Manchester United are on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League after beating Cypriot side Omonia 1-0 at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
A last-minute goal from substitute Scott McTominay broke Omonia's fierce resistance and moved Erik ten Hag's side six points clear of Sheriff Tiraspol in third. United now need just a point from their final two group games to progress to the last 32 of the tournament.
United also remain just three points behind table toppers Real Sociedad. The group winners will progress to the last 16, thus saving them from playing an extra two games. Here are the winners and losers from a tense evening at Old Trafford.
Winners
Erik ten Hag
United had 78 per cent of the ball and 34 shots on Thursday evening. Ten Hag would've been left embarrassed if the game finished goalless... but it didn't. The hosts got the job done in the 93rd minute and will surely still be in the Europa League come 2023.
Ten Hag's side have now won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions. They're just a point behind Chelsea in fourth and will be confident of returning to the Champions League, whether that be through finishing in the top four or winning the Europa League.
What did you make of Manchester United's performance? Let us know in the comments below!
Ten Hag will be particularly pleased with his substitutions, as McTominay was brought on in the 81st minute. A lot of United fans would've questioned that decision at the time, but it proved to be a masterstroke. The Dutchman deserves credit where credit is due.
Casemiro
Casemiro was expected to go straight into Ten Hag's team when he arrived from Real Madrid in August, but he's had to wait for his chance due to the form of Christian Eriksen and McTominay. The Brazilian didn't start any of his first four Premier League outings.
Yet after Thursday evening's game, Casemiro has now started three consecutive games. He produced another solid display against Omonia and even came close to scoring in the first half when goalkeeper Francis Uzoho tipped his long-range effort on to the bar.
Casemiro is slowly - but surely - becoming an indispensable part of Ten Hag's midfield.
Francis Uzoho
Speaking of Uzoho, he produced a phenomenal performance at Old Trafford. The Nigerian tipped Marcus Rashford's curling strike over the bar and made two top-class double saves - first from Antony and Rashford, and then from Fred and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In total, Uzoho made 13 saves in what could be remembered as a career-defining display. And to think, he was on the bench when the two teams met in Cyprus last week!
"It's a dream come true for me," said Uzoho - who is a United fan - at full-time. "I've dreamed to play here for a long, long time. When I seen the draw and figured I'd be playing at Old Trafford, I wanted to play, I'm happy I got it and played here."
Losers
Diogo Dalot & Lisandro Martinez
There was a controversial moment just before half-time when Lisandro Martinez was fortunate not to find himself in serious trouble. The incident unfolded when Diogo Dalot played a sloppy back pass, allowing Andronikos Kakoullis to nip in behind the defence.
That left Martinez desperately running back to stop the worrying attack. The Argentine ended up barging Kakoullis to the floor before David de Gea cleared the danger. French referee Jerome Brisard did not award a foul, nor did the VAR official.
That may have been the correct decision, in fairness, but that's not the point. Referees are famed for their inconsistency and, on another day, one may have shown Martinez a red card. He needs to be careful - and Dalot needs to cut out sloppy mistakes.
Bruno
No, not Bruno Fernandes - Omonia's Brazilian winger Bruno. He could've given the visitors a shock lead at Old Trafford when he flew down the left flank with United's defence all over the place. All he had to do was look up and pick out Kakoullis in the box.
Yet Bruno decided this was his moment and unleashed a wild effort on De Gea's goal. Kakoullis, who should've had a tap in, was left with his head in his hands in disbelief. Omonia boss Neil Lennon may have had a few words to say to Bruno during half-time.
In fairness to Bruno, he did pick out Kakoullis in the second half with a good cross and the Cypriot forward failed to produce an effort. Maybe blazing over the bar was the right decision after all - and maybe I need to watch a few more Omonia games.
Cristiano Ronaldo
There were 75,000 fans inside Old Trafford on Thursday evening, but Ronaldo was the spectator with the best view. The veteran superstar failed to leave his mark on the game, with his only memorable contribution coming during Uzoho's second double-save.
I never thought I'd write this, but Ronaldo appears to be lacking confidence at the minute. Is his United career coming towards an end? A last dance is always a possibility with a player as great as him - but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be at Old Trafford.
