Manchester United took first blood in their 2-0 first-leg victory over Granada in the Europa League quarter-finals, though not without one of their key stars paying a small price in the clash.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, with Bruno Fernandes slotting away a penalty in the final minutes of the tie after his face was struck by Yan Brice.
The Portugal international scored his third goal in the competition to take his total tally up to an impressive 24 in all competitions in what has been an impressive first full-season in Manchester.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen it, just seen his eye when he came on, he got hit,” the Norwegian admitted in reference to the incident, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “Mick Phelan was sat behind me in the dugout and he said he took one in the face, so it’s a clear penalty.”
“I’ve not seen it, I’ve got to say. His eye is red and to score with just one eye open is also a skill,” Solskjaer added.
It’s undeniably applaudable that the 26-year-old managed to convert his spot-kick, and it would, fortunately, appear that a very serious injury was avoided.
The result will please the United boss, as the club remains on course for major honours this term – though the Premier League remains out of reach, the Europa League has to be considered a genuinely attainable goal for the season.