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Manchester United and Arsenal are through to the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League semi-finals after wins over Granada and Slavia Praha, respectively. The Red Devils will play AS Roma in a two-legged tie, while the Gunners will take on Villarreal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United are through to the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League semi-finals after a 2-0 win over Granada. The Red Devils will take on AS Roma in the penultimate stage after the Italians beat AFC Ajax on aggregate.
United carried a two-goal advantage with them into the second leg after beating Granada by the same scoreline one week ago. Edinson Cavani increased the Red Devils’ lead moments into this one when he volleyed the ball into the net following a back-header by Paul Pogba. Diego Martinez’s side tried to create opportunities of their own but was unable to do so. With their elimination all but confirmed, central defender Jesus Vallejo put the ball past his own goalkeeper late into the match to give United a 2-0 win on the night – and 4-0 on aggregate.
Since the semi-final draw was made alongside the quarter-final one, Manchester United knew that they would face either AS Roma or AFC Ajax in the next round. The draw was later set in stone when the Giallorossi progressed to the next stage, courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate win over their opponents.
Roma, too, carried an advantage into the second leg, having beaten Ajax 2-1 last week. The Serie A outfit had scored two away goals in the previous match, meaning that Ajax needed to score at least twice themselves to have any chance of progressing. They halved that deficit minutes into the second half of the second leg, as Brian Brobbey got to the ball before Pau Lopez and lofted it over the goalkeeper.
Ajax thought they had their second goal when Dusan Tadic slotted past Lopez in goal. However, the referee ruled the strike out for an offence in the build-up by the defender, Nicholas Tagliafico. Roma used the lifeline to get back into the tie through Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian striker converted a cross at the back post, putting his team ahead on aggregate. Ajax tried to find the elusive second goal but were unable to do so. Roma, as a result, progressed to the semi-finals, where they will face Manchester United for a spot in the final.
In the second set of fixtures, Arsenal took on Slavia Praha with the tie firmly in the balance. Meanwhile, Villarreal played Dinamo Zagreb for a spot in the second semi-final.
Despite drawing their first-leg, Arsenal comfortably beat Slavia Praha in the second one. The Gunners were ruthless from kick-off and thought they had taken the lead when Emile Smith-Rowe put the ball in the net. However, the goal was chalked off for offside. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta’s side did not have to wait much longer for the breakthrough, which arrived through Nicholas Pepe. The Ivorian received the ball in the box, took it past Ondrej Kolar, and smashed it into an empty net.
Minutes later, Alexandre Lacazette put the Gunners two-up from the penalty spot and 3-1 up on aggregate. Bukayo Saka capped his excellent performance with Arsenal’s third goal before the half-hour mark, as he slotted the ball past Kolar from distance. Lacazette scored again in the second half to complete the route.
Arsenal will meet Villarreal in the semi-finals, coached by their former manager Unai Emery. The Spanish outfit beat Tottenham-killers Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 on the night, having already won the first leg 1-0. Paco Alcacer put the La Liga outfit in front in the 36th minute, and Gerard Moreno added a second seven minutes later. A late Mislav Orsic goal proved to be just the consolation for Zagreb, who exit the competition despite impressing many in the previous round.
Semi-finals schedule
| April 29 | Villarreal vs Arsenal, Manchester United vs Roma |
| May 6 | Arsenal vs Villarreal, Roma vs Manchester United |
Final
| May 26 | Manchester United/Roma vs Villarreal/Arsenal |
