Cristiano Ronaldo was back on the scoresheet after being handed a disciplinary cut against Chelsea last week, and it was the icing on the cake for Manchester United as they’re one step closer to fully confirm their place in the Europa League knockout stage.
Elsewhere, Arsenal missed their chance to seal the top spot in Group A following an upset loss to PSV, while several teams from the Champions League were relegated here in the second-tier, which should make the competition proceedings much more intriguing.
As the group stage is slowly coming to an end, continue to read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest Europa League 2022 updates in case you missed the entertainment from Thursday night football.
Manchester United and Real Sociedad set for final showdown
Manchester United and Real Sociedad took care of business last night as they defeated Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia via 3-0 and 2-0 scorelines.
Diogo Dalot opened the scoring for the Red Devils two minutes before the break, before half-time sub Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo wrapped up the game with two more goals in the second half.
Ronaldo’s 701st club goal was his first at Old Trafford this term, and after the game Erik ten Hag said that he expects more from the five-time Ballon d’Or awardee.
Over at Cyprus, Imanol Alguacil rotated his lineup and they didn’t skip a beat as Robert Navarro also scored before the break, while Brais Mendez added one for good measure.
With five group stage wins on the bounce, Real Sociedad lead Group E with 15 points, while Manchester United are right behind them with 12. Next Thursday will be the rematch between these two sides at the Estadio Anoeta in Spain.
The Red Devils have mathematically qualified for the knockout phase of this competition, but they’ll need to win against La Real by two goals to ensure they win the group and avoid a Round 32 clash.
Real Sociedad won the reverse fixture 1-0 courtesy of a phantom penalty decision, so you better believe that Manchester United have next week’s match circled on their calendars.
PSV deliver shock upset to Arsenal
Another (former) Manchester United man has won against Arsenal this season as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s PSV secured a 2-0 home win in order to boost their Europa League 2022 odds of qualifying to the knockout stage.
After a scoreless first half, Joey Veerman and substitute Luuk de Jong netted in just a span of nine minutes, which was enough to subdue the Gunners and leave Mikel Arteta disappointed.
Arteta was frustrated because his team didn’t bring it on the defencive end. Other than the two goals scored by Veerman and de Jong, there were three goals that were ruled out for offside which would’ve made it worse for the Premier League side.
A point from this match would’ve secured the Group A top spot for the Gunners, but now they need to beat Zurich – who they defeated 2-1 last September – in their final group stage match next at the Emirates to guarantee their Round 16 berth.
If they fail to win and PSV beat Bodo/Glimt next week in Norway, Arsenal are going to be in a precarious position since they’ll have to face two more games in the knockout round playoffs, which also includes teams who were demoted from the Champions League.
Arsenal are still the favourites to come out of Group A, but Arteta no longer has the luxury to rest key players before their upcoming London derby versus Chelsea next Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
Several UCL teams join the UEL fray
Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus are going to make the Europa League more interesting following their unceremonious exits from the Champions League. The funny thing about these four clubs, though, is that they’ve slighted Manchester United in one way or another this year.
Atletico Madrid were the ones who eliminated Manchester United in the Champions League last season. Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder ridiculed Antony for moving to Old Trafford during the summer. Frenkie de Jong and Paul Pogba both spurned United for Champions League football with Barca and Juve, and look where they are now.
Because of this, Xavi and Max Allegri’s coaching seats are getting warmer in particular, although they have the capability to make some noise here in the second-tier like Ajax and Atletico Madrid.
Four more teams are going to join them soon, but first we’ll have to wait and see the results in the final matchday.
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