Manchester United booked their place in their last-16 of the Europa League with a 2-1 win over Barcelona in the second-leg of their knockout round play-off tie at Old Trafford on Thursday night, sealing a 4-3 aggregate triumph.
Goals from Fred and Antony sealed the Reds' passage to the next round, meaning they are still competing in four different competitions this season. United faced an uphill struggle at the break, finding themselves 1-0 down at the interval, thanks to Robert Lewandowski's early penalty.
However, the Reds got themselves back on level terms, both on the night and in the tie, when Fred found the back of the net just two minutes after the break. Fellow Brazilian Antony, who had earlier stepped off the bench, then scored the winner with 73 minutes on the clock, bending home a brilliant left-footed effort.
READ MORE: United player ratings vs Barcelona as duo shine
Over the two legs, progression to the last-16 was nothing more than what Erik ten Hag's side deserved. They were excellent in the second half, carrying the greater threat.
Having booked their place in Friday's draw for the last-16, United and their supporters will now be looking forward to seeing who they will face in the next round. As the Reds have had to make their way through the play-off round, it means they will be on the unseeded side of the draw and will face one of the seven Europa League group winners from earlier in the campaign.
Competition rules prohibit two clubs from the same country meeting at this stage, meaning United will not be pitted up against Premier League rivals Arsenal. However, among the leading clubs that they could end up facing are SC Freiburg of Germany, Dutch outfit Feyenoord or Spanish side Real Sociedad, who, of course, they faced in the group stage.
The full list of clubs United could face in the last-16 of the Europa League:
- Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium)
- SC Freiburg (Germany)
- Ferencvaros (Hungary)
- Feyenoord (Netherlands)
- Real Betis (Spain)
- Real Sociedad (Spain)
- Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Whoever United are pitted up against, they will play the first-leg of their last-16 showdown at Old Trafford. Group winners are given the advantage of playing the second-leg of their respective ties on home soil.
The first-legs of the last-16 fixtures will be played on Thursday, March 9 and the return meetings will take place a week later, being staged on Thursday, March 16. United's involvement in the next round of the Europa League means that their scheduled Premier League clash with Southampton at Old Trafford on Saturday, March 11 will be moved to Sunday, March 12.
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