United fight back to win at Viktoria Plzen
Viktoria Plzeň 1 - 2 Manchester United
Rasmus Højlund came off the bench to score twice as Manchester United overturned a deficit to secure a crucial Europa League victory against Viktoria Plzeň.
Højlund, now with five goals in this season’s Europa League, sparked United’s second-half comeback with an impressive display after being introduced from the bench.
The 21-year-old forward equalised following some clever link-up play between Antony and Amad Diallo. He reacted quickest to poke the ball home from close range after Diallo’s initial shot was blocked.
Moments later, the Danish international struck again, latching onto Bruno Fernandes’ perfectly weighted pass before drilling a low shot into the bottom-right corner.
UEFA Europa League and Conference League: 24/25
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Højlund’s heroics spared further embarrassment for goalkeeper André Onana, who was at fault for the opening goal. For the second game running, the Cameroon international made a costly error, this time gifting Viktoria Plzeň the lead.
Onana’s attempt to pass out from the back was intercepted by Pavel Šulc, who unselfishly squared the ball to Matej Vydra. The former Derby and Burnley striker made no mistake, slotting into an empty net from six yards.
Super Reds News review of the match is here
Reaction from Liam C
Liam was in the away end, he told me: Despite the goal we conceded, that was a much better performance in the second half. We improved as the game progressed. In the first half, we controlled the match, but we didn't create many significant chances. We lacked speed and movement, and the difficult pitch made it challenging to connect with the strikers. Viktoria also didn't create any chances."
"In the second half, the players conceded a goal, but we responded well. We pressured the opponents into their own half and succeeded in scoring. The win is crucial and helps us prepare for the next game in this strange league phase. Four points now should probably see us automatically qualify for the last eight. Everyone associated with the club would have all taken that after those draws earlier in the competition."
