Manchester United won the 2016-17 Europa League title this evening courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Ajax at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.
Just two days after a terrorist attack in the city had killed 22 people, United claimed the only major trophy which has previously eluded them courtesy of goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The victory also means that United qualify for next season's Champions League, earning a direct route into the group stages.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
6.15pmGood evening ladies and gentlemen! The domestic season is over and it is that time of year when the trophies start getting doled out, with tonight pitting two European giants against each other in the Europa League final. It is Ajax versus Manchester United at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, with the Europa League trophy and - perhaps just as valuable - Champions League group stage qualification at stake. However, it is also a match put into perspective by the tragic events in Manchester just a couple of days ago, when 22 people were killed when leaving a music concert, and tributes will be paid to those before kickoff tonight. We are expecting team news to filter through in about half an hour, so let's waste no time in starting our bumper 90-minute build-up with a look at Ajax...
6.17pmAjax come into this match as underdogs to lift the trophy, but there are plenty of reasons for the club's fans to be optimistic - both tonight and looking further ahead in the future. The defining feature of this Ajax side is their youthfulness, and they are expected to name only one played above the age of 25 tonight, so if they can keep the squad together for a couple more years at least then there is no telling how far this group of players could go.
6.19pmAs exciting as this occasion will be for the fans, a return to the Champions League will be first on their list of things to achieve, and victory tonight would get them straight into the competition proper. Ajax are already guaranteed to start to the Champions League qualifying rounds at least this season courtesy of their second-place finish in the Eredivisie this term, but they failed to make it through those rounds this season and would ideally look to avoid that route this term. Victory tonight is the only way for them to do that now.
6.21pmShould they lift the trophy in Stockholm this evening then it would make for a good, successful season for Ajax, even if they fell just short on the domestic front. As I have already mentioned, their youthful squad means that all-conquering success cannot be expected just yet, but even with a squad so young Ajax finished just one point off the pace in the Eredivisie this season. Indeed, they took the title race down to the final day of the season, but despite a 3-1 win over Willem II they were unable to leapfrog Feyenoord, who lifted the trophy courtesy of Dirk Kuyt's final-day hat-trick.
6.23pmIt was Feyenoord's first title since 1999 and extended Ajax's wait for a league crown to three seasons - a substantial drought by the standards of the 33-time champions of Netherlands. They had won four titles on the bounce before that, but since then PSV have won it twice and Feyenoord this season, leaving Ajax on their longest title drought since 2003-04 to 2009-10. That said, their 81-point tally this season would have been enough to win the title in seven of the past 10 campaigns, so it was not exactly a poor performance from the Amsterdam outfit throughout the campaign.
6.25pmThe concern for Ajax heading into tonight's match may be that they didn't end the season in the best form. A 1-0 defeat to PSV effectively cost them the Eredivisie title towards the closing stages of the campaign, while they have also been beaten by Lyon and Schalke in their last six matches. Indeed, they have lost as many games in their last six outings as they had in their previous 42, and as many in the past five weeks as in the previous seven months.
6.27pmIt may have cost them on the domestic front, but they are still going strong in Europe despite also losing three of their last six outings in this competitions specifically. It is not often that a team cane make it all the way to the final of a knockout competition with only four wins in the space of nine games, but Ajax have done just about enough to reach Stockholm - thanks mainly to victories in the first legs of their last two knockout ties.
6.29pmAjax looked to be dead certs for this final after beating Lyon 4-1 in the first leg of their semi-final, with a brace from Traore coupled with goals from Dolberg and Younes putting them in complete control of that tie at the halfway stage. Valbuena's reply for Lyon gave them a glimmer of hope, but that looked to have been expelled when Dolberg opened the scoring in the away second leg. However, a Lacazette brace on the stroke of half time dragged Lyon back into it before Ghezzal set up a nervy finale with an 81st-minute strike, leaving Ajax to hang on for a 5-4 aggregate triumph by the skin of their teeth.
6.31pmThat has been something of a theme throughout Ajax's Europa League campaign since the turn of the yet, with the Dutch outfit having scraped through each tie by a one-goal aggregate advantage. They beat Legia Warsaw 1-0 over two legs in the round of 32 before battling to a 3-2 win over Copenhagen in the last 16. Schalke came closest to ending their run in the quarter-finals, overcoming a first-leg deficit to force extra time, but once again Ajax eventually prevailed with a 4-3 triumph over the two legs.
6.33pmAjax began their European campaign way back in July when they took part in the Champions League third qualifying round, beating PAOK 3-2 on aggregate before losing 6-2 to Rostov to condemn them to Europa League football. Ajax went on to win Group G comfortably though, passing through the group stages as one of only four unbeaten teams and finishing five points clear of second-placed Celta Vigo, who Manchester United came up against in the semi-finals. For what it's worth, Ajax drew 2-2 and won 3-2 in their two group games against Celta.
