Manchester United put one foot into the Champions League group stages with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge in the first leg of their playoff tie at Old Trafford this evening.
It was the visitors who took the lead after just eight minutes when Michael Carrick turned the ball into his own net when trying to intercept a free kick.
That lead lasted just five minutes, however, as Memphis Depay drilled home his first goal for the club to restore parity, before doubling his personal tally right on the stroke of half time.
Brugge were forced to play the final 10 minutes with a man less after Brandon Mechele picked up a second yellow card, and Marouane Fellaini made the numerical advantage pay with the last action of the match as he nodded home Depay's cross.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the first leg of the Champions League playoff tie between Manchester United and Club Brugge at Old Trafford. A place in the group stages of the competition are at stake over the next two legs, and heavy favourites United will be eager to build a comfortable lead to take to Belgium next Wednesday. Let's start with a look at the team news for tonight's game...
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: Romero; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Carrick, Schneiderlin, Mata, Memphis, Januzaj; Rooney
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Johnstone, Valencia, Schweinsteiger, Herrera, Fellaini, Young, Hernandez
No changes for the hosts, then, as Louis van Gaal keeps faith with the same starting XI that edged to victory over Aston Villa on Friday night. Indeed, there is only one change in the squad as a whole, with Marouane Fellaini being brought on to the bench in place of Paddy McNair. The Belgian, who played under Club Brugge boss Michel Preud'homme at Standard Liege, has been suspended for domestic duties so far this season but could make his first appearance of the new campaign here tonight.
Van Gaal's decision to stay with the same side means that Adnan Januzaj gets another opportunity to impress having scored the only goal of the game against Villa last time out. He failed to truly establish himself under the Dutch boss last season but appears to be getting more of a chance this term, and if he keeps on scoring important goals then it will be very hard for Van Gaal to drop him back to the bench.
Wayne Rooney again leads the line for United despite criticism over his performances in the opening two games of the Premier League season. The United skipper was forced to play in midfield for much of the previous campaign but is now back in his preferred role up front, although he hasn't been able to find the net so far in 2015-16. Indeed, he only managed one touch inside the opposition area during Friday's win over Villa. Van Gaal has expressed confidence that he will find his form soon, though. He will get support from Memphis Depay, who is also looking to open his United account.
© Getty Images
Alongside Memphis and Januzaj in the attacking portion of midfield will be Juan Mata, who picked up the assist on Friday, while further back the likes of Schweinsteiger and Herrera are once again forced to settle for a place on the bench as Schneiderlin and Carrick continue. One thing is for sure, United certainly have a lot more depth in that area now than they did last season, when Carrick's absences through injury seemed to have a major impact on the team's performances.
The ongoing David de Gea saga sees the Spaniard once again left out of the squad, with Romero continuing between the sticks and Johnstone getting the nod as the back-up keeper. Blind also remains at centre-back alongside Smalling, who has impressed so far this season. New boy Darmian continues on the right side of the defence, while Luke Shaw completes the XI on the left. It is a string side named by Van Gaal, who is clearly taking this match very seriously.
CLUB BRUGGE STARTING XI: Bruzzese; Cools, Mechele, Duarte, De Bock; Vormer, Simons, Vazquez, Dierckx, Diaby; Bolingoli Mbombo
CLUB BRUGGE SUBS: De fauw, Castelletto, Claudemir, De Sutter, Vanaken, Bolat, Oulare
As for Brugge, they make four changes from their own victory on Friday night, with the likes of Cools, Duarte, Bolingoli Mbombo and Diaby returning to the starting XI. Cools and Bolingoli Mbombo already have a goal apiece to their names in this season's competition having netted against Panathinaikos, while plenty of fans will recognise the name of Oscar Duarte from Costa Rica's exploits at last summer's World Cup.
Another standout player for the visitors is Victor Vazquez, who also scored in the two-legged affair with Panathinaikos. The former Barcelona player came through the famous La Masia ranks and can be a real threat if he is given time to pull the strings from midfield. The Spaniard scored 11 goals last season on his way to being named Belgian Player of the Year.
Veteran captain Timmy Simons will look to keep United's creative players quiet in the centre of the field, while at the other end of the pitch the visitors will be looking to the likes of Tuur Dierckx to grab an all-important away goal. He scored late on Friday to earn his side a win and will be hopeful on continuing that form in front of goal this evening.
