Cristiano Ronaldo made a goalscoring return as Manchester United shot down Sheriff to seal Europa League qualification and set-up a tussle for top spot with Real Sociedad next week.
Having lost their Group E opener at home to the Spanish side, Erik ten Hag’s side won four straight matches to wrap up a top-two finish with a match to spare.
Diogo Dalot and substitute Marcus Rashford headers put United on course for that latest Europa League win, with returning Ronaldo wrapping up a 3-0 victory to the delight of the Old Trafford faithful.
The 37-year-old had looked set to be frustrated on Thursday as he made his first appearance since refusing to come on against Tottenham last week and sitting out Saturday’s trip to Chelsea as punishment.
Ronaldo was booked for booting the ball away after seeing a second-half effort disallowed after Rashford had added to Dalot’s first-half opener, but he would finally score his 701st club goal in the 81st minute.
This victory sets up a key clash in Spain next Thursday, when United will attempt to usurp current pool leaders Real Sociedad in a Group E showdown.
If United fail in that quest, they will have to play in a knockout round play-off against one of the third-ranked teams from the Champions League group phase.
In the Europa Conference League, West Ham eased into the last 16 after Manuel Lanzini’s penalty secured a 1-0 win over Silkeborg.
Already guaranteed a place in the knock-out stages, the Hammers needed just a point to be sure of topping Group B and avoiding a two-legged play-off in February.
But they maintained their perfect record in Europe this season with a seventh win from their seven matches in total.
The penalty was soft to say the least, with Michail Antonio needlessly clipped by Silkeborg goalkeeper Nicolai Larsen.
But nobody of a claret and blue persuasion was complaining, least of all manager David Moyes who can now put this competition to bed until March and concentrate on climbing the Premier League.
