Manchester United took a huge step towards the last 16 of the Europa League by defeating Saint-Etienne 3-0 in their first-leg clash.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave his side the lead thanks to a huge slice of fortune. The big Swede lined up a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and looked to sneak it under the wall and into the bottom corner. However, his effort cannoned off the leg of a defender and found it’s way into the back of the net. You can see his goal here.
Midway through the second-half, Ibrahimovic had his second. Marcus Rashford broke down the left-hand-side and played the ball into the penalty area. It fell kindly at the feet of Ibrahimovic, who was never going to miss from close range. You can see Zlatan’s second here.
Ibrahimovic then fell under the challenge of a Saint-Etienne defender in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot. He made no mistake, slamming home into the bottom corner and completing an emphatic hat-trick.
Here’s our player ratings for both sides:
Manchester United player ratings: Romero 7, Valencia 6, Bailly 6, Smalling 7, Blind 6, Fellaini, 6 Herrera 7, Pogba 8, Mata 7, Martial 8, Ibrahimovic 10.
Saint-Etienne player ratings: Ruffier 6, Malcuit 5, Theophile-Catherine 6, Perrin 5, Pogba 7, Veretout 6, Pajot 7, Barbosa Intima 6, Saivet 4, Monnet-Paquet 6, Hamouma 7.