Manchester United will play Champions League football next season after beating Dutch club Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm to win the Europa League Cup.
It was mostly a smooth night for the red devils who had to deal with very few shots on goal from a team who's already qualified for the top club competition in Europe after coming second in the Dutch league.
An emotional night started well for United with Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marouane Fellaini strong in the middle and winning the ball at the contest.
But it was Paul Pogba that opened the account for United, with a deflected shot of Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez in the 18th minute.
Following the goal, it was all Ajax who dominated possession as well as territory and an equaliser seemed imminent. With United sitting deep, there were various periods where Ajax camped on the 18-yard box, but their final pass let them down.
Going into the half 1-0, while the match was being dominated by Ajax, things were still relatively comfortable by United, playing a typical Mourinho defensive game.
The result was more-or-less confirmed in the 48th minute after a goal line scramble saw Mkhitaryan nod the ball in over the Ajax goal-keeper.
A strong night in the box by Daley Blind and Chris Smalling as well as an exemplary performance from fill-in captain Antonio Valencia underlined United's cause.
The match was United's 65th of the season, one of the longest seasons the side has had to play since the Sir Alex Ferguson years.
"It was a long season for us, very difficult," Pogba said.
"We wanted to win the Europa League. People criticise us but we did what we wanted. I'm very proud of the team, I'm very proud of myself, let's go to the Champions League."
The result means there will be at least four teams in the Champions League next season with four placed-Liverpool having to qualify for the main competition.
Newshub.
