Manchester United lift Europa League trophy (Video)

Manchester United have won the only European trophy that has eluded them to this point in their history, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

Manchester United won the Europa League final 2-0 over Ajax, securing Champions League soccer for next season. While Ajax held a good deal of the possession, United pounced on their opportunities and, with a bit of luck on the first goal, won 2-0 thanks to goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Mkhitaryan continued his stellar form in the Europa League this season into the final. He created multiple opportunities for the Red Devils from the wing. One of those opportunities resulted in the second goal, giving United a relaxed feel to their play from that point on.

Pogba also knocked in a goal, albeit thanks to a generous deflection. Pogba controlled the midfield in the Europa League final. He outmuscled the Ajax midfielders in virtually every 50-50 he was a part of, played his typical long balls to create play, and was extremely strong in possession throughout the entirety of the match. This kind of display is what Manchester United expects of their world record signing.

While there were multiple players on Manchester United you could point to that performed well, the team performance was one to praise. United decided to sit in, let Ajax hold possession, stay disciplined in defense and positioning, and this paid off massively.

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The tactics that were put into place by Jose Mourinho made it near impossible for Ajax to get anything going in the attacking third. Young star Kasper Dolberg, a big talking point before the match, was rendered almost entirely ineffective on the day due to the way Manchester United played.

Winning the Europa League not only fills the final hole in the storied trophy case of the Red Devils, but surely means that Manchester United will have a much-improved squad heading intoChampions League soccer next season.