RASMUS HOJLUND netted a stunning second-half brace to rescue Manchester United and secure their win in the Europa League.
United fell behind just three minutes after the interval due to another blunder from Andre Onana.
Manchester United rallied to defeat Viktoria Plzen.
Viktoria Plzen struck first against Man Utd with Matej Vydra.
Vydra capitalized on a mistake made by Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana.
However, after entering as a substitute in the 56th minute, Hojlund scored in the 62nd and 88th minutes, delivering the Red Devils their first away victory in Europe since March 2023.
While Hojlund’s Premier League stats may not impress, he thrives in European matches.
This performance brings his tally to 10 goals in 12 appearances, along with an assist.
It eased some of the gloom surrounding the club and also places them in a strong position for the next round of the Europa League.
A series of substitutions early in the second half transformed United’s performance, providing a crucial confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s derby at The Etihad.
Hojlund must start that match, while Joshua Zirkzee should remain on the bench and was rightly substituted a minute before United equalized.
Zirkzee was certainly not helping his cause once again at the Doosan Arena.
For every good play, there were at least two poor touches that immediately surrendered possession.
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He certainly didn’t get any chances on goal during the first half.
United has been tough to watch lately, and the first half in minus three degrees here in Plzen was particularly challenging.
The 640 devoted fans from Manchester in one corner of the stadium must have longed for a warm fire at their local pub.
Yet they persisted and were rewarded with that second-half resurgence.
In the first half, United didn’t appear in any real danger but also didn’t pose much threat.
It seemed to be that kind of match.
The only notable attempt before halftime came from captain Bruno Fernandes, who, alongside Amad Diallo, was one of the few players deserving of praise before the break.
Casemiro played the ball out from the back to Zirkzee, who finally found his man in Fernandes, allowing him to surge forward and have a shot toward the far bottom corner.
Rasmus Hojlund equalized for Man Utd shortly after.
Man Utd star Hojlund changed the game near full-time.
Man Utd ratings vs Plzen as Hojlund and Amad rescue Onana from disaster.
ANDRE ONANA had his blushes saved by Rasmus Hojlund as Manchester United came back to triumph against Viktoria Plzen.
Here’s how SunSport’s Henry Tomlinson rated the Red Devils’ players…
Andre Onana – 4
Onana had a shaky start to the match, injuring Casemiro and struggling with the hosts’ crosses.
He made a critical mistake that led to Plzen’s opening goal with a poor pass, leaving his defenders helpless.
Diogo Dalot – 6
Dalot made some solid forward runs to join the attacks.
Defensively, he was relatively reliable and rarely caught out.
Noussair Mazraoui – 6
Playing slightly more centrally, Mazraoui utilized his speed effectively to assist defensively.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6
He was let down by Onana’s pass leading to the opener but otherwise performed well during the match.
Lisandro Martinez – 6
He made himself available when Man United attacked but struggled against the physicality of the Plzen forwards.
Tyrell Malacia – 6
He contributed little going forward in his wing-back role and found it difficult to link up with Marcus Rashford.
Casemiro – 6
He advanced the ball when possible and recovered from an early hit from Onana.
Bruno Fernandes – 7
He was fortunate to avoid an early yellow card. He tested the goalkeeper’s gloves in the first half with a strong effort.
His quick thinking set up Rasmus Hojlund for the late winner.
Amad Diallo – 8
Diallo was a rare bright spot in United’s attack against Plzen.
His run led to the equalizer, and he showcased his speed and skill to evade his defender.
Marcus Rashford – 4
Rashford was frequently careless with the ball and lost possession in the attacking third.
He earned the game’s first booking for a needless foul and was lucky to escape a second yellow in the second half before being substituted by Ruben Amorim.
Joshua Zirkzee – 6
He performed adequately in the center-forward role, holding the ball up and linking play reasonably well.
Subs
Rasmus Hojlund 55′ – 8
Hojlund displayed his striker instincts by being in the right position to net United’s equalizer.
He then latched onto Fernandes’ clever pass to score the winner.
Antony 60′ – 6
He contributed to the equalizer by combining with Diallo.
Mason Mount 60′ – 7
He made a positive impact after coming on and was unlucky not to score, being denied twice by the goalkeeper shortly after entering the game.
Alejandro Garnacho 80′ – N/A
Failed to make a significant impact during his brief appearance.
Manuel Ugarte 80′ – N/A
He stepped into midfield, replacing Casemiro late in the match.
Andre Onana’s blunder
It was a decent attempt, but goalkeeper Martin Jedlicka had it covered and palmed the ball away with a full-length save.
Plzen’s best chance of scoring appeared to hinge on United keeper Onana.
He had let a shot that was almost straight at him slip into the net in United’s previous match against Nottingham Forest, resulting in a 3-2 home defeat.
Here, he flapped early on from a free-kick and corner, appearing tentative in his attempts to clear.
It worsened when he gifted Plzen the lead just three minutes after the break.
No alarms were ringing when Lisandro Martinez passed the ball back to him.
Ruben Amorim’s adjustments
But as he hesitated in deciding his next move, they began.
He opted for a pass that was no longer viable to Matthijs De Ligt, and Pavel Sulc had already predicted the error.
He charged in to intercept the ball and squared it for a grateful Matej Vydra to tap in.
It was a special moment for the former Burnley player, while the man who assisted him had been a lifelong United fan.
Amorim needed to make changes, and first up was Marcus Rashford, who received no acknowledgment from the manager as he made his way to the bench.
Hojlund was on, and soon Mason Mount and Antony joined him on the pitch, and moments later United found their equalizer.
Man Utd equalize
Antony found Amad, who made a great run, turn, and shot that was blocked, but Hojlund followed up to finish.
It was Amad’s eighth goal assist in United’s last eight matches.
United now appeared more dangerous, and when Fernandes whipped a ball across the six-yard box, Hojlund somehow failed to connect for his second.
Plzen wasn’t done, as Vydra nearly scored again with a volley that went just wide of the near post.
United should have taken the lead in the 77th minute when a quick break ended with Amad setting up Mount, but his weak shot went straight to the goalkeeper.
But Hojlund would find the net again, set up by Fernandes, turning and firing back across the goalkeeper.
This time, when the United players went over to the away fans to acknowledge their support, there was every reason to applaud them in return.
Hojlund ensured that, and he is ready for the derby.