Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reached his first major final as Manchester United manager, after a 3-2 away defeat to AS Roma was enough to earn his side an 8-5 aggregate win in the Europa League semi-finals.
The Norwegian had lost four semi-finals during his Old Trafford reign and despite the defeat in Rome, his side progressed comfortably, after last week's commanding 6-2 first leg win.
Edinson Cavani fired home a powerful finish after 39 minutes to open the scoring, but Roma found the net twice in the space of three minutes, through Edin Dzeko and Bryan Cristante, to turn the game on its head in the second half.
United goalkeeper David de Gea prevented them falling further behind, as the Spaniard produced a string of superb saves.
Cavani headed the visitors level, before 19-year-old debutant Nicola Zalewski's shot took a big deflection off Alex Telles to beat De Gea, as Roma secured victory on the night - but it was United who were left celebrating at the final whistle.
United will face Villarreal, who held out for a 0-0 draw on a nerve-jangling night away to Arsenal for a 2-1 aggregate victory.
The Spanish side protected their first-leg advantage with a disciplined display, riding their luck at times, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice hitting the post for the hosts.
Villarreal survived five minutes of stoppage time, celebrating wildly at the end, as they reached their first European final.
The result was momentous for Villarreal manager Unai Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal in 2019.
He now has the chance to win the Europa League for a fourth time, when Villarreal take on Manchester United in the final in Gdansk, Poland later this month.
Reuters