6.35pmThis, then, will be Ajax's 19th European outing for the season, which makes up a large chunk of their total tally for the campaign. Mourinho has made a lot about his side's hectic fixture schedule, but Ajax with a younger and thinner squad have also had to contend with 56 games this season - the most in the club's history. They have had a 10-day rest since ending the Eredivisie season with a 3-1 win over Willem II, though - a match which manager Peter Bosz named the youngest team in the division's history for.
6.37pmAjax boasted the best defensive record in the Eredivisie this season, but they have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven games and their main strength comes in attacking areas, with this current crop of players more from the Johan Cruyff school of football than the Louis van Gaal mould. In this competition alone they have had the most shots (225) and shots on target (95), while they have outscored tonight's opponents throughout the tournament too, albeit by just one goal.
6.39pmThe mere mention of Johan Cruyff will evoke memories of Ajax's glory days for many supporters when they were the undisputed kings of Europe, but those days have long since gone and tonight represents their first taste of a European final since they were beaten on penalties by Juventus in the 1996 Champions League showpiece. They still have a magnificent pedigree in Europe, though, having won the European Cup/Champions League more times than Manchester United during their illustrious history.
6.41pmAjax have won this competition more times than United too, being one of only four teams to have completed the hat-trick of major European trophies - the UEFA Cup/Europa League, the European Cup/Champions and the Cup Winners' Cup. They won the UEFA Cup back in 1991-92, and that is particularly noteworthy tonight because Danny Blind - the father of current United player Daley Blind, captained the side to that success. Edwin van der Sar was also on the bench in that game while Louis van Gaal for the Ajax manager of a team which also included the likes of Frank de Boer and Dennis Bergkamp.
6.43pmMost Ajax memories tonight will be on the 1995 Champions League final, though, which occurred 22 years ago to this very day. Once again Blind was captain and Van Gaal was in charge, with the likes of Van der Sar and Marc Overmars - both of whom now work behind the scenes at Ajax - on the pitch that day too. Patrick Kluivert became the youngest ever scorer of a Champions League-winning goal on that night against AC Milan, and his son Justin Kluivert could follow in his father's footsteps tonight.
6.45pmAjax have lifted the trophy in six of their last eight major European finals, and if they do so again tonight then they would create their own unique slice of history as the first team to have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League and European Cup/Champions League in both of their guises, in addition to the Cup Winners' Cup. They are the first Dutch club to reach the final of this competition since Feyenoord in 2002 and it is the club's 15th European final overall, 10 of which they have gone on to win.
6.47pmTEAM NEWS! The teams are out, and there are some notable inclusions for both sides!
AJAX STARTING XI: Onana; Veltman, Sanchez, De Ligt, Riedewald; Schone, Klaassen, Ziyech; Traore, Dolberg, Younes
Subs: Boer, Tete, Westermann, De Jong, Van de Beek, Kluivert, Neres
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Darmian; Herrera, Fellaini, Pogba; Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford
Subs: De Gea, Jones, Rooney, Martial, Lingard, Carrick, Fosu-Mensah
6.49pmWhat can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there are no real surprises as far as Ajax are concerned, with manager Peter Bosz making just one enforced change from the second leg of the semi-final. Viergever picked up a red card in that match and is suspended for this game as a result, which means that Riedewald continues at left-back having also started in the win over Willem II 10 days ago. Otherwise, it is all as expected from the Dutch outfit.
6.51pmThe main Ajax threat is likely to come from Kasper Dolberg, who has established himself as one of the hottest young properties in Europe with a brilliant breakout campaign. The 19-year-old has scored 16 league goals this term and 23 overall in all competitions including six in the Europa League, making him already the joint-highest scoring teenager in Europa League history. He is already being watched by some of Europe's biggest clubs, and a good performance on the biggest stage of his career so far will only increase the interest in him.
6.53pmUnited can not afford to focus solely on Dolberg, though, as there are plenty of attacking threats scattered throughout this Ajax team. Hakim Ziyech, for example, has recorded four assists in his last three Europa League appearances for the club, while Chelsea loanee Bertrand Traore - who was handed his Chelsea debut by Mourinho, incidentally - has hit a tournament-high 16 shots on target and directly contributed to eight goals in this season's competition.
6.55pmAmin Younes is a tricky customer too, recording more dribbles in the Europa League this season than the next two best players combined - Pogba (37) and Traore (31). Elsewhere, the tireless Davy Klaassen captains the side in midfield, while it is a momentous day for 17-year-old De Ligt, who becomes the youngest ever player to play in a major European final. Needless to say, he would also become the youngest winner if Ajax come out on top too.