Brugge certainly have the weapons to do some damage to United this evening, then, but there is no doubt that the hosts go into this match as overwhelming favourites. Van Gaal would never say so publicly, but this is probably the best tie United could have hoped for in the playoffs. Brugge will be up for the fight, but they should cause the Red Devils fewer problems than the likes of Lazio, Monaco, Valencia or Leverkusen could have done.
It is perhaps fortunate that United aren't faced with a much sterner test too, as they haven't been entirely convincing so far this season. The Red Devils are one of just four teams with a 100% record in the Premier League after two games, but they have eked out both of those results by a 1-0 margin. Of course, getting points on the board during the early stages of the campaign is the most important thing, but Van Gaal will be eager to see an improved performance from his side tonight as well.
The one thing that will please Van Gaal about their start to the season is their defensive record. He could not ask for more than consecutive clean sheets to begin the campaign, and those coming without De Gea, who has been named the club's Player of the Year for the past two seasons. United are often seen as being a little top-heavy with the talent at their disposal up front compared to a relatively thin backline in terms of depth, but their defensive record last term and so far this time around has been surprisingly good. They are one of only three teams yet to concede in the Premier League this season.
Their last outing saw them score their first goal of the new season, with Januzaj taking his chance on a rare start to fire a deflected effort past Brad Guzan in the Aston Villa goal. Their opening-day victory over Tottenham Hotspur came courtesy of a Kyle Walker own goal, so to have finally got off the mark through one of their own players will please Van Gaal. There have been suggestions that they lack a back-up striker to Rooney, with Van Persie and Falcao both leaving this summer, but the Dutch boss doesn't appear to be in any rush to sign a new striker.
This is, of course, United's return to the biggest stage in European football having missed out on Champions League action for the first time in 19 years last term. That was as a result of a seventh-place finish during the ill-fated David Moyes era, but Van Gaal guided the side back up to fourth in 2014-15 and, as a result, they will tonight play their first match in the competition since a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the 2013-14 quarter-finals.
United have actually only won one of their last four Champions League fixtures, but they have not been beaten at home in this competition since Real Madrid ran out 2-1 winners in March 2013. They have won four of their five home ties since that game, while stretching even further back they have lost just twice at Old Trafford in their last 20 Champions League outings here. They were similarly impressive in front of their own fans domestically, with only the top two picking up more league points at home than United last season.
United have a rich history in this competition, lifting the trophy three times and reaching the final as recently as 2009 and 2011. They don't often find themselves needing to qualify for the group stages, but they are yet to stumble at this stage when the need has arisen. They have won all four of their previous Champions qualifying ties, the last of which saw them overcome Debrecen 6-0 on aggregate in 2005.
That is the size of the task facing Brugge this evening, then, and they will be in no doubt that they are underdogs for this match. The hosts are likely to be well up for this one on their return to Champions League action, and the visitors will need to match at intensity first and foremost if they are to stand any chance. A draw or defeat by a solitary goal would go down as a decent result to take back to Belgium, and simply staying in the tie could be the message Michel Preud'homme gives to his side before the match.
Brugge are in this competition having been narrowly pipped to their domestic title by Gent last season, despite finishing the regular season top of the pile. They gathered 61 points from the first 30 games to sit four points clear of Gent going into the Championship Playoffs, but four defeats from their next 10 matches saw them ultimately finish two points off the pace.
Failure to clinch the league title would have been a major disappointment, but the 2014-15 campaign will still go down as a successful one for Brugge. They clinched their first trophy in 10 years when they won the Belgian Cup, while they also made some serious headway in Europe. Preud'homme's side remained unbeaten in the Europa League all the way to the quarter-final stage, when their somewhat surprising run was finally ended by eventual beaten finalists Dnipro.
Whether they can experience similar success in the Champions League this season is doubtful, but to have the chance then they will need to overcome Manchester United over these two legs. They have already picked up an aggregate victory in this season's competition, however, sending Panathinaikos crashing out in the third qualifying phase. Brugge lost the first leg of that tie 2-1 in Greece, but a fine second-leg display saw them run out 3-0 winners in Belgium to clinch a 4-2 victory on aggregate.
They have not reached the group stages of the Champions League since the 2005-06 season, when they crashed out having been drawn alongside the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich. Indeed, they have only reached the qualifying stages of this competition once since then, when they fell to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Copenhagen. Their win against Panathinaikos last time out was, therefore, their first in this competition since November 2005.
