PAUL POGBA PROPELLED Manchester United towards a 2-0 victory over Ajax on Wednesday in a Europa League final rendered heavy with emotion by this week’s terror attack in Manchester.
A night that began with a moment of silence, then applause, in memory of the 22 people who died at Manchester Arena on Monday ended with United completing their trophy collection through goals from Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Reminders of the attack were everywhere at Stockholm’s Friends Arena, from United’s black armbands to the chants of “Manchester!” from their fans, while Pogba, too, was grieving, following the recent death of his father.
Victory enabled United manager Jose Mourinho, who said prior to the game that he and his players were struggling not to think about the tragedy, to bring his maiden Old Trafford season to a successful conclusion.
He had already guided United to glory in the League Cup and despite a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, success in the Europa League means his side will return to the Champions League next season.
United became only the fifth club — after Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea — to have won the Champions League, the Europa League and the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Mourinho, a UEFA Cup winner with Porto in 2003 and two-time European champion, has now won all four of the major European finals he has contested.
Ajax were appearing in their first continental showpiece match since the 1996 Champions League decider and fielded a team with an average age of 22 years and 282 days — the youngest to have ever started a major European final.
Peter Bosz’s effervescent team caused United some uncomfortable moments, but without ever threatening to pull off an upset.
- Defiant chants -
Denied a glorious homecoming by a serious knee injury, United’s Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was present instead as a spectator to see his current side take on the team where he made his name.
Pogba put a volley fractionally wide in the first minute and in the 18th minute he found the target, albeit with a helping hand.
From Marouane Fellaini’s lay-off, the French midfielder let fly with a left-foot shot that flicked off Davinson Sanchez’s left foot and looped past Ajax’s helplessly wrong-footed goalkeeper Andre Onana.
It was the biggest return yet on United’s world-record £89.3 million ($115.8 million, 103.2 million euros) investment in Pogba, who celebrated by pointing to the sky.
Moments later, Antonio Valencia stung Onana’s palms after a raid down the United right.
The English side then took their foot off the pedal, enabling Ajax to start finding space in dangerous areas, but within three minutes of kick-off in the second half they had tightened their grip on the game.
Juan Mata’s corner from the right was headed down by Chris Smalling and with his back to goal, Mkhitaryan held off Joel Veltman to flick the bouncing ball past Onana and claim his sixth goal in the competition.
Onana was called upon to field a header from Fellaini and United goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved from substitute Donny van de Beek.
But there was little to worry United’s fans, who continued to defiantly chant the name of their grief-stricken city as the final whistle neared.
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Two trophies and back in the cl group stages. Can now be considered a good season.
@Bognor regis: 6th place,least wins in prem history and 26 points of first place was it really that good?if you think so fair enough…
@Philip Mcdermott: only team with a better season is Chelsea united after decent season
@Philip Mcdermott: I do think it was good. What’s the difference between finishing fourth and winning the europa? Bar going straight into the cl. Trophies matter. Ask arsenal.
@Philip Mcdermott: 2 trophies and a Champions League spot. As painful as it was to watch United this year that’s definitely a good haul for the season.
@Philip Mcdermott: yip
@Philip Mcdermott: small victories Phillip, small victories… this is not the club of SAF any more. As a United fan I will take victories were I can get them at this point.
@Conor HF: That’s exactly it. The club has no divine right to win anything but it’s expected of them.
@Irishoversea Of the big four, you’d have to agree Chelsea had best season with Utd second (two trophies and CL spot), City 3rd with their CL spot and Arsenal 4th with maybe the FA cup.
@Philip McDermott:
I remember Fergie’s teams from the late 80′s and the start of the 90s. They were awful to watch. but he slowly made them winners, FA Cup, Cup Winners Cup, League Cup, then they became the great Manchester United teams of the next 25 years.
No matter what you think about the talents of Fellani, Pogba, Lingard etc, they are now winners, they are developing a winning mentality. That’s what Mourinho does, he instills a winning mentality. They will only get better.
@Bognor regis: Only watch 30 mins. It was like watching Leitrim play Wicklow.
@Adrian Costigan: Arsenal finished 5th.
@Craba: Yep that what Jose does then he destroys them and buggers off after 3 seasons, Sorry but Sunderland would’ve beat that Ajax kids team,still joseshoofers had to lump the ball 70yards to a target man to get the job done, all that after 781million too, shocking stuff to watch
@Philip Mcdermott: The article is about the Europa League, not Premier League Stats. That being said, your delusional if you think any United fans are happy with the league Form. But,
now they’re back in Champs League, they can invest in new players which the current Squad Seriously Needs, if they want to challenge a very strong Chelsea Squad.
