UEL: Fernandes Strikes Late as Manchester United Edge Rangers 2-1

Manchester United secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Rangers, thanks to a late winner from Bruno Fernandes, to move closer to automatic qualification.

Manchester United edged closer to securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League last-16 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Rangers at Old Trafford. The decisive moment came in the 92nd minute, as Bruno Fernandes scored a stunning winner to seal the three points for the Red Devils.

Rangers had a nervy start to the match, with Ruben Amorim's pre-match concerns about his team's composure in possession nearly coming to fruition. Toby Collyer, making his European debut, was dispossessed inside the opening 10 minutes, but Nicolas Raskin failed to capitalize on the opportunity, allowing Altay Bayındır to intervene and clear the danger.

Despite their early jitters, Rangers went on to create several scoring chances, with James Tavernier's floated cross finding Rıdvan Yılmaz at the back post. However, Yılmaz's cushioned volley was comfortably saved by the United goalkeeper, who made a crucial intervention to deny the visitors an early lead.

As the half progressed, Manchester United began to assert their dominance, with Alejandro Garnacho's fierce strike forcing Raskin to make a crucial headed clearance over the bar. The Red Devils thought they had taken the lead from the resulting corner, but Matthijs De Ligt's header was controversially ruled out for a minor infringement by Leny Yoro on Robin Pröpper.

Rangers' defense finally succumbed to Manchester United's pressure from a corner, but the blame lay squarely with former Red Devil Jack Butland. He attempted to punch Christian Eriksen's corner but instead diverted it backwards into his own net, gifting United the lead.

With Rangers forced into three substitutions, including replacing star player Vaclav Cerny, Manchester United took control of the game. They should have extended their lead as Alejandro Garnacho had an effort cleared off the line by Robin Propper, and Harry Maguire inexplicably missed the target with a free header from close range. However, Butland partially made amends for his earlier mistake with a fantastic reflex save to deny Manuel Ugarte's header.

Late drama at Old Trafford 🫨#UEL pic.twitter.com/kcbSW4mBC5

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 23, 2025

The match was far from over, as Rangers came agonizingly close to equalizing when Cyriel Dessers' chip hit the post. However, the Nigerian international made no mistake two minutes from time, capitalizing on a weak defensive play from Maguire. Dessers controlled James Tavernier's long ball with a glorious first touch and drove an effort into the bottom corner to level the score.

Just when it seemed the match would end in a draw, Manchester United produced a late winner reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure. Bruno Fernandes, making his 50th UEFA Europa League appearance, stroked a cultured volley from Lisandro Martinez's cross to hand United a thrilling 2-1 victory. This win puts them on the brink of automatic qualification and marks only their second win in five home matches.