Ruben Amorim finds his new Gyokeres as Man Utd beat Viktoria Plzen in UEL
Manchester United maintained their unbeaten record in this season’s Europa League with a 2-1 win away at Czech side Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.
The Red Devils didn’t have it all their own way, with former Burnley forward Matej Vydra putting the hosts 1-0 up just before half-time after a terrible pass from Andre Onana failed to reach Matthijs de Ligt.
But Onana’s teammates bailed him out and within 12 minutes, United were level with Rasmus Hojlund firing home a close-range rebound after Amad Diallio rinsed the Plzen defence only to see his effort saved by Martin Jedlicka.
Mason Mount missed a huge chance to give United the lead in the 78th minute but just 10 minutes later, Hojlund delivered the win with his second of the night, expertly controlling a Bruno Fernandes free-kick before emphatically finishing past Jedlicka.
As has been the case for a number of years now, United didn’t do it the easy way. However, this win leaves them unbeaten after six games with 12 points on the board. Ruben Amorim’s side still have work to do to progress straight to the round of 16, but it’d take a complete catastrophe for them not to make the knockouts from here.
BetMGM sign-up offer: Get £40 in bonuses when you bet £10
Not signed up to BetMGM yet? Here's how eligible readers* can take advantage of their welcome offer:
- Open an account at BetMGM using this link.
- Select the Sports Welcome Offer.
- Get the offer from the ‘My Offers’ page.
- Deposit and place a £10 bet at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater.
- When it settles, unlock £40 in bonuses
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10+ at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Acca, 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Football, 1 x £10 Bet Builder. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply.
Rasmus Hojlund: Amorim’s new Gyokeres?
Hojlund was, of course, the inspiration behind Thursday’s triumph, despite playing just 34 minutes from the bench.
The impact of the Denmark international shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, with this brace taking him to five goals and an assist in the Europa League this season and making him directly responsible for exactly half of United’s 12 goals in the competition.
But Hojlund’s performance was more about quality than quantity. Hojlund touched the ball just 21 times, but made his presence felt with nine of those touches coming in the opposition box, while he completed five of his seven passes and registered four shots.
By contrast, Joshua Zirkzee had just one shot and six touches in the opposition box in 61 minutes, failing to provide the focal point United needed.
Rasmus Højlund's game by numbers vs Plzen:
21 touches
9 touches in opp. box
6/7 passes completed
4 shots
3 shots on target
2 goals
1 chance createdMatch winner. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/L79l1DZd15
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) December 12, 2024
“He is improving,” Amorim said of Hojlund after the match. “He is more near the goal now. He knows better the movement he has to do. He could score more this evening. but he is scoring, working and controlling the ball better.”
Ex-United midfielder Owen Hargreaves even made a loose comparison between Hojlund and Amorim’s star striker at Sporting CP, Viktor Gyokeres, placing him above Zirkzee as United’s best No.9 option.
“Rasmus Hojlund is Ruben Amorim’s best option down the middle, that is for sure,” said Hargreaves. “I think Amorim had that idea beforehand as Viktor Gyokeres [at Sporting] is a really similar profile in terms of physicality and size. Hojlund is a great athlete as well.
“There are things that himself and Joshua Zirkzee can work on but right now it is Hojlund, Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes are the ones creating opportunities for United.”
Holjund still has just two Premier League goals to his name this season and that will be the stage he’ll want to prove himself on the most.
However, one of those goals came against Nottingham Forest last time out, meaning Hojlund has registered five goals and an assist in his last four appearances across all competitions.
He’s grasped the starting jersey and is starting to look like a man capable of dragging United toward better things.
Amorim’s new Gyokeres? Maybe so.