6.57pmAt the other end of the age spectrum, Michael Carrick has the chance to overtake Frank Lampard as the oldest Europa League winner of all time tonight, although if he is to feature it will have to be off the bench. Mourinho has recalled the majority of his big names following his youthful side named against Crystal Palace, but it is a team very similar to the one he fielded in the second leg of the semi-final against Celta Vigo, with just two changes.
6.59pmOne of those changes is enforced as Eric Bailly is ruled out due to suspension following his red card in the latter stages of that semi-final, with Chris Smalling taking his place despite concerns over a toe injury. Juan Mata also comes back into the side, meanwhile, taking the place of Lingard as he drops to the bench. There was an injury doubt over Marouane Fellaini in the build-up to this one, but the Belgian has sufficiently overcome a hamstring injury to feature.
7.01pmThe inclusion of Sergio Romero in goal is notable ahead of David de Gea, although Mourinho had always planned to do that having kept Romero as his goalkeeper for the duration of this competition. In front of the keeper is a back four of Valencia, Smalling, Blind and Darmian, and it will be a particularly special occasion for Blind. Not only did his father captain Ajax to great success in Europe in the 1990s, but he himself used to play for the club. Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who is on the bench for United tonight, is another former Ajax player.
7.03pmZlatan Ibrahimovic deserves a mention despite his injury as he is another United man with Ajax roots, and this stadium in particular is special to him as he scored four goals against England in the very first game at the Friends Arena. The Swede would have loved to have played in front of his home crowd tonight, but a knee injury prevents him from playing in a stadium outside of which he will have a statue of himself built. He is in attendance, but United would love him to be out on the field rather than in the stands.
7.05pmRashford leads the line in Ibrahimovic's continued absence, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan will also help the shoulder the goalscoring burden having matched the Swede's five-goal haul in this competition this season. Paul Pogba is the star name in the United lineup without Ibrahimovic with the world's most expensive footballer having featured in every game in this season's competition - one of only two players alongside Ajax's Younes to say that. Pogba has also attempted the most passes (953) and completed the most (840) in this season's competition.
7.07pmIt will be interesting to see how fresh that United side is given Mourinho's repeated ramblings regarding the team's busy fixture schedule. United have certainly been in action a lot this term - this will be their 64th match of the season and their seventh in May alone having also played nine times in April. However, in terms of most minutes played throughout the season Ajax actually have more players in the top 10 between these two squads, with Klaassen topping the pile ahead of Pogba.
7.09pmOf course, Ajax have also had more time to rest ahead of this final, with Manchester United in action as recently as Sunday - albeit with a second-string side that was the club's youngest in their Premier League history. They still managed to pull off a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace to end the domestic campaign on a high note, but if anything it was a match that the club would not have wanted having prioritised the Europa League ever since their defeat at the hands of Arsenal a few weeks ago.
7.11pmThat loss at the Emirates effectively ended United's hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League this season, leaving the Europa League as their most realistic passage into the Champions League next term. It is easy to see why Mourinho put all his eggs in this basket, then, but defeat tonight would make for a hugely disappointing campaign. They may have lifted the EFL Cup earlier in the campaign, but it is no exaggeration to say that the success of United's season rests solely on what happens this evening.
7.13pmTaken in isolation, their sixth-place finish in the Premier League is unacceptable for a club of their calibre, particularly after they spent so much money on players and the manager last summer. Mourinho said in the build-up to the season that he expected to be challenging for the Premier League title, but United ended up a full 24 points off champions Chelsea and seven away from even breaking into the top four. Securing the trophy tonight would temper that disappointment a little, but Champions League football or not there will need to be a significant improvement next term.
7.15pmLike Ajax, Manchester United suffered a bit of a slump in form over the closing weeks of the season, winning just one of their last five games across all competitions - and that with the much-changed side against a Crystal Palace team with nothing to play for. United had been on a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions before their loss to Arsenal at the Emirates but, including their defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane a few weeks later too, they have now lost as many games in their last five outings as they had in their previous 41 - or in the last two-and-a-half weeks as in their previous six months.
7.17pmAjax's similar record makes that United form look a little less damning, and the Red Devils did at least keep back-to-back clean sheets to see out the domestic season - another tonight would see them keep three on the bounce for the first time since February. United have generally been good at the back in this competition too, conceding just four goals and keeping six clean sheet in their last 10 Europa League matches.
7.19pmIndeed, on Schalke 04 (3) conceded fewer goals in the entire group stages than United (4), despite the Red Devils only managing a second-place finish in Group A. Mourinho's side ended up one point behind Fenerbahce in a group-stage campaign which saw them lose twice - one of which came at the hands of Dutch opposition in the shape of Feyenoord. United did win the home match against them 4-0, though, and ultimately finished five points above the team which pipped Ajax to the Eredivisie title this season.
