Man Utd 1-0 Astana: Mason Greenwood takes his Europa League chance at Old Trafford

Mason Greenwood scored a timely first senior goal as Manchester United squeezed past Kazakhstani side Astana in their Europa League group stage opener.

Playing in the competition for the first time since winning it in 2017, United struggled to break down a determined defence until 17-year-old Greenwood slotted home 17 minutes from time to earn a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made nine changes to the side that beat Leicester at the weekend, naming a youthful line-up that included teenagers Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Greenwood.

There was also a first start of the season for Brazilian midfielder Fred, and he went close to opening the scoring inside three minutes, when rattling off the crossbar from distance.

The early part of the first half turned into a one-on-one duel between Marcus Rashford and Astana keeper Nenad Eric, with the England striker denied from close range on three occasions, but as the interval neared, the visitors looked increasingly well-organised and United increasingly short on ideas.

Gomes sparked them into life immediately after the restart with a wonderful turn on the edge of the box to find Marcos Rojo, but the Argentine’s teasing delivery across the face of goal somehow evaded both Chong and Greenwood when a touch from either would have broken the deadlock.

Greenwood tickled the outside of the post with a deflected effort from close-range, before Fred forced another decent stop from Erik with a curled free-kick.

With little more than twenty minutes to play, Solskjaer sacrificed Chong and Gomes for two more experienced heads in Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata, but eventually it was one of the kids who got him out of jail as Greenwood chopped cleverly onto his right foot and slid through Erik’s leg to finally break the Astana resistance.

There was still time for United to strike the woodwork once more as Erik tipped Lingard’s rasping drive onto the post, before Diogo Dalot screwed a glorious chance over the bar from the rebound.

Relive the action at Old Trafford.

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Man Utd team news and lineups

Man Utd: Romero, Dalot, Tuanzebe, Jones, Rojo, Fred, Matic, Greenwood, Gomes, Chong, Rashford

Subs: Maguire, Mata, Grant, Lingard, Young, Garner, McTominay

Astana: Eric, Rukavina, Evgeni Postnikov, Tomasevic, Shomko, Maewski, Tomasov, Sigurjonsson, Simunovic, Rotariu, Murtazaev

Subs: Muzhikov, Beysebekov, Mubele, Logvinenko, Pertsukh, Janga, Mokin