United on the rampage
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER was pleased by the professionalism and cutting edge displayed by his players as Manchester United romped to victory in front of empty stands at LASK.
The coronavirus pandemic saw tie played behind closed doors, with just 500 people allowed into the first leg in Linz. The surroundings could hardly have contrasted more with Sunday's victory against rivals Manchester City at a bouncing Old Trafford, but United did not let their standards drop in these strange surroundings.
Odion Ighalo's extraordinary first-half strike put Solskjaer's side on course for a superb 5-0 win, with Daniel James, Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood and Andreas Pereira scoring as LASK imploded.
“The boys were fantastic,” Solskjaer said. “I think they deserve a lot of credit and praise for the way they went about the job.
“There was loads of quality in our finishing, some fantastic goals and some football we should be proud of.
“It was easy [to keep the team focused] because these players are very focused. They know what they want, so there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to do well.”
Wolves had to settle for a 1-1 away draw against Olympiacos, who were reduced to 10 men just before the half hour when Ruben Semedo fouled Diogo Jota on the edge of the area.
That didn't stop the home side from taking the lead after 53 minutes when Guilherme got to the byline and squared for Youssef El-Arabi who tapped the ball home from six yards. Wolves scored the equaliser thanks to Pedro Neto's deflected shot following a short free-kick.