Manchester United, in contrast to their Europa League campaign, eased past Sheriff Tiraspol at home in a game that saw Cristiano Ronaldo return to the starting lineup with a goal.
Having already beaten the Moldovan side earlier in the competition, goals from Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford and Ronaldo helped United to a straightforward 3-0 win over the visitors.
United raced out of the blocks to hammer Maksym Koval’s goal with shots with the keeper winning the battle until the 44th minute when Dalot sent a header past him for the game’s opening goal.
Ronaldo, making a return after being dropped for Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea due to disciplinary reasons, sent his effort over the bar to start the second half before finding the back of the net soon after only to be denied by the offside flag.
It was Rashford who effectively killed off the game in the 65th minute with another header past Koval before Ronaldo put a bow on the proceedings in the 81st minute.
The win over Sheriff still leaves Manchester United in a precarious position as they are likely headed for a playoff to reach the next round of the Europa League. Real Sociedad, having gotten the better of United before, defeated Omonia Nicosia in their fixture to lead Group E over United by three points.
United will likely have to win a playoff match against one of the Champions League third-place finishers, a list which includes Juventus, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, for a chance to reach the round of 16.