@Philip Mckenna: Jose didn’t spend 781million you plonker. His NET spend is around 100million. He is cleaning up after the previous failures of Moyes & LVG. You Must be a bitter LFC fan ?
Ajax were like 11 Aiden McGeadys. Flicks and tricks to beat the band. Couldn’t create a chance if there were no defenders and couldn’t finish their dinner.
@Thomas McGilly: No Gary Breen.
@Thomas McGilly: And slow. So slow. Even their flicks were in slow motion.
Simple win,didn’t break a sweat
@Colin hoop: Jose has just described winning a treble this season. Interested in what United supporters think of that statement?
@Joe Bloggs: Somewhat desperate to chuck in the Charity Shield, but as has been said, two trophies will be more than anyone in England bar Chelsea can claim.
I know the Europa League isnt everyone’s cup of tea but I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two finals
The bitterness on this thread is absolutely DELICIOUS.
@FPL Thommo: it’s great isn’t it. What trophy do you get for 4th again?
@casual.tri.guy: It’s called the Arsene Wenger perpetual trophy!
@FPL Thommo: I dont see the bitterness, united were terrible to watch as they have been all year that’s all people are saying, they got the job done good luck to them but they’re brutal to watch..
@Philip Mcdermott: i dont care if you’re bored watching united. It’s all about trophies. Nothing else.
@casual.tri.guy: it’s truly incredible united fans can’t stop talking about Liverpool even after tonight haha.
@Brian: You were the first to mention Liverpool.
@Mick Power: Arsenal haven’t finished fourth this year nor last year, why then jokingly call fourth the Arsene perpetual trophy?
@An_Beal_Bocht: In fairness, you are technically correct. But they did finish 4th in 6 of the previous 12 seasons. So I think the joke works. Unless of course you are an Arsenal fan, then it doesn’t.
@FPL Thommo: would you have said the same thing when mou was winning with Chelsea my guess is no you wouldn’t, you’d go on about how boring Chelsea are and mourinho is only good at parking the bus, I’m a Chelsea fan I listened to all the Abuse for years with Jose but like you I didn’t care,i just find it so hypocritical that the united fans who trashed Jose for years going on about the united way and this and that, now turn a bind eye to the boring football she Childish shiite he comes out with, yous will get tired of it even I did after worshipping mou like a god I got fed up of negative football and all his baggage.
@Philip Mcdermott: @Philip Mcdermott: Are you a Liverpool fan? If you remember the AC Millan team from late 80s early 90s, tell me the players they had, style of football and what it was like to watch? They won things too with some of the best players I have ever seen. What I am trying to say is. It’s all about trophies. Mourinhio has won 10/12 finals he has been in. United are in good hands.
Graeme Souness is raging. Can’t hide it. Love it.
@Shanahan: Side note. If Juventus win in a similar fashion, the collective world and Souness will be right there to say what a masterclass in defending it was.
Bang on
@Shanahan: ah he’s a bitter old man. Can’t get over the fact United have won. Loved seeing Luiz putting him in his place on Sunday
@Shanahan: Nonsense. Juventus keep the biggest teams and the biggest players from scoring and then counter with pace and skill. Some of those Ajax players wouldn’t look out of place in an under 15′s tournament. Total nonsense!!
Happy with the win. Some will say the end justifies the means but that was dreadful to watch at times. Still, things are looking up now for next season.
@Sloop John G: champions league football will help attract the right players. Job done.
Yyyesssss get in there, two trophies and Champions League football back.
And now we were back to rte and tv3 showing man united and liverpool each matchday
@Mick: liverpool havent qualified for ch league group stage yet so it mite only be utd on matchdays
@Mick: And with a bit of luck, we’ll see them play each other in next year’s final —— of the Europa League!
Good man Jose…just like DPD, delivered in Europe again..
@An Observer: yes. But delivered the soccer equivalent of the Christy Ring cup.
@JJ O Riordan: delivered champions league football
@JJ O Riordan: It means United are now the fifth team to claim the full quota of European trophies, joining an illustrious list with Ajax, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
You ok Marcus Hun?
Fair play to United better team on the night but my god they are a glorified Stoke City
Hahahahahahaha Liverpool fans that’s how you win a trophy lol
Utd won but that was awful. A youth team had majority of possession. If that’s winning football what’s the point of winning? Money first, football second is the way of it.
@Joshua Walsh: sound very bitter
@Joshua Walsh: is this the future way of playing for United? Say it ain’t so. This game was brutal. Pogba scored a fluke and a goal from a corner. Play attacking football not this long ball nonsense.
