Manchester United 1-0 Omonia Nicosia: McTominay leaves it late to seal slender win

Scott McTominay's stoppage-time strike spared Marcus Rashford's blushes as Manchester United toiled to a 1-0 Europa League win over Omonia Nicosia at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Rashford, who is United's top scorer this season, had a whopping 10 shots, but a combination of wasteful finishing and fine goalkeeping from Francis Uzoho denied the Red Devils forward.

Substitute McTominay stepped up three minutes into added time to get his team-mate out of jail, though, as United sealed a third consecutive Group E win despite a listless performance in front of goal.

The result means Erik ten Hag's side only need a point from their final two group games against Sheriff and Real Sociedad to book their spot in the knockout stages.

Rashford saw a whipped effort tipped over by Uzoho inside two minutes, while the Omonia goalkeeper raced off his line to again deny the United forward midway through the first half.

Uzoho tipped a long-range Rashford strike wide as United continued to dominate, before Casemiro thundered a 25-yard effort against the crossbar.

United went in at the break having had a whopping 14 shots, yet they could have been behind had Bruno squared to Andronikos Kakoullis instead of blazing over from a tight angle following a swift counter-attack.   

Uzoho picked up where he left off after the interval, producing a double save to deny Antony and Rashford, before the latter wastefully steered wide when clean through. 

The Omonia goalkeeper produced further smart stops to keep out Cristiano Ronaldo and McTominay, but the Scotland international powered home from close range at the death to deny the Cypriot side a famous point.

What does it mean? United edge towards the knockout stages

United have responded well to their opening Group E defeat to Real Sociedad, with three wins on the spin ensuring they are well placed to qualify for the knockout stages and can still top the group and progress straight to the last 16.

Ten Hag would have liked the game wrapped up a lot earlier, but a fourth win in their last five games in all competitions suggests he has his side moving in the right direction.

Omonia, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the table after losing all four of their games.

Last-gasp McTominay

McTominay's late intervention saw him become the first substitute to score a winning goal after the 90th minute in a European match for United since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's iconic goal in the 1999 Champions League final.

Wasteful United

Rashford has largely impressed for United this season, but this was a game to forget for the England international. He was not the only United player guilty of profligacy, though, as Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes failed to find the back of the net with their seven and five shots respectively.

Key Opta Facts:

- Manchester United have ended a run of three successive European club games at Old Trafford without a win (D1 L2), with their first win since beating Atalanta 3-2 in the Champions League in November 2021. 

- The Red Devils have recorded their first clean sheet at Old Trafford in a European club competition for the first time since a 2-0 victory over Granada in the Europa League in April 2021, with the Red Devils conceding in each of their last six such games. 

- McTominay's winner for United was their 34th shot of the game, with the Scot scoring in Europe for the Red Devils for the first time since February 2020 against Club Brugge. 

What's next?

Both teams return to domestic action as the Red Devils host Newcastle United on Sunday, while Omonia face Nea Salamis a day later.