Edinson Cavani inspires as United’s six-shooters thump Roma
Manchester United's Edinson Cavani shone on a night to remember for the English side. Picture: Jon Super
Edinson Cavani may be about to end his short-lived Manchester United career this summer but his two second half goals - and role in two others - in last night’s Europa League semi-final suggested he may yet have a major role to play in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Old Trafford story.
The United manager, desperate for his first trophy and even more desperate to end a run of four semi-final defeats over the past 15 months, looked in trouble with his lacklustre side 2-1 down at the interval last night.
But, in an extraordinary second half comeback in a thrilling first leg tie, United took a stranglehold.
Cavani had a hand in a killer fourth goal, being tripped by former United centre-half Chris Smalling as he tried to meet a Marcus Rashford cross, and Bruno Fernandes slammed in a 71st minute penalty that always looked like being decisive.
But Cavani, who seems certain to return to South America at the end of his first campaign in English football, had already made his mark on proceedings with two goals in 16 minutes soon after the restart.
Three minutes into the second half, Paul Pogba strode purposefully upfield, found Cavani who was able to play a superb one-two with Fernandes before curling an instinctive finish into the top corner to make it 2-2.
They were in front for good shortly after, when Pogba picked out Aaron Wan-Bissaka whose shot was fumbled by Roma’s sub keeper Antonio Mirante for Cavani to pounce and convert the rebound.
The Reds, finally, were rampant, the memories of those four semi defeats - Manchester City, twice, Chelsea and Sevilla - in the process, surely, of being consigned to the history books and a confident Pogba was not finished.
Fernandes curled in one of his precise hanging balls from a well-worked corner after 74 minutes and Pogba rose superbly to head in his first goal at Old Trafford in nearly two years.
But good as Fernandes and Pogba had been, Cavani had been even better and three minutes from time his outstanding cross-field pass, with the outside of his boot, released substitute Mason Greenwood for a fine finish to end a night that has United on the brink of their eighth major European final.
It was the sort of scoreline that had looked possible when Fernandes lobbed United into a superb ninth minute lead and perhaps had Solskjaer casting his mind back to the night 14 years ago when he came off the bench in a memorable 7-1 Champions League win over Roma.
But before the interval arrived, Solskjaer saw his defence breached twice, even though the first, just six minutes after the opener, was a stroke of bad fortune when Pogba slid in to block Rick Karsdorp’s cross and clearly handled.
The impressive Lorenzo Pellegrini clipped in an unstoppable penalty and worse was to follow when Roma took the lead after 33 minutes with a counter-attack that scythed holes through the home defence.
Leanardo Spinazzola started the move with a dangerous run into the box, found former United playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan who played an exquisite reverse pass that allowed Pellegrini to reach the by-line and cross for Edin Dzeko to scramble an untidy finish over the line.
It was the former Manchester City striker’s fifth career goal after scoring four in derby games and it was no more than the Italians deserved for the way in which they overcame major misfortune that saw them lose three of their starters within 37 minutes - and concede an early opener.
It came from an incisive piece of play from Pogba, driving in from the left, and a brilliantly-weighted pass from Cavani that played in Fernandes to lift the ball over Pau Lopez and into the corner of the Roma goal.
The Roma keeper was off before the half-hour, with a suspected dislocated shoulder, following former Aston Villa midfielder Jordan Veretout who pulled his hamstring after just two minutes. The influential Spinazzola would also make an injury-induced early exit.
De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 7, Maguire 6, Shaw 7; McTominay 6, Fred 5 (Matic 82); Rashford 6 (Greenwood 76, 6), Fernandes 8 (Mata 89), Pogba 8; Cavani 9. Subs (not used): Bailly, Grant, Diallo, James, Henderson, Telles, Williams, van de Beek, Tuanzebe.
Lopez 6 (Mirante 28, 5); Smalling 6, Cristante 6, Ibanez 6; Karsdorp 7, Diawara 6, Veretout (Villar 5, 6), Spinazzola 7 (Peres 37, 6); Pellegrini 8, Mkhitaryan 7; Dzeko 6. Subs (not used): Santon, Mayoral, Kumbulla, Perez, Ciervo, Darboe, Fuzato.
C del Cerro Grande (Spain) 6.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
