Man Utd 1 Celta Vigo 1 (2-1 on agg): United dice with danger but cling on to make it through to the final

 Not for Van der Sar. At the end you always return to your first love...

 

I could guess after the first match that it was similar to Anderlecht. You have to kill everything in the first leg but because we never kill,  we don't score goals related to the chances we have, we have a very hard open match at home. So we had to suffer until the end. Everything was open until the last second. The boys didn't play a phenomenal match but they had  to fight for everything.

After 14 matches we are in the final.

The game was emotional until the end, some kept control more than others. Roncaglia is not new in these situations, Eric [Bailly] was naive. We lose a very important player for the final.

A final is a final. Ajax are a young team, a strong team who finish the league this weekend. They have 12 days to focus on the final. We still have three games to play.

If we win the Europa League I will be more than happy. It has been such a hard season, I will be so happy. 

And they were almost punished for their caution and pusillanimity. They can't keep trying to park the bus and inviting teams on to them. They're just not good enough. I understand that it has worked for Mourinho in the past. But not with this defence. Nevertheless, United, as they did against Anderlecht, collapse over the finishing line. 

 

Manchester United are through but Guidetti missed a chance on the stroke of full-time after Celta carved their way through United's defence. What an error. Last kick of the game, he tripped over himself. He knocked the ball up off the top of his boot as he tried to sidefoot it and it hit him on the arm. Romero was stranded. 

Valencia takes a free-kick and prods it straight to Alvarez rather than aiming for the corner, catching Rooney and Fellaini by surprise. 

Herrera puts the ball into the net but it doesn't count because of Pogba's foul on Mallo that cleared a free path to get on to Fellaini's cross. 

Cabral catches Fellaini who plays the old soldier to eat up some time. United free-kick 22 yards out on the right by the angle of the box. And he and Pogba head to the corner. Mallo dispossesses him but at the cost of a throw-in. United withdraw eight men and leave Rooney with no options. This can't make any sense. 

Mourinho does a Rumpelstiltskin strop on the touchline when the sixth official puts up his board to show six minutes. To stress - if Celta score and it finishes 2-1, that's enough to take Celta through to the final. 

Smalling on for Rashford, Rooney for Lingard. 

Handbags turn into theatrics - Bailly pushes Guidetti on the shoulder, though I think Valencia was more in his face. Guidetti hits the deck, Roncaglia weighs in and the two shove each other> After a minute to sort it out, the referee dispatches the pair of them. 

Referee Ovidiu Hategan gives Facundo Roncaglia his marching orders.

Referee Ovidiu Hategan gives Facundo Roncaglia his marching orders.

Bailly and Roncaglia are sent off. 

 

A left-foot cross from the right is buried by Roncaglia, United have been fannying about for too long. Not so much playing with fire as self-combustion.

 

1-1! Facundo Roncaglia has popped up with a late equaliser for Celta.

Iago Aspas hits a left-foot shot from the edge of the box after wriggling free of Herrera but Bailly throws himself at it horizontally and knocks it behind for a corner. 

Lingard tries a Rashfordesque dance through the Celta dance, beats the first man but not the second and Celta fly upfield with Beauvue causing a mild flap with a deep right-foot cross that Blind cranes his neck to flick clear from Guidetti then Herrera nods behind. 

Beauvue replaces Sisto and immediately wins a free-kick when Herrera steams into him. In the other semi- Lyon have scored again to go 3-1 up - it's now Ajax 5-4 Lyon on aggregate.

Michael Carrick comes on for Mkhitaryan as Mourinho responds to all this pressure by trying to add ballast to the parked bus instead of putting on Martial to pick off Celta, who are having to go for it, on the break. He prefers a fantasy version of the Alamo where the Texans survive and win.  

Guidetti wastes another good chance in the area as United foolishly invite Celta on to them. Mallo's cross is met with the meat of his forehead and powered over the bar. Had he aimed for the far post, he would have needed a more subtle contact but would have had a bigger, undefended target. 

