LONDON: Manchester United’s Scott McTominay managed a last-gasp strike to spare his team’s blushes as they claimed a 1-0 victory at home to Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday.

Arsenal also earned a 1-0 win at Bodo/Glimt with a Bukayo Saka goal to make it three Europa League victories in a row as they took another step towards securing top spot in Group ‘A’.

United had 34 shots and dominated possession in the Group ‘E’ encounter but only just managed to snatch the points at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s team put Cypriots Omonoia under pressure from the start but were frustrated and went into the break with the score at 0-0.

They continued to waste chances in the second half with boos ringing around Old Trafford until a crescendo of relief when substitute McTominay scored three minutes into stoppage time.

“You have to be patient sometimes. Their goalkeeper was a different class but we created enough chances and deserved to score in the end,” McTominay told BT Sport. “It’s a massive goal because we need to win the group.”

United stayed three points behind Group E leaders Real Sociedad, who beat 10-man Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 with goals from Alexander Sorloth, Diego Rico and substitute Roberto Navarro to record a fourth successive win.

La Real are guaranteed to advance. They host United on November 3 in a clash likely to determine which team goes directly into the last 16.

Each of the eight group runners-up will face a team that drops down from the Champions League, in a knockout round play-off in February.

Arsenal got their winner in the 24th minute when Saka’s deflected shot inside the box caught Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Khaikin off guard and bounced inside the lower left post.

It gave the Gunners a third win in as many outings in Group ‘A’.

“I’m really happy with the win against a team that has won the last 14 games here at home,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta told BT Sport. “We were expecting a really tough night here and we made a lot of changes again but I’m delighted to find a way to win.”

Arsenal are two points clear of PSV Eindhoven, who thrashed FC Zurich 5-0. Bodo/Glimt have four points from four matches while Zurich are bottom with no points and out of contention for the next phase of the competition.

Real Betis dropped their first points of the competition after a 1-1 draw at home to AS Roma in Group ‘C’. Sergio Canales’ goal was cancelled out by Andrea Belotti but it was enough for the LaLiga side to secure a top-two position.

Ludogorets put pressure on Jose Mourinho’s Roma as the Bulgarian side won 2-0 at home to HJK Helsinki to reach seven points above the Italians with four and two games remaining.

The Finnish champions can now only get a third place finish that secures a spot in the Europa Conference League.

Freiburg eased to a fourth consecutive victory, piling further misery on Nantes with a 4-0 win away to the French Cup holders, to cement the top spot in Group ‘G’. Lukas Kubler, Wooyeong Jeong and substitute Michael Gregoritsch had a goal each for the Bundesliga club with Moses Simon adding an own goal.

Qarabag trail Freiburg by five points in second after they were held 0-0 by Olympiacos, who earned the first point. Nantes remain on three.

Fenerbahce and Rennes will finish in the top two in Group ‘B’ after the Turkish side won 2-1 at AEK Larnaca, while Christopher Wooh saw Rennes to a 1-0 win in Krakow against Dynamo Kyiv.

In Group ‘D’, a hat-trick from SC Braga’s Vitor Oliveira was not enough to secure a win at table-topping Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise as the teams drew 3-3.

Surprise Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin stayed in touch with the leaders by winning 1-0 at home to Malmo after defender Robin Knoche scored in the 89th minute. The result means the Swedish side will finish bottom.

All four teams in Group ‘F’ are level on five points. Lazio drew 2-2 at home to Sturm Graz while Feyenoord were held by the same scoreline by Midtjylland.

Ferencvaros are three points clear in Group ‘H’ after beating Red Star Belgrade 2-1. Trabzonspor hammered Monaco 4-0 to climb above the Ligue 1 side into second.

In the third-tier Europa Conference League,Villarreal qualified for the last 16 as winners of Group ‘C’. Senegalese midfielder Nicolas Jackson scored the only goal in their 1-0 win at Austria Vienna.

West Ham advanced from Group ‘B’ following a 2-1 win over Anderlecht courtesy of goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen. The Hammers need just a point from their final two games to wrap up top spot.

Istanbul Basaksehir and Djurgarden will also continue their European adventure in the new year.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022