It should be noted, though, that they do have pedigree in Europe - more so than any other Belgian side, in fact. They are the only team from their country to have reached the European Cup final, doing so in 1978 when they fell to Liverpool courtesy of a Kenny Dalglish goal at the end of the Scottish striker's debut season on Merseyside. They have also reached the final of the UEFA Cup but again fell to Liverpool - this time 4-3 on aggregate.
Brugge come into this match having gone unbeaten in their last four, but it hasn't all be plain sailing for them this season. They made an inauspicious start to the campaign, losing the Super Cup to Gent before being beaten on the opening weekend of the season. Defeat to Panathinaikos in this competition then followed, but they have since turned things around and clinched another victory in dramatic fashion on Friday night. Kortrijk were the opponents and looked like they have salvaged a point when they scored a 91st minute equaliser, only for Dierckx to score a minute later to clinch all three points for his side.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for match prediction! United haven't blown anyone away in the early stages of this season, but they are heavy favourites here for a reason. It would be a major surprise if Brugge were to get anything out of this one, and it should be a fairly comfortable home win. I'll go for a 2-0 victory for Louis van Gaal's men.
United have a pretty formidable record at home to Belgian opposition, although this is the first time that they have ever faced Club Brugge. Anderlecht have visited Old Trafford three times over the years, and United lead that three-game series 18-1 overall. That includes a 10-0 victory for the Busby Babes in the club's first ever European home tie in 1956-57, while more recently they have won 3-0 and 5-1.
What's more, Brugge have a woeful record in England too. They have lost nine and won none of their previous 11 visits, and have not beaten English opposition home or away since a 1-0 triumph over Chelsea in the Cup Winners' Cup more than 20 years ago. They went on to lose that tie on aggregate and have failed to win in any of their six meetings with English opposition since. Indeed, Belgian teams as a whole have struggled on these shores, winning just one of their last 31 European away ties against English sides, and that coming when Zulte-Waregem edged out Wigan Athletic.
This is uncharted territory for Brugge tonight. Not only have they never faced Manchester United before, they have never played in a Champions League playoff tie either. They do, however, have a good record at this stage of the Europa League qualifying, winning all five of their previous playoff ties in the continent's secondary competition.
Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now, and the spine-tingling Champions League music is blaring around Old Trafford once again after a year-long absence. United have won four from four at home in Champions League qualifying goals without conceding a goal and scoring 13 in the process. It would be a surprise if that record was to end tonight.
KICKOFF: United get us back underway as Champions League football is officially back at Old Trafford. Can they now put one foot in the tournament proper with a commanding victory tonight?
Almost a perfect start for United as Mata sends a long ball over the top for Januzaj to race on to. The Belgian is afforded too much space to pick a pass into the box, but Rooney just can't stretch enough to turn it home.
Brugge respond with a sweeping counter-attack of their own, led by Dierckx. The ball is eventually fed into the area and played back towards Romero by Carrick, although the keeper has to scamper to make the clearance and avoid an own goal. At the other end, Depay tries an effort that loops harmlessly into the arms of the keeper.
Januzaj has looked bright in these opening five minutes. Having earlier picked the ball up down the right, this time he pops up on the opposite flank and leaves his marker for dead with some neat footwork. The end product is lacking as he puts the cross straight out of play, but Brugge already seem to be struggling with the youngster.
Good defending from Smalling as he eases Diaby off the ball when the striker looked like advancing into a good position. The visitors claim for a free kick, but Smalling was simply stronger than his man.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Club Brugge (Michael Carrick own goal)
What a start for Club Brugge! They have a crucial away goal after just eight minutes at Old Trafford, and it comes via a Manchester United player. It was unfortunate for Carrick, who slid in to intercept a low free kick into the box, only to turn it past Romero and into his own net. There was nothing the keeper could do about it having already moved off his line in anticipation of the ball making it all the way into the box. Carrick really should have done better in his attempts to cut out Vazquez's free kick, though.
I said I'd be surprised if United lost their 100% record of winning and not conceding at home in a Champions League qualifying tie, but Brugge have made a bright start to this match. I'd still expect United to come back and win the game, but the visitors have already shown that they have the tools to worry United.