Celta are hogging the ball, 30 yards from goal as United back off, dicing with danger. Jonny, after some patient probing, feeds it into the box and Bailly does well to stop Sisto turning on to it. 

Jozabed romps forward and, feeling no immediacy from Blind in charging him down, bludgeons a shot from 25 yards that spins past a post that Romero was covering with a scrambling dive. 

United fans serenade Fellaini with his own song, more generic, lyrics not by Pete Boyle, after he blasts a left-foot shot from the left of the box into the bottom of the post via Alvarez's sharp save.

Celta change, Bongonda replaces Radoja. 

Aspas is booked for railing at the referee when he isn't awarded a free-kick after a collision between him and Darmian. 

Rashford makes the crowd purr with a velvet-slippered touch that takes the ball away from Carbral, takes him on a giant slalom course in the box and into a shooting position from where he stings Alvarez's knee. 

Mallo in pink boots slips by the byline and falls knee-first into the trench and advertising hoarding. He hops back up as United build from the goalkick. 

Mkhitaryan gets a crack across the back of the head from a flailing arm and takes a minute to attract some sympathy and treatment. 

United are torn apart down the right by Mallo's speed. He fires in a deep cross that Sisto squares on the volley to Guidetti who pivots and cracks a left-foot half-volley into the backboards a yard past Romero's right post. 

From the free-kick Guidetti works a bit of space down the inside-left channel but rather than back himself to gull Bailly and get past him, he shoots early and from too far, scooping a floater straight down Romero's throat. 

Fellaini kicks Hernandez on the ankle to concede a foul. Hernandez gets up and dispatches a flea to occupy Fellaini's ear. No card, despite the entreaties of the Celta players. 

Pogba dawdles and is robbed by Radoja. He needs Herrera to save him. Both Rashfprd and Lingard were accomplices, by running towards the ball they gave Pogba nothing to aim for. 

Old Trafford has gone quiet. They try that Follow Follow song to rouse themselves and maintain it for about 40 seconds. 

The Blind free-kick came from Rashford's pace and sharpness on the turn, which did for Roncaglia who had to bring him down to stop him. 

Blind takes a United free-kick, left-footed from the right. There's some penalty box pinball  and the ball bobbles out to the edge of the area. Mkhitaryan stuns it and thunders  a right-foot shot towards the top corner and Alvarez has to throw his fists at to beat it over. 

Mallo gets past Darmian on the right and skims in a low cross that Romero snaffles competently. He needed to. 

Celta have started like a train after making a change, Jozabed on for Wass.

Stade OL, rather than Stade Gerland. What kind of fool do you think I am? Think I know nothing of the modern world? 

Lyon have taken a 2-1 lead at half-time and now trail Ajax 3-5, Alexandre Lacazette scoring twice in a minute just before the half-time whistle. 

And the referee blows right on the stroke of 45 after United clear their lines from the corner. 

Another excellent crossfield pass, this one by Wass out to Mallo who rounds Darmian and earns a corner off the left-back. United easily deal with it. 

Excellent cross from the left after Sisto drove past Bailly. Guidetti threw himself at the  ball from the penalty spot but couldn't reach it. Wass, creeping past Darmian, had to stoop to get it but still managed to bullet a header just past the post. 

 

Some wild shooting from Sisto and Aspas. Eduardo Berizzo, the Celta manager, screams. 

Pogba yanks back Aspas in the Celta half. Aspas does the yellow card mime to signal to the referee that he should be booked. Ian Darke and Robbie Savage judge it a worse crime than killing Bambi's mother. Never trust a hippie.  

The visitors haven't yet managed to apply some concerted pressure on the Man Utd backline.

Better from Blind who sprints across from the left of centre to get to the ball just before Aspas and boot it out. Aspas, who had nipped behind Bailly, claims Blind used excessive force to bodyslam him once the ball had gone but the referee excuses it as momentum. 

