FC Astana 2, Manchester United 1
A young Manchester United side went down to a 2-1 Europa League defeat in Kazakhstan to FC Astana after Jesse Lingard scored his first goal for 10 months.
Embed from Getty ImagesNearly all of United’s senior players were spared the 6000 mile trip to Eastern Europe as the likes of Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw, Axel Tuanzebe, Andre Gomes, and Mason Greenwood got game time.
Lingard was named captain of a United side with an average age of 22 years and 26 days – the youngest fielded in European competition – and the Reds took an early lead after just ten minutes.
Lingard’s deflected strike was his first United goal for ten months but the Reds missed the chance to go 2-0 up after Tahith Chong contrived to blaze over from six yards out after the restart with an empty net in front of him.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had given the night off to most of his senior players – but the home side’s experience allowed them back into the game in seven second half minutes.
Dimitriy Shomko equalised early in the second half and DiShon Bernard’s own goal handed a first victory of the campaign to the home side.
Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood tested Eric in the Astana goal but the home side held on for a famous victory.
United had already qualified but will now need a point in their final group game, against AZ Alkmaar, to top the group.
If the Dutch get an unlikely victory at Old Trafford they could knock the Reds off the top spot which would leave them exposed to a possible draw against a Champions League club for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
MATCH STATS – FC Astana 2, Manchester United 1 (Europa League)
FC Astana: Eric, Rukavina, Postnikov, Logvinenko, Shomko, Rotariu, Maevski, Sigurjonsson, Beysebekov, Khiznichenko (Pertsukh 85), Murtazeyev (Janga 90+1)
FC Astana subs not used: Muzhikov, Zhakipbayev, Mokin, Zhalmukan, Prokopenko
Booked: Logvinenko, Shomko, Sigurjonsson, Beysebekov
Goals: Shomko 55, Bernard 62 og
Man Utd: Grant, Laird, Tuanzebe, Bernard, Shaw, Levitt, Garner (Ramazani 84), Chong (Bughail-Mellor 65), Lingard, Gomes (Galbraith 89), Greenwood
Man Utd subs not used: Kovar, Puigmal, Taylor, Mengi
Booked: Levitt, Lingard
Goal: Lingard 10
Referee: Donatas Rumsas