Manchester United edged closer to a direct spot in the Europa League’s last 16 with Bruno Fernandes’ late goal securing a 2-1 victory over Rangers in Thursday’s Battle of Britain.
The Red Devils seemed destined for another setback at Old Trafford when Cyriel Dessers equalized for a beleaguered Rangers in the 88th minute.
However, Fernandes saved United from embarrassment and potentially avoided the playoff round by scoring in stoppage time.
With this result, United climbed to fourth place in the table with one game remaining in the league phase.
The top eight teams will qualify directly for the last 16, which may now be out of reach for Rangers, who have dropped to 13th.
Nonetheless, the Glasgow club performed admirably given the circumstances, as Philippe Clement was forced to bring on two teenagers from the bench in the second half due to mounting injury issues.
Ruben Amorim had criticized United’s current players as the worst in the club’s history following a harsh 3-1 loss to Brighton over the weekend.
That defeat marked the fourth loss in five home matches, and United’s anxiety in front of an expectant crowd was evident in the early moments of the game.
Rangers lamented their failure to capitalize on the match’s first significant opportunity when Altay Bayindir denied Nico Raskin and Ridvan Yilmaz sent the rebound over the bar.