Mkhitaryan diligently shadows Mallo's run and squeezes the Celta captain's space by the touchline so severely that the right-back knocks it out of play.  

 

Yellow card for the all at sea Blind whose heavy touch prods the ball to far ahead of him and his attempt to retrieve it, a one-footed lunge into Radoja, was clumsy and late. 

 

Mkhitaryan has his dancing shoes on tonight, skittering past Radoja then playing it out to Lingard on the right. He saunters past Jonny and pings in a daisycutter cross that panics Alvarez and Cabral but the keeper manages to welly it away all the same. 

He hits it with the outside of his right foot and it bananas harmlessly past Romero's left post. Ajax are 1-0 up, making it 5-1 v Lyon. What a game to miss for Zlatan Ibrahimovic (if United get there), two of his clubs meeting in Stockholm. 

Another Celta free-kick when he grabs Sisto who was trying to turn him. Wass will take it, 30 yards out, left of centre. 

Herrera chops down Wass cynically, not for the first time, when he sped past him out to the right. He takes the free-kick himself and Romero punches it away from danger but not where he intended. 

Blind is having on of those nights of toil, giving the ball away and on the back foot. Iago Aspas is giving him and Darmian a bit of a chasing.

Mkhitaryan dances past Mallo, dropping his shoulder to send him one way then chassaying the other to beat Cabral. He then works the ball is worked to Lingard on the right of the 18-yard box and he shoots over the bar with Roncaglia launching himself at the ball, like a missile in Reebok boots. 

 

Mkhitaryan goes for a goal of the season finish when fed by a fine Lingard lob. He let the ball bounce then tried to volley it in with his left from 15 yards on the left of the box. 

Terrific header at the back post on the run from five yards. He went for the bullet to the post nearest to him rather than back and across when found by Rashford's perfect left-wing, right-foot centre. 

 

Man Utd take the lead, and it's Marouane Fellaini with the goal: 1-0.

The hosts have their first shot of the game, in reply to two so far from Celta.

Manchester United 1-0 Celta (Fellaini)

Pogba concedes a foul just inside the Celta half with a right-foot wraparound Hernandez's shin to stop him darting past. 

Valencia has turned into a bona fide full-back and has just cleverly outmuscled Wass by stepping into his run and stopping to emphasise his defensive wiles. 

Sweet close control from Pogba who juggles the ball through the centre-circle, over Radoja and round Hernandez, playing the old showboat theme. His pass out to Rashford's diagonal in-to-out run across the inside-right channel is as good as the keepie-uppies but Roncaglia again snaps in just in time to thwart Rashford. 

With Valencia forward as well as Herrera and Mkhitaryan, Alvarez punts it long and almost puts Guidetti through. 

Good pass from Mkhitaryan, left to right for Valencia striding forward. He takes it infield and tries to pick out Rashford with a scooped up and under but Alvarez reads his intentions and races out to catch. A few seconds earlier Roncaglia kept pace with Rashford as the centre-forward tried to nip around him and hare into the box. He cleverly drew the foul. 

It's Celta, full of confidence, who have started smoothly and with most penetration. 

The first corner leads to another which picks out Roncaglia at the near post. The Argentina centre-back twists and flicks his header over the bar.  Here's the Aspas shot. 

 

Celta enjoying a spell of possession and Cabral picks out a pass to Aspas on the right wing. He bombs behind the out-of-position Darmian, turns on to his left and wallops a left-foot shot towards the near post. Romero arches back to palm it over for a corner. 

 

Romero ends up having to catch a good cross from Hernandez after Blind gives the ball away blindly. Iago Aspas latches on to it and scoots past the Dutch defender, works the ball over to the other flank with United in a bit of a flap until their keeper deals competently with the outswinging cross.  

United kick off, knock it back to Blind who launches a long left-foot pass out to the right for Jonny to clip out for a throw-in. Joyous news to report: it's Robbie 'Sav' Savage in the pundit's seat. 

