Manchester United held on to a one-goal lead in Belgrade as they defeated Partizan Belgrade 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League game played on Thursday night in Serbia.
The Red Devils took the lead just two minutes before half-time as French Striker Anthony Martial scored from the spot after Brandon Williams was brought down in the penalty area by Nemanja Miletic.
Martial was only returning to the squad after being out injured since August.
It is United’s first away win in any competition since March 6 when the Red Devils beat Paris Saint Germain in Paris in the Uefa Champions League.
However, it wasn’t straightforward as the English side benefitted from the Serbians’ wastefulness in front of goal as they squandered many scoring chances in the game.
The atmosphere was also far from conducive for United amidst fears of possible racism from fans of Partizan Belgrade, but this didn’t deter youngster Brandon Williams from having an excellent game.
The defender was voted man of the match, and it was deserved after his venturing into the opposition half was rewarded with a penalty which he won.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjear had nothing but praises for the youngster who was instrumental in the team’s first away victory of the season.
“Brandon was Man of the Match,” Absolutely excellent. Great defending, great in the air. We’ve found a left-back there. “he said.
The win now puts United in full control of Group L of the Europa League after garnering 7 points in three games played so far. Manchester United will now welcome the Serbians’ at Old Trafford for the second leg on November 7.
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Manchester United will now hope their away form gets better as they prepare to travel to Carrow Road on Sunday where they will face relegation battlers and Norwich City in the English Premier League.
Manchester United are pegged at 1.40 to win the return leg against Partizan at home, while Partizan Belgrade are given 9.13 odds to claim an away win.
Written by: Idowu Daniel Ademiju