@Irishoversea: not bitter at all. As guy from Ireland Utd winning or losing makes little odds to me. I just like to be entertained. At half time I decided to clean the TV stand, it was that bad…the football that is.
@Joshua Walsh: I’m a United fan but I have to agree with you Joshua. It was so awful to watch. If they were any way decent and passed the ball instead of constantly hoofing it up to Fellaini, they could have been out of sight by mid second half. Unless there’s dramatic improvement, they won’t make any impression on CL next season.
Solid first season for Mourinho. This year was about qualifying for the Champions League, making Man Utd hard to score against and beat. Two trophies in the bag including the Europa is a nice bonus. However, United will have to recruit heavily in the Summer to show continued progress. With the defence looking increasingly solid, the attacking football also has to improve.
Looking forward to a Jamie free comments section.
That was the worst game of football I ever seen. A victory for long ball tactics. It’s painful to see man utd so boring to watch.
Easiest run ever, It is a Mickey Mouse cup though.
Not really, 8 teams that finished 3rd in Champions league group stages, including Roma, Spurs, European trophy with CL entry to boot.
@Ciarán: Micky mouse maybe but makes United the most successful club in English football
@Irishoversea: Who cares really though, Liverpool are successful in there own right and this doesnt change anything, Fair play!! Its cringey listening to United fans celebrating the Charity Shield as part of a treble.
@Ciarán: like Liverpool fans who claimed the Super cup and Charity shield in 2001 saying they won 5 trophies..
@Irishoversea: Seemed to have got to you if you can remember that far back, You seem to know a lot about the History of LIverpool Football Club.
@Ciarán: It actually changes a lot, as Liverpool can never win the European treble.
@Ciarán: no I’m just agreeing with you charity shield shouldn’t be counted. Didn’t wind me up when Liverpool fans said it I just never agreed with it and they made a massive deal about it..
@Ciarán: and yes I do Liverpool fans love to get me history lessons every chance they get..
@PolyglotPaul: Come again?
@Ciarán: Only Ajax, Bayern, Chelsea, Juve and now Man United have won the European treble of European Cup, UEFA/Europa, and Cup Winners Cup.
@PolyglotPaul: Cup winners cup, Wow!!
@Ciarán: I think HISTORY is the important word there…
Great to listen to Souness being a jealous scouse pr’ck
@Paul Radburn: Graeme Souness is a Scotsman
@Paul Radburn: And Souness has a far superior playing record to any of the players on view tonight.
If they actually tried to play I’d say they’d have hammered them
I thought this was supposed to be a major final. I certainly didn’t see one.
@Mick Tobin: should have turned on your telly it’s much better when it’s on
Two pieces of Silverware, minor ones but still silverware. Champions league football also. Some great young players with new experience.
Would any other team take that at beginning of season…bet your ass they would. Will this team be better next year…you’d be a fool not to think so.
@Frank Donovan: yeah they will be better but so will the rest and as for the young players you speak of you’ll probably not see most of them again except for the early rounds of the league cup
@Philip Mcdermott: difference is Phillip, UNITED win silverware while building. Minor trophies while building with young players are still trophies other clubs are not while also supposedly building also.
@Frank Donovan: frank trust me mourinho will spend a fortune in the summer and these young players apart from rashford and maybe lingaard will be nowhere to be seen, this is the same manager at Chelsea who let debruyne and lukaku go without giving them a shot and Andreas Christensen who’s now one of the best defenders in Germany, he doesn’t do youth. this is not the united you grew up with.
@Philip Mc dermott: doesn’t do youth?? Rashford is 19 a striker for one of the biggest clubs in the world…& he scored. Your clutching at straws fella. Give over the bitterness and think rashfordly…I mean rationally
@Philip Mc dermott: doesn’t do youth?? Rashford is 19 a striker for one of the biggest clubs in the world…& he scores. Your clutching at straws fella. Give over the bitterness and think rashfordly…I mean rationally
@Philip Mc dermott: Rashford 19, Shaw 22, bortwick Jackson 20, Fosu Mensah 21, Martial 22, Bailly 23, pogba 24,
Yeah YOUR RIGHT. Doesn’t play young players at all. Get a grip!
@Frank Donovan: get a grip lad Shaw,martial,bailly and pogba cost about 200 million are you for real,i mentioned rashford gets games but correct me if I’m wrong but van gall brought him into the team he made his England debut before Jose even arrived as for the other two let’s see what they do next year, what a dumb comeback you even mentioned the world s most expensive player in your argument you dope.
