Manchester United defeated Partizan Belgrade 3-0 at the Old Trafford, on Thursday, to reach the knockout stages of UEFA Europa League with two group matches still to go.
Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were on the scoreboard and helped the Red Devils climb to the top of Group L with 10 points from four games.
These three 😍#MUFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/lWIMV3MDiF
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 7, 2019
United dominated the game throughout but poor finishing skills eluded them from a bigger win. Rashford missed as many as three chances in opening minutes of the game before Greenwood broke the deadlock in 21st minute.
He held his position on the back of Partizan’s full-back and lashed into a pass from Rashford before cutting inside the opponent defence and sending the Partizan goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic into the wrong to send the ball into the back of the net.
Anthony Martial, who had scored a penalty in the first-leg, doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. After Greenwood blocked two defenders to let a clearance to land into his path, Martial defeated two defenders to blast it under Stojkovic for a brilliant display of his personal skill.
Manchester United played their best game of the season today in beating Partizan Beograd 3-0!
1 goal each for the front 3 of Martial, Rashford & Greenwood.
Anthony Martial’s effort being the best goal of the 3 with this stunning solo effort! 🤤#MUFC pic.twitter.com/cfybM01Rbd
— Taste Of Sport (@TasteOfSport) November 8, 2019
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked a relieved man as his players walked inside the tunnel after playing a dominating first-half. For the Serbian club, there was not much to be taken from the game on a rare day when the United players stepped up to make a statement.
Rashford extended the lead to 3-0 in just four minutes after the break. After finding Ashley Young’s delivery, the number 10 lashed into it and smashed the ball in first time towards the near post.
The rest of the game saw the Ols Trafford crowd witnessed a frustrating time as their players missed a plethora of chances and deny themselves a win of bigger margin. However, the result was more than enough for a team that have had more struggles than success this season.