Manchester United ended a 20-month European away drought with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Europa League, extending their unbeaten start in the competition to six games for the first time since 2013/14.
United were dominant at the Doosan Arena but fashioned few clear-cut opportunities during the opening period of this contest on a freezing night. The one chance was a long-range Bruno Fernandes’ that Martin Jedlička palmed away as disciplined defending frustrated United.
United’s night then turned from bad to worse three minutes after the restart when André Onana’s misplaced pass handed Pavel Šulc the chance to tee up Matěj Vydra as he fired Plzeň into a shock lead. Stunned, manager Ruben Amorim introduced Rasmus Højlund and the Dane then made an instant impact.
Højlund equalized with a bit over an hour played, following up to score after Amad Diallo’s effort was deflected. United pushed for the winner, which left themselves exposed but sturdy enough to see off Plzeň’s counters.
With two minutes remaining, the win was sealed as Højlund finished coolly from a slick Fernandes free-kick. The triumph ended United’s seven-game winless streak on the road, with a perfectly-timed shot of confidence ahead of the Manchester derby.
