Rostov 1-1 Manchester United - PLAYER RATINGS: Ander Herrera adapted best to dodgy pitch but Phil Jones struggled in Europa League tie
* Manchester United secured 1-1 Europa League draw at Russian side Rostov
* Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring for Red Devils at the Olimp-2 Stadium
* But despite Rostov equaliser, United have the away goal ahead of second leg
* Ander Herrera starred for Jose Mourinho's men in the last-16 tie
Manchester United's pursuit of winning a cup treble was given a boost when they dug in to secure a 1-1 Europa League draw in Rostov.
The Red Devils grabbed an away goal through Henrikh Mkhitaryan leaving the Red Devils hot favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.
Here Sportsmail assesses how Jose Mourinho's men fared on the much derided Olimp-2 Stadium pitch.
MANCHESTER UNITED (3-5-2):
Sergio Romero 7
Not too much to do for the Argentine who certainly could not be blamed for Rostov's equaliser. Was confident and comfortable with shots struck at him from range and that was about as testing as it got for the 30-year-old.
Phil Jones 5
Far from a disastrous performance for the defender but his lapse in concentration allowed Aleksandr Bukharov to net Rostov's equaliser, and he struggled with the forward until his surprise departure.
Direct pass to Marouane Fellaini did lead to United's goal though.
Chris Smalling 6.5
Had very little to do from a defensive standpoint in the first 45 minutes, but otherwise didn't look out of place in United's previously untried back three.
Should have been awarded a first half penalty after being wrestled to the ground while attacking a corner.
Featuring in the centre of a back three, Chris Smalling adapted well for United
Marcos Rojo 7
Much like Smalling, Rojo had little to do but was often alert to cut across and make a vital challenge when Rostov broke through.
Covered the left side of the back three well although he suffered from the poor pitch with a passing accuracy of just over 54 per cent.
Ashley Young 6.5
Saw slightly more of the ball in defensive areas compared to Blind, but otherwise Young had a similar evening to his wing-back colleague.
Had a half-chance at the start of the second half to double United's lead, but shot with the outside of his boot failed to hit the target.
Marouane Fellaini 6.5
Justified his inclusion by brilliantly taking a Phil Jones pass to feed Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the way to United's goal. Aerial presence ensured the Red Devils were never bullied out of a game dominated by direct play.
Ander Herrera 8 (Carrick 90+2)
Kept United's midfield ticking and prevented Rostov from kicking on after the Russian side's surprise equaliser.
United's overall pass completion struggled throughout the side but the Spaniard did well to complete 64 per cent of his 50 passes.
Keeping the midfield ticking Ander Herrera was the Red Devils' star player over in Russia
Paul Pogba 6.5
Not an easy game for the midfielder to make his mark, but the France international was strong on the ball and had the highest pass completion rate form any of the United midfielders. Constantly fouled but kept his discipline.
Daley Blind 6.5 (Valencia 90+2)
Operated as a wing-back and attacked well to provide the width needed to try and open up Rostov. However the Dutchman was suspect with his final ball with none of his three crosses finding a team-mate from open play.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 7 (Martial 68, 6)
Struck the away goal that gives United breathing space heading back to Old Trafford. Doesn't look fully up to speed yet following return from injury and after a quiet second half was withdrawn.
Mkhitaryan taps home to fire United into the lead at the Olimp-2 Stadium
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 7
Shooting was all over the place, with the ball's unpredictable bounce giving the in-from Swede plenty of problems in regards to hitting the target (he didn't find it once.)
Clever play set up Mkhitaryan's away goal and better nights will surely come for Zlatan.
SUBS: Anthony Martial's pace prevented Rostov from over committing while
Antonio Valencia and
Michael Carrick were only on for a matter of seconds.
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