Manager Ruben Amorim equalled a club record by guiding Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.
Matej Vydra gave the home side the lead before Rasmus Højlund scored a brace to help United grab the maximum points.
As revealed by OptaJoe, Amorim has now become the third manager in the club’s history to win his first two matches in a major European competition.
Sir Alex Ferguson and the late Sir Matt Busby were the only managers to have done so.
Amorim recorded his first victory in the 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt. It was also his first victory as United’s manager. He drew his first game against Ipswich Town.
United have moved to seventh position in the Europa League table. They now occupy one of the automatic qualification spots for the round of 16.
They face Rangers FC in their next fixture in the competition. The match will take place at Old Trafford on January 23.
United are in a good position ahead of the Manchester derby
Man United will be heading into Sunday’s clash with Manchester City high on confidence.
The victory over Viktoria Plzen and how it was obtained would have increased the squad’s level of confidence.
The Red Devils had lost their last two games before the clash with the Czech side. A loss against them would have affected preparation for the Manchester derby.
United’s hope of finishing in the top four is slipping away due to recent results. They cannot afford to lose to the Citizens.
By contrast, Man City are low on confidence due to their recent results. They lost their last game in the UEFA Champions League and have one win in their last 10 fixtures across all competitions.
There could be no better time for the Red Devils to beat the Citizens.