Walk out having had their backs patted by Jose Mourinho. They're wearing their European-issue white socks, like Dirk of Adam and the Ants namecheck fame. 

But it's coming from only one set of fans, comfortably outnumbered, but outsinging their hosts.

 

Like it's 2009 or something:

John McEnerney writes:

Can see MUFC making hard work of this but getting the result story of their season really unlike Jose's previous teams who ran riot with the exception of his Real Madrid against Pep's Barca. 1-0 home win that'll do Jose but so will a nil all draw but I see them scoring.

Manchester United Romero; Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Darmian; Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford.
Substitutes De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Carrick, Mata, Rooney, Martial.

Celta Vigo Alvarez; Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Jonny; Wass, Radoja, Hernandez; Aspas, Guidetti, Sisto.
Substitutes Villar, Fontas, Diaz, Bongonda, Beauvue, Jozabed, Gomez.

Referee O Hategan (Romania).

 The kind of son who one day refers to his father as 'more like a best friend'. 

 

 And a week on Manchester United are unchanged. 

Look at this - they're having fun outside Sinclair's and The Old Wellington, two of many old haunting grounds back in the day of Sportspages, Barton Square, St Ann's Square. Clothes by Phil Black. 

 

And welcome to coverage of tonight's second leg of the Europa League semi-final from Old Trafford. Too often over the past two decades the Champions League has been portrayed as the be-all and end-all of continental tournaments yet some of the greatest European nights, the ones most cherished by those who were there, have come in the Uefa Cup and its defunct sibling, the Cup Winners' Cup. Yes Manchester United want to win it to qualify for next year's Champions League but it also offers them the significant opportunity to complete their honours board – should they win they would join Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea as the only teams with all three proper Uefa trophies in their museums. We might, though, have to settle for a functional, safety-first, 's--- on a stick' approach that Jose Mourinho has adopted in Europe rather than one of those glory, glory nights. 

Having won 1-0 in the gourmand's paradise of Galicia, Manchester United are overwhelming favourites here to qualify for their seventh continental final and their first since 2011 when Barcelona at their mesmerising best played them off the park at Wembley.  Iago Aspas returns to Old Trafford for the first time since winning there with Liverpool in 2013-14 but even Celta's rejuvenated talisman should not be enough to knock United off their Stockholm-bound course. Back with the team news as and when it's announced. 

What is it?

The second leg of the Europa League final between Manchester United and Spain's answer to Southampton Celta Vigo.

When is it?

Thursday night. Thursday 11 May. 

What time is kick-off?

The Europa League just has to be different, so it's 20.05. 

What TV channel is it on?

BT Sport 2, and its HD and 4K equivalents.

What happened in the first leg?

United won 1-0 thanks to a 67th minute goal from a Marcus Rashford free kick. That away goal means anything other than a defeat will see them through to the final on Thursday night/

What is the team news?

United have no fresh injury concerns.

Top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out with a long-term knee injury, while defenders Marcos Rojo (knee), Luke Shaw (foot) and Tim Fosu-Mensah (shoulder) will be sidelined for the rest of the season along with versatile Ashley Young (hamstring).

Marouane Fellaini is available as his suspension only applies to domestic matches, while Antonio Valencia trained on the eve of the game having missed Sunday's loss at Arsenal.

Provisional squad: De Gea, Romero, Pereira, Valencia, Darmian, Jones, Smalling, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, McTominay, Mkhitaryan, Pogba, Willock, Martial, Rashford, Rooney.

What are they saying?

Jose Mourinho has called on the Old Trafford faithful to raise the roof for a Europa League semi-final the manager claims is the "most important" match in Manchester United's history.

After a long, arduous campaign, United are within touching distance of the May 24 finale in Stockholm.

United would obviously rather their tilt at continental glory came in the Champions League than the Europa League, but this competition offers silverware and a return to the top table.

