Manchester United on Thursday defeated Spanish club Granada 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final in Spain, while Arsenal conceded a stoppage-time equalizer in a 1-1 draw at home to Czech champions Slavia Prague.
Marcus Rashford raced on to a long ball from Victor Lindelof to fire United in front at Los Carmenes on 31 minutes against a team enjoying a brilliant debut European campaign.
Bruno Fernandes converted a late penalty after he was pushed over in the penalty area by Yan Eteki, with the Portuguese midfielder’s spot-kick squirming agonizingly through the hands of Rui Silva.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“They [Rashford and Fernandes] have been exceptional, so important for us,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told BT Sport. “It was a very good run by Rashford, takes the ball fantastically. Bruno is so confident on penalties, even though the ’keeper almost saved it.”
However, Solskjaer will be without the suspended trio of captain Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay for the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday next week.
“It was not a perfect night,” he said. “We got three yellow cards and three suspensions, [but] 2-0 is a very good result. We know how difficult it is to come to Spain.”
Yangel Herrera volleyed against the post for Granada as Spain international David de Gea kept a clean sheet on his first appearance for United since the end of February.
In London, Arsenal’s poor league form under Mikel Arteta has left the Gunners with the Europa League as their only hope of silverware this year, but the 2018-2019 runners-up were denied a victory at the Emirates Stadium following a 94th-minute header by Tomas Holes.
Nicolas Pepe had come off the bench to give Arsenal the lead four minutes from time, only for Holes to nod in a corner and extend Slavia’s unbeaten run to 22 games, having already knocked out Leicester City and Rangers.
“The final result leaves a difficult taste,” Arteta said. “The game was under control. We got the goal we wanted, but we missed some big chances as well. We played two or three balls we shouldn’t do, and we put ourselves on the back foot and conceded the corner. They put bodies in there and it can happen. It changes the feeling after the game.”
In Amsterdam, AS Roma, the only Italian club remaining in Europe this season, came from behind to take down four-time European champions Ajax 2-1.
Davy Klaassen gave Ajax the lead shortly before halftime, but Dusan Tadic’s missed penalty proved the turning point as Roma goalkeeper Pau Lopez turned away the Serbian’s effort moments before the visitors drew level.
Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free-kick on 57 minutes slipped through the grasp of Ajax goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and Roger Ibanez won the game for Roma late on, smashing home a superb volley.
In Croatia, Unai Emery’s Villarreal got the better of Dinamo Zagreb as Gerard Moreno’s penalty just before halftime secured a 1-0 victory.
Emery won the Europa League in three consecutive years with Sevilla and took Arsenal to the 2018-2019 final.
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