Manchester United are in a strong position to qualify automatically for the last 16 of the Europa League after a dramatic win over Rangers at Old Trafford thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Bruno Fernandes.

Matthijs de Ligt headed in a United corner only for it to be disallowed after Leny Yoro was harshly judged to have fouled Robin Propper, leaving the teams level at 0-0 at the break.

Neither side was dominant and Rangers lost three players to injury before the hour, while De Ligt was replaced at the break and Yoro on 55 minutes, but it was United who took the lead when Jack Butland punched a corner into his own goal on 52 minutes.

The lively Alejandro Garnacho had two decent attempts and Cyriel Dessers hit the United post (though he was probably offside) before he controlled a high ball and beautifully struck a fine shot past Altay Bayindir on 88 minutes.

A draw would have left United outside the automatic qualifying places heading into the last round, but less than four minutes after Dessers scored, Fernandes arrived at the back post to fire past Butland for the winner.

The result leaves United fourth in the table and Rangers 13th going into the final round of games.

Here, Laurie Whitwell and Jordan Campbell discuss the key talking points.

Where does this win leave United?

Ruben Amorim said Manchester United’s season would be a rollercoaster, but there were ups and downs even in the final minutes of this Europa League tie, which ultimately ended on the high of victory and the brink of progress to the knockout phase without the need for two extra qualifying games.

United looked to be heading for a painful draw when Dessers swivelled to lash in a sweet finish that drew Rangers level in the 88th minute, but in the second minute of stoppage time, Fernandes delivered a captain’s moment by arriving onto Lisandro Martinez’s dangerous cross to volley past Butland.

Amorim had simply shook his head in despair after Dessers’ goal as he sat on his haunches. A draw here would have compounded a miserable sequence in which Amorim has shown emotional strain. But the United head coach turned to the crowd with a big grin and pumped his fists as Fernandes powered the ball in to give his team victory.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who has a strong connection to both clubs, wore a wide smile at the late drama that was his calling card as United manager.

Winning this competition is United’s best chance of Champions League qualification in an awful season and the three points take United to fourth in the table, with qualification to the last 16 in their grasp. They are two points ahead of the teams in ninth and travel to FCSB in Bucharest next week as one of three teams undefeated in this season’s competition.

Laurie Whitwell

What did Butland do wrong?

When Butland joined Rangers from Crystal Palace 18 months ago, there were big shoes to fill. He was replacing Allan McGregor, a goalkeeper with 487 appearances for the club and 11 major titles, who specialised in producing memorable European displays.

The early years of his career in the Premier League at Stoke City, which earned him nine England caps, provided comfort, but he had played only 18 games in two years and his latter years at Stoke had been littered by injuries.

Which version were Rangers acquiring? For the majority of last season, it looked like the former as the move appeared to have rejuvenated him like it did Joe Hart at Celtic, but since making a few errors at the tail end of last season, he has never recovered that form.

Rangers needed a McGregor-style performance from Butland, but he made an awful error in the 52nd minute when he came to punch Christian Eriksen’s inswinging corner. He had enough room to punch clearly, but he badly mistimed it and punched the ball into his own net. It was as bad an error as you are likely to see at this level.

Spare a thought for Liam Kelly, who was dropped for the game despite debuting in the 3-0 win over Celtic at the start of the month and being unbeaten across the six games he deputised for Butland while he nursed a heel injury.

Philippe Clement clearly hoped his experience would help on a big night against his former club. He made a good stop to smother Amad’s shot in the first half and another late on to deny a close-range volley from Ugarte, but there is a reason Butland never appeared at Old Trafford in home colours.

Jordan Campbell

Why was De Ligt’s header disallowed?

United had the ball in the net in the 24th minute when De Ligt headed in from Amad’s corner, but referee Erik Lambrechts blew for a foul in the cluster of bodies. De Ligt had run over to wrap his arms around Amad in celebration, but the Old Trafford cheers were cut short when fans realised the decision.