It is in the wide areas that United look to be causing Brugge the most problems, with Depay and Januzaj enjoying some bright moments thus far. Nothing to really threaten Bruzzese's goal, though.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Club Brugge (Memphis Depay)
There is the quick response from United as they draw level on the night courtesy of Depay's first goal for the club. It is a very good one from the big-money summer arrival too as he collected Carrick's pass before flicking it over his marker and bringing it down inside the box. He cuts inside and keeps his composure to choose the right moment before drilling his effort into the bottom corner.
This has been a very good start to this match from a neutral point of view. Both sides are looking to get forward whenever possible and look like causing the opposition defence problems whenever they do advance into the final third.
United are just started to grab a hold of this match now, seeing more of the ball. Brugge have impressed so far and still carry a threat going forward, but it is the hosts who are on top at the moment.
Carrick deserves credit for the way he has picked himself up from that early own goal. He will get the assist for Depay's goal and is playing the ball around nicely in the middle of the park at the moment.
No chances to speak of since that United equaliser, but the hosts continue to dominate possession here. Brugge are beginning to drop a little deeper, which is allowing United to knock it about fairly easily, albeit mainly in front of the defence.
We may only be halfway through the first half of this two-legged affair, but already Michel Preud'homme has a decision to make on how to approach this one. This would be a very good result for the visitors to take back to Belgium, but defending a scoreline for so long is a very dangerous ploy.
CHANCE! They aren't hanging back when they do get the ball, in fairness to Brugge. They win a corner and perhaps should regain the lead from it, with Cools able to get a volley away inside the box. His contact isn't the cleanest, however, and it bounces straight into the arms of Romero.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the night goes the way of Bolingoli Mbombo, who tripped Januzaj after the United midfielder had skipped past him.
OFF THE LINE! Rooney has two chances in quick succession to get off the mark this season. The first sees his pull off an acrobatic volley to turn the ball goalwards, but his effort is cleared off the line, although the ball may have been bobbling wide anyway. From the resulting corner the skipper gets the faintest of headers on the ball, which sends it across the face of goal and out for a goal kick.
PENALTY SHOUT! A penalty shout for United as Januzaj races on to a through-ball from Mata. Duarte is the man who puts the challenge in, although it looked to me like a shoulder-to-shoulder tackle. Januzaj goes down and crashing into Bruzzese, who comes out to collect the ball. The referee is right not to award a penalty, but for some reason awards Brugge the free kick when Januzaj did nothing wrong.
Januzaj appears to have rubbed referee Deniz Aytekin up the wrong way here. The German gives him a final warning in no uncertain terms, and one more misdemeanour is sure to land the Belgian in the book.
Brugge will be pleased with their performance after just over half an hour of this one. They have been largely on the back foot since United's equaliser, but it is Michael Carrick's earlier own goal that has put them ahead on away goals as things stand.
© Getty Images
Good spell of pressure from the visitors, but Diaby's poor touch brings an end to a bright attack that included a dangerous low ball across the face of goal from Vazquez. Brugge look capable of getting a second goal here, it must be said.
Brugge have wrestled some of the control back from United in the last couple of minutes. They have been surprisingly attack-minded so far.
CHANCE! Big chance for United to take the lead on the break! The ball is played through for Depay, who beats the offside trap and finds himself clean through on goal. The goalscorer appears to be in two minds, however, and eventually chooses to square the ball towards Rooney rather than go for goal himself. However, the pass is too far in front of the United skipper as a golden opportunity goes begging.
SAVE! Depay goes for goal again, this time letting fly from range. He picks up the ball from Carrick in a bit of space, immediately spinning towards goal and firing a powerful effort. It is a relatively simple one for Bruzzese, although he opts to punch it clear with the ball moving in the air.
CLUB BRUGGE SUB: The visitors are forced into an early change here as captain Simons limps off with a leg injury. He is replaced by Claudemir in a straight swap in midfield.
Brugge's main priority now will be making it to half time without conceding. United are back on top right now, and the pressure is beginning to build a little.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 Club Brugge (Memphis Depay)
The visitors can't hold on until the break as Memphis Depay doubles his personal tally for the evening to put United into the lead. It is another fine goal from the Dutch winger, who steals in behind Cools before being found by a good pass from Blind. His first touch takes him inside once again, and this time he curls his effort into the far post past a helpless keeper. Cools could have done better defensively, but take nothing away from the movement and finish from Depay.
