findlay Curtis.

Garnacho arrowed a left-footed changeable against the station aft Zirkzee couldn’t link with Amad’s deflected transverse from the byline, portion Maguire could lone caput Eriksen’s free-kick transportation wide astatine the backmost station arsenic United spurned immoderate immense chances to apt enactment the crippled to bed.

Jefte teed up a volley for himself connected the borderline of the container that was held by Bayindir and Rangers brag Philippe Clement sent connected Dessers, who was instantly progressive successful a conflict with Maguire arsenic helium was denied a punishment pursuing a carnal tussle with the England defender.

Amad sliced a half-volley wide earlier Butland kept retired substitute Ugarte’s escaped header and besides thwarted Garnacho, aft Dessers - apt successful an offside presumption - had lifted Rice’s walk implicit Bayindir and against the ft of the post.

Dessers did equalise with conscionable 2 minutes to spell aft excessively easy nudging Maguire distant from a agelong shot from skipper Tavernier and taking a superb archetypal interaction and rifling debased beyond the helpless Bayindir.

But Rangers were lone connected level presumption for 4 minutes earlier Fernandes struck a melodramatic winning extremity successful stoppage time, slipping successful down Jefte earlier steering a debased volley from Martinez’s transverse done the legs of Butland for an important 3 points that came aft United had mislaid 4 of their past 5 games astatine Old Trafford.