Lambrechts spotted what he deemed a foul by Yoro on Propper. It was a very soft call, with Yoro’s hand on Propper’s back and a nudge of his knee onto his opponent’s leg. Propper had called over to the official before Amad delivered his corner, appearing to suggest he watch out for a push in the back.

De Ligt was replaced at half-time by Harry Maguire, who missed out on a start due to illness but made a quick impact. Maguire’s presence at attacking set pieces is an added benefit to his game and he seemed to seriously disturb Butland when Fernandes sent over a corner seven minutes after the break. Butland tried to punch the ball clear but only succeeded in diverting it into his own net.

Maguire had a great chance to score himself, stealing in at the far post to Eriksen’s free kick, but he missed the ball with his head from inside the six-yard box and had to watch it skate wide.

De Ligt’s removal appeared to be fitness-related, with him having a discussion on that theme with Amorim after taking his seat in the dugout for the second half.

Laurie Whitwell

How did Collyer and Bayindir do?

Amorim made two notable calls in his starting line-up, handing Toby Collyer his first senior start in his preferred position and replacing Andre Onana with Bayindir.

Collyer’s selection has been coming, with him appearing off the bench against Arsenal, Southampton and Brighton, but still, it is a significant decision by Amorim to keep leaving Casemiro, one of United’s top earners, on the bench. Casemiro, 32, has not featured since being overrun, alongside Eriksen, in the defeat to Newcastle on December 30 and this game underlined how he is now behind Collyer, 11 years his junior.

Amorim wants more athleticism from his team and that is what Collyer provides, but he had some difficulties against Rangers. Early on, he miscontrolled the ball while United attempted to pass out from the back, being swarmed by four Rangers players, allowing Hamza Igamane to play through Nicolas Raskin for a one-on-one. But Raskin took a heavy touch and Bayindir got down to smother.

In the 67th minute, Collyer also passed the ball straight to Ross McCausland, sparking a Rangers attack that was snuffed out by Fernandes. But Collyer had sprinted to atone and his game overall was one of discipline and endeavour. He made telling interceptions and his effort was appreciated by United fans, who gave him a standing ovation when he was replaced by Manuel Ugarte with 17 minutes left.

Bayindir enhanced his reputation with a composed performance. He did not have too much to do but got down well to Igamane’s shot that deflected off Martinez and then clawed away a corner under pressure from Rangers players, with the Scottish side trying to replicate the goal Tottenham scored past Bayindir in the Carabao Cup.

Bayindir moved past that error through his display in the FA Cup win at Arsenal, but getting a start in the Europa League was a first and perhaps shows that Onana, who made mistakes against Brighton, has a fight for the No 1 spot.

Laurie Whitwell

How big a performance was this from depleted Rangers?

Dessers is the most divisive player in Rangers’ recent history. He is often the lightning rod for criticism, but he produced a moment of skill that had the away corner believing they had snatched a memorable draw.

He plucked the long diagonal from James Tavernier out of the sky, cushioning it with his first touch while on the spin, and fired a shot into the far bottom corner. It sent the away end into raptures, but it was short-lived as Jefte switched off at the back post a minute later to throw away a crucial point.

For this Rangers team to even be competing into stoppage time was an achievement in itself. By the time Dessers scored, it was closer to a B team than a first team. They were already missing Dujon Sterling, John Souttar, Mo Diomande, Oscar Cortes and Ianis Hagi, but at half-time, they also lost Leon Balogun and Connor Barron to injury.

It saw 18-year-old Bailey Rice come on in midfield and fellow academy player McCausland introduced on the wing, with Tavernier and Ridvan Yilmaz both shifted into unfamiliar positions in the back four.

Clement was brave and brought on academy players Findlay Curtis, Zak Lovelace and Leon King as Rangers tried to press United. It almost worked and was another performance in Europe to build on. The issue for this team, similar to United, is that they can perform heroically as underdogs, but they struggle domestically when they are the dominant side.

Jordan Campbell

What next for Manchester United?

Sunday, January 26: Fulham (A), Premier League, 7pm UK, 2pm ET

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(Top photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)