There will be a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 2-1 Club Brugge
The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, and what an entertaining 45 minutes of football it was. United have a 2-1 advantage at the break having been forced to come from behind against their Belgian visitors, who have held their own for long spells against Louis van Gaal's side. United now find themselves in control, but this first leg is far from over.
© Getty Images
Club Brugge broke the deadlock after just eight minutes, and it came via a fortuitous route as Michael Carrick turned the ball into his own net. It came from a Victor Vazquez free kick, which Carrick attempted to cut out as the first man. He only succeeded in turning it past Romero, however, who could not keep it out at his near post having anticipated the ball into the box.
The visitors' lead lasted just five minutes, however, as Memphis Depay levelled the scores with his first goal for the club. Carrick played a part to help atone for his own goal, feeding the Dutch winger, but the goal was all about his skill and finish. He flicked the ball over his marker before taking it down inside the box, cutting inside and drilling a low effort into the bottom corner.
The same man got United's second just before half time to give them the lead going into the break, and it was another impressive strike from the big-money summer signing. This time it was Blind who provided the pass after Depay had stoke in behind Cools. His first touch took him back past the Brugge defender as he cut inside onto his right once again before curling it home with a precise finish.
Depay could have had a first-half hat-trick too had he made the most of a clear chance with the score at 1-1. The winger was released clean through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but instead of going for goal himself he opted to look for Rooney, only to send his pass too far in front of the United skipper. It was a golden opportunity missed, but that is about the only criticism that can be made of Depay's performance in that opening 45 minutes.
KICKOFF: Club Brugge get us back underway for the second half at Old Trafford, and there is news of a change at the interval for the hosts as Bastian Schweinsteiger - a winner of this competition in 2013 - replaces Carrick.
SAVE! Quick start to the half from the hosts as Januzaj advances down the left before feeding a pass inside for Mata. The Spaniard has space and goes for a first-time effort, but doesn't catch his strike right and it is easy for the keeper to collect.
SHOT! How many warning shots do Brugge need? Yet again they allow Depay to cut inside onto his right foot, but this time they are spared as the Dutchman's powerful effort ends up some way wide of the target.
United fans will be delighted with the performances of Smalling so far this season, and he has been very impressive again tonight. Nothing has got past the defender, and he has been forced into a couple of really important challenges too.
YELLOW CARD! Darmain becomes the first United player in the book this evening for stepping across and blocking off Mbombo.
A good move from Brugge almost results in a chance for the visitors, but Dierckx's ball into the box is dealt with. It bounces back out to the midfielder, but Shaw does well to muscle him off the ball.
SAVE! Depay is running Brugge ragged at the moment. Again he picks up the ball and cuts inside, with the defence still allowing him space to shoot. He tries to pass one into the bottom corner from 20 yards, but Bruzzese gets down to push it behind for a corner.
United are in control of this one at the moment, knocking the ball about at their own pace and dictating the tempo of the match. They will still want another goal, however, not only to make things more comfortable on the night but also for their trip to Belgium next week.
CLUB BRUGGE SUB: A second change of the evening for the visitors as Obbi Oulare replaces Diaby. That is a straight swap up front, but Oulare offers a much greatest aerial presence.
SHOT! A long spell of United pressure ends with the ball being fed into the feet of Rooney, who is given a yard of space to turn on the edge of the box. He duly obliges before hitting an early left-footed effort, but it is high and wide of the target.
Controversy here as the ball is fed back to Romero, who misjudges the power on the pass to give Oulare hope of reaching it. The keeper only just gets there first, but the ball is straight to Dierckx. He takes his time despite an opening goal, before eventually passing the ball in to Vazquez. He applies a simple finish, but it won't count as the referee has awarded a free kick to Romero. He did get trod on by Oulare, but he got away with one there.
Romero needs treatment after being caught by Oulare, but is able to continue. He will know that he was lucky not to be punished there, and perhaps Diaby may have been able to get to the ball quicker than the sub striker.
CHANCE! Glorious chance for Depay to clinch his hat-trick. Shaw atones for giving the ball away by giving it back and storming up the right flank, exchanging passes with Mata along the way. His cross is flicked beautifully into the path of Depay by Rooney, but the Dutchman blazes his finish well over when he should have at least hit the target. Really poor finish, but that touch from Rooney was exquisite.
