Jose Mourinho’s United proved too much for a young Ajax team that couldn’t break down Manchester’s defense.
Goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan made the difference, sending United to the Champions League.
Manchester United triumphed in a European final played in the shadow of Monday’s attack on a concert in Manchester.
The impacts were clear from the outset, with a shortened opening ceremony, a minute’s silence before the off, and a United side sporting black armbands.
One fan in the stands captured the mood with a placard declaring: “Manchester, UNITED we stand.”
“We know things like this are very sad all over the world,” scorer Paul Pogba told UK broadcaster BT Sport after the game. “We had to focus. Manchester – we won for them. We played for England, we played for Manchester and we played for them – the people who died.”
The game, meanwhile, pitted the youngest starting XI in the history of European finals (with Ajax boasting an average age of just 22 years and 282 days) against one of the most expensive teams ever assembled.
In the end, United’s discipline and extra quality in the final third made the difference – along with a helpful slice of luck to break the deadlock.
Paul Pogba’s opening goal took a huge deflection on its way past Andre Onana, who almost managed to get his fingertips to the ball but couldn’t stop the shot
Ajax struggled to really threaten an equalizer in the remainder of the first half, rarely turning the superiority in terms of possession into any real looks at goal.
Almost immediately after the restart, Henrikh Mkhitaryan put matters to bed for Jose Mourinho’s team. The Armenian improvised well after Chris Smalling headed down a United corner, deftly flicking the ball past Onana to make it 2-0.
The Armenian improvised well after Chris Smalling headed down a United corner, deftly flicking the ball past Onana to make it 2-0.