After the events in Manchester on Monday the win for Jose Mourinho’s side pails into insignificance in all fairness
Victory will go a small way to help the grieving process but it is fair to say the game was largely overshadowed
In the grand scheme of things a game even with the stature of the Europa League Final is largely irrelevant
A minutes silence then burst into a minutes applause from the Manchester United fans
And rightfully so, a rapturous mark of respect for the 10,000 or so United fans that had made the journey to Stockholm
Ultimately though there was still a trophy to be won and a place in the Champions League next season up for grabs
Looking at the line ups it was men versus boys before the game and it showed out on the pitch as Mourinho’s men brushed Bosz’s boys
United had all the early pressure as Ajax could not get a foothold in the game it was not a case of if United would score the first but when
And they would be rewarded for their early pressure within the first 20 minutes
An awful throw from Jairo Riedewald put his Ajax teammates needlessly under pressure on the edge of the area
The ball eventually found its way to Paul Pogba who was afforded too much time and space by Davy Klaassen
Pogba then got a shot away which took a huge deflection off of Davinson Sanchez
With the ball spinning towards goal, Andre Onana was left wrong footed and United would find themselves ahead
It may have been a scrappy goal but I doubt Pogba will have cared all that much
It was not a moment of brilliance that is expected from a player that costs £89m but it was some justification for his performances this season
If Ajax were struggling at 0-0 then they really up against in terms of trying to get back into the game
On loan Chelsea forward Betrand Traore was a nuisance in the final third but Sergio Romero was never really troubled
Ajax would have been grateful to go into the break with a deficit of just the one goal
But that deficit would become two soon after the restart as the final was all but wrapped up
It was another of Mourinho’s big signings last summer who got on the score sheet as Henrikh Mkhitaryan doubled United’s advantage
The Armenian international flicked the ball home from close range after Chris Smalling’s initial header in the area
Ajax two down and suffering from stage fright
Whether it was the experience of Mourinho and how to squeeze out a performance in the final or whether it was Ajax not turning up can be argued but in fairness you would have to say it was more of the latter
With still 40 minutes left to play the remainder of the game turned into something of a procession
United easily saw out the game as what little fight Ajax possessed had now disappeared
There was to be no dramatic comeback as United wrap up the season with a return to the Champions League
This game was always going to define whether or not they truly did have a successful season
And you would have to say that the silverware that they have amassed along with a return to Europe’s premier club competition means that a 6th place Premier League finish is almost forgotten
With the additional carrot of Champions League football to offer prospective signings then landing those targets becomes that little bit easier
There will definitely be another round of big expenditure in the transfer window but one thing is for certain a 6th place finish next time around will not be allowed
United will have to bridge the gap over the Summer after finishing so far off the pace
By the time next season starts then it will truly be Mourinho’s squad and there can be no more excuses
The stark reality is that this game was not a great spectacle but what with the circumstances surrounding the fixture it is understandable
Last night was a win not just for United but for Manchester as a whole
Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