Standing in United's way in the last four are Celta Vigo, who arrive at Old Trafford looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat to reach their first major European final.

It is a huge occasion for the Spanish club - as it is, Mourinho says, for the three-time European champions. I think in terms of motivation, we are even," the United manager said.

"For Celta it is, in their words, the most important match of their history.

"And my feelings, it's also the most important match of our history.

"It doesn't matter what happened before, it doesn't matter how big matches we played before.

"What matters is the next one and the next one is (on Thursday), so I don't believe Celta dreams more than us, that Celta wants more than us.

"I really don't believe so in this aspect I don't think there will be a difference between both teams."

Mourinho wants that desire to be matched in the stands against Celta Vigo.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford has been lacking at times - certainly compared to the raucous away support - and the United boss wants to be spurred on by their fans on Thursday.

"I see a difference between matches," Mourinho said. "I don't think it's consistent, the atmosphere and enthusiasm.

"I could feel, for example, the match against Chelsea (2-0 Premier League win on April 16), they wanted to play from the first minute until the last. It was really a very strong Old Trafford.

"We had other matches, for example, against Anderlecht where the stadium was not warm enough to make us feel that it was a very important match for us.

"It was the second leg quarter-final so hopefully (Thursday) they have this feeling that it is a second leg semi-final.

"The only game more important than the second leg of a semi-final is the final, so we have to fight hard (on Thursday)."

The Europa League is Mourinho's main focus and has been since injuries began to pile up last month.

Acceptance that a Premier League top-four finish is likely beyond United led to changes in Sunday's loss at rivals Arsenal, but the Portuguese is unapologetic.

"When we lost them in a period of 17 matches in seven weeks, it was the impossible job," he said.

"It was not a gamble - it was just a consequence of our situation.

"We are in this situation now and we have to fight for it, so let's see if (on Thursday) we can do it and if we can go to the final.

"But it doesn't matter what, no regrets, We are giving everything we can - the players, myself, everyone that works around.

"We are giving everything so when you give everything, no problem."

Celta Vigo are undaunted by the uphill battle that awaits them at Manchester United, with coach Eduardo Berizzo dreaming of a historic Europa League final.

Vigo was bedecked in sky blue for the visit of Jose Mourinho's men last week, when Marcus Rashford proved the party pooper as the Spanish side's first major European semi-final began with a 1-0 first-leg defeat.

The sides resume battle on Thursday in a tie several bookmakers make Celta a 6-1 shot to progress from.

United have not lost a home European match since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, but Berizzo is hopeful of ending that 17-match unbeaten run at Old Trafford.

The former Argentina defender said: "It doesn't matter what games I've played, the main thing is for the club. The next game is always the most important.

"Tomorrow represents a massive hurdle for Celta. This in itself is a motivation.

"Having nearly 3,000 people travelling all the way from Spain, even after losing the first leg 1-0, those fans didn't give up, even against the most powerful team in the world with 70,000 of their own fans.

"We've got to go with the attitude that in football, everything is possible."

United have never lost a two-legged European tie after winning the first leg away from home, but Celta have cause for hope having pulled off some memorable wins on their travels this term.

"We need to put in another perfect performance," coach Berizzo added.

"They deserve this game as a reward for their hard work and they deserve to play well and to put in a good performance.

"It's a just reward for all our hard work in this competition.

"We started 10 months ago and wanted to see how far we could go.

"I really hope the occasion allows them to go out and give a great account of themselves."

What are the odds?

Man Utd win on the night: 4/7 Celta Vigo win on the night: 6/1 Draw: 3/1 Man Utd to go through: 1/9 Celta Vigo to go through: 6/1

What's our prediction?

Jose Mourinho has been clear and consistent on his priority for this season: winning this competition. Expect a steely, determined performance with very little messing around. Predicted score: Man Utd 2 Celta Vigo 0

Agree?