Brugge have 25 minutes left to hold out here. This scoreline would not be the worst from their point of view by any stretch of the imagination, with an away goal in their favour going into the second leg.
CHANCE! Another golden chance for United to open up a two-goal lead! The corner arrives all the way through to Schweinsteiger, who finds himself in a yard of space in the middle of the box. It seems to take the German by surprise, though, and his touch lets him down before the ball is nipped off his toes.
From United's point of view, they will be confident of getting an away goal in the second leg but will still want to make things a little easier by grabbing a third here. They are worthy of one and have had the chances to get it too.
Darmian looks to join fellow new boy Depay on the scoresheet, coming down the right flank to collect Rooney's crossfield pass. He immediately looks to drill a low effort towards goal, but his strike is blocked.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Time for a United change as Javier Hernandez gets a rousing reception on his return to Old Trafford following his loan spell at Real Madrid last season. He comes on in place of Januzaj.
YELLOW CARD! Mechele becomes the latest player in the book for the visitors, gifting United a free kick which is just about in shooting range for Depay...
SHOT! Depay does indeed go for goal from a good 30 yards out, but his strike ends up some way wide of the target.
A couple of shooting chances present themselves to United in quick succession, but some desperate defending from Brugge denies both Mata and a Schweinsteiger piledriver.
CLUB BRUGGE SUB: A third and final change for the visitors as Vazquez is replaced by Hans Vanaken for the final 12 minutes plus stoppage time.
RED CARD! Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge)
Moments after they make their third and final change, Brugge are reduced to 10 men as Mechele picks up a second yellow card. The defender initially beat Hernandez to the ball, but the United striker nipped in front of him to win it back. Mechele slid in in an attempt to stop the Hernandez, mistiming the challenge to earn a second caution.
YELLOW CARD! The ref is quickly back into his notebook, this time flashing a yellow card to Smalling.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: The hosts make their third and final change of the match as Rooney is replaced by Marouane Fellini, who makes his first competitive appearance of the season.
It is likely to be one-way traffic in these closing stages now as United look to press home their man advantage. Fellaini's introduction suggests that we will see plenty of balls hoisted into the box in the final four minutes.
PENALTY SHOUT! Late penalty claim for the hosts as Fellaini chests the ball down in the area before seeing it come off the arm of De Bock. In fairness to the Brugge defender, he was not looking at the ball, but I have certainly seen them given. Instead, the referee awards Brugge a free kick.
CLOSE! That Fellaini tactic is there for all to see, with the ball being put into the box whenever possible. The big Belgian wins his first real chance of an attacking header here, but plants his effort narrowly wide. The keeper looked to have it covered, though.
We are into the first of three minutes added time at the end of this first leg.
YELLOW CARD! Vormer is the latest name in the book for a cynical trip on Shaw to again slow things down and prevent a United attack. He'll quite happily take that one for the team.
CHANCE! Huge late chance for United to grab a third! A free kick is played short before being lifted into the area, where Schweinsteiger wins the header to knock it into a dangerous area. Smalling nods it goalwards from close range, but it is straight at the keeper, who holds on.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Club Brugge (Marouane Fellaini)
How big could that goal prove to be in the tie? Fellaini gives United a two-goal lead with the last action of the match, starting the move before getting into the box and glancing a fine Depay cross into the bottom corner.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 3-1 Club Brugge
The referee had been poised to blow his whistle just before that Fellaini header, and he brings an end to proceedings immediately after it as United build a two-goal lead to take to Belgium for the second leg next week. They were forced to come from behind to get it, but a late red card for Brugge helped the hosts' cause, and they took advantage right at the death. They now have one foot in the Champions League group stages!
The match was only eight minutes old when Brugge took the lead in fortuitous fashion, Michael Carrick turning a Vazquez free kick into his own net while attempted to intercept the ball. That lead was quickly cancelled out by Memphis Depay's first goal for the club, however, and the Dutch winger added a second right on the stroke of half time to nudge his side in front. Mechelen was sent off with 10 minutes remaining for the visitors, and Depay turned provider with the last action of the match as his cross was nodded in my Fellaini at the death.
That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an entertaining return of Champions League football to Old Trafford as Manchester United ran out 3-1 winners over Club Brugge. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. The playoffs continue tomorrow night, so check back in for more coverage with us then. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