As a neutral the quality of football on display tonight was woeful. Yes Man UTD deserved to win that easily. Ajax are a very young team and will improve but as a neutral the quality on display was brutal!
A daming indictment on the level of money that the modern football is about. Long gone are the entertaining games European football commanded. Kudos to the winners but unless they invest heavily in the off season once again they will be cannon fodder to the likes of Real Madrid etc.
Honestly I would prefer to watch the league 1 playoffs as it would be more entertaining!
What’s the story with 4th place Liverpool..will they still qualify for champions league?
@Stevo02 Scofield: only way 4th wouldn’t have qualified is if Leicester won the CL too.
@Stevo02 Scofield: yes they do but they have to play a qualifier
@Stevo02 Scofield: liverpool still get the chance to qualify for the ch league via a couple of qualifier games
If “Davy Keogh says Hello” is Irish footballs biggest fans how come I never see him at our own domestic league matches yet here I see him supporting an English team? Sad really
That goes down as a good season. Granted league form was not great. Managers first season too.
Delighted for the win tonight. There was allot riding on this result. United have achieved their goal this season, getting back to the Champions League. They have also won a domestic cup and a European trophy, which they hadn’t won before. Yes the league position could have been better, But in my book, It have been a very successful first season for United in the Mourinho era.
@SYM-Metal: just find it absolutely baffling that how can Man United fans can say with a straight face that it’s been a very successful season . Jose has at its disposal one of most expensively assembled team of all time and to not remotely challenge for the league with those resources is a huge failure. He’s managed to get them into the champions league which is very important but the win tonight papers over massive cracks in that in that team and the standard of football they play.
It was only a few weeks ago that United fans were open arms are dropping out of the top four and somehow the win tonight is no magically considered a very successful season!! Fickle isn’t the word
@Brian: Don’t let it keep ya up tonight anyway mate. You sound very sad there. It’s only football.
@Brian: First man united manager to pick up silverware in his first season!to judge united on the fergie era it’s disappointing but nowadays as a fan have to be realistic Man Utd aren’t the force of old so it’s a small improvement on recent years and it’s definetly the most satisfied of been since fergie left?i see your point but it definetly buys some time for Jose and I’m happy for him to take us forward into next year!!
@Nollaig Elliot: I must have a nerve ! Jackpot
@Brian: f.(k sake Brian you are one bitter little fella. You probably lost a lot of sleep last night after all your rants and rage. Next time remember to take your Bobo before you go up
Europa Lge 2016/17 records
Ajax P15 W8 D3 L4 F25 A13
Utd P15 W10 D3 L2 F26 A8
Hmmm… Ajax are the more creative team????
That Ajax side will win the champions league in the next 10yrs if they stick together. They are a good side.
But the press made this out to be attacking football v defensive football yet Utd scored the same amount as Ajax.
Suppose the stats are only there wen you want them to be
Best of luck to the Pool in the qualifying stages.
(cough)
Thank christ Lingaard didn’t score that 1 on 1. it would of wrongly justified him being a professional footballer scoring in a European cup final when realistically he’s the worst player to ever wear a United jersey.Offers absolutely nothing and is cowardly as well
@Evangelos: Taibi, Prunier, Bebe, Djemba-Djemba and Ralph Milne say hello
@Dave McAuliffe:All great players compared to Lingaard
won the two competitions nobody including the manager wanted to be in .
@dead right: but they won something 19 other teams didn’t win
Utd play like Charlton’s Ireland knock it long & knock it down & see what happens.fair play to them beating a U23s Ajax team who couldn’t win a Dutch league
Absolutely delighted but one thing that annoys me is that de gea didn’t get a game… absolute disgrace to an unbelievable servant… the least he deserved
@Davedental: and what about Michael Carrick then Dave?
Men against Boys a joke
the fellows on crutches were dancing well tonight
It means United are now the fifth team to claim the full quota of European trophies, joining an illustrious list with Ajax, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Full set
How in the name of God did Ajax make it to final. Worst european side I’ve ever seen.Someone posted “like 11 Aiden McGeadys”.Very apt
Horrendous bore of a match. Awful
One of the worst finals ever
@Mark Fitzpatrick: real madrid,Barcelona,ac milan,inter & liverpool could never do all the trophies because they were to busy winning leagues & european cups to play in europes 3rd comp before it was finished so nothing to rejoice about
@matthew o reilly: how are those grapes??/
@Mark Fitzpatrick: there lovely & sweet no pips.& just stating a fact u cant win a 3rd tier european comp like the cup winners cup when your in the better comps because your being sucessful.
Need Madrid to win the CL for my Euro double 15/1.