7.21pmUnited come into tonight's match unbeaten in their last 10 Europa League outings, a run which stretches back to their defeat to Fenerbahce on November 3. That includes five games away from Old Trafford without defeat, which is a significant improvement on their previous five Europa League away games, all of which they lost. Tonight's match is, of course, on neutral soil, but United at least have a better record away from Old Trafford in this competition than Ajax do away from the Amsterdam ArenA.
7.23pmUnited began the knockout stages very confidently with a 4-0 aggregate victory over Saint-Etienne in the last 32, but they have advanced in similar fashion to Ajax since then, scraping through on each occasion. It is fair to say that Jose Mourinho's side have not exactly struck fear into the continent with some of their performances along the way, beating Rostov 2-1 before needing extra time to get past Anderlecht 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
7.25pmThat result left them up against Celta Vigo in the semi-finals, and United gave themselves a good advantage in the tie when Marcus Rashford's free kick earned them a 1-0 victory in the away first leg. Marouane Fellaini then strengthened their position by opening the scoring at Old Trafford a week later before Roncaglia created a nervy ending with an 85th-minute equaliser on the night, though. There were two late red cards as well, but United managed to hang on and book their place in tonight's showpiece.
7.27pmThis is the first time that United have ever made it to the final of the UEFA Cup or Europa League, and victory would see them join that select group of Ajax, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich to have won each of the three major European competitions. Of course, United would much rather be back in the Champions League and challenging for the main European prize, but it would be a another honour to add to their list if they can join that elite group of clubs.
7.29pmUnited and Mourinho both have a history of winning regular silverware, but the trophy tonight may be secondary for them. Arguably the main prize on offer tonight is the promise of Champions League group stage football next season, with victory for United seeing them join Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City in those group stages. Liverpool must come through the qualifiers, of course, but it would be a welcome relief for England to have five teams back at the top table of European football given their struggles on the continent in recent years. Failure to win tonight, incidentally, will cost United £50m in missed revenue, so there is more than just prestige on the line.
7.31pmUnited are appearing in their 12th UEFA final overall tonight, but they have lost their last three - the 2008 Super Cup and the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals. Indeed, you have to go all the way back to their treble success in 1999 for the last time they won a European final in normal time, although even normal time may be a stretch for that remarkable night in Barcelona when two stoppage-time goals earned them a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the most dramatic fashion.
7.33pmAs a club United have lifted the trophy in four of their six major European finals, but the two exceptions have been their last two, both at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League. In Jose Mourinho they have a manager used to winning these types of games, although his tactics in big matches this season have drawn plenty of criticism. Even so, he has beaten Ajax on all six previous occasions he has faced them, all of which came in the Champions League during his time at Real Madrid, while his last appearance in this competition saw him lift the trophy with Porto in 2003. Victory tonight would see him become only the second manager to win the trophy as both the UEFA Cup and the Europa League, after his great rival Rafael Benitez.
7.35pmPREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is expected to be a clash of styles - Ajax's youthful exuberance against United's pragmatism. A lot rests on how the Ajax youngsters deal with the occasion, but United have the greater experience of these big games and that could prove to be telling tonight. I am going for a 2-1 win for Mourinho's side.
7.37pmThese two sides have met four times in European competition before, and while the record is split at two wins apiece, it is Manchester United who have progressed from both ties. The first of those came in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup first round when United overcame a 1-0 first-leg defeat to win 2-1 on aggregate, while they also met in the last 32 of the Europa League five years ago, when United won 3-2 on aggregate.
7.39pmUnited have lost two of their last three UEFA Cup/Europa League matches against Dutch opposition, but the solitary win in that time came in that 2011-12 tie with Ajax. Similarly, Ajax's only win in their last four meetings with England opposition in that tie also came against Manchester United in that tie. This will be the third meeting between an English and a Dutch side in a major European final, with one win apiece so far - Spurs losing to Feyenoord in the 1974 UEFA Cup final and Ipswich beating AZ in the same competition seven years later.
7.41pmUnited's only previous match in UEFA competition on Swedish soil saw them lost 3-1 to IFK Goteborg in a Champions League group game in 1995, but they did play on this site in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - the precursor to the UEFA Cup which was not recognised by UEFA. On that occasion they drew 1-1 with Djurgardens at a ground which has since been demolished to make way for this Friends Arena.
7.43pmIt's nearly time for kickoff in Stockholm, but before all the pre-match niceties and, more importantly, the minute's silence of the victims of the Manchester terror attack, allow me to first point you in the direction of our Sports Mole Reader Awards. You have until midnight tonight to vote for your player of the season, goal of the season and much more!
7.45pmHere is the minute of silence in memory of that horrific terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this week.
7.47pmUnfortunately it was not respected by one or two individuals, but the crowd then breaks out into applause instead of the silence to drown out the moronic lone voices.
1 minKICKOFF: Marcus Rashford gets us underway at the Friends Arena!
1 minSHOT! Nervy moments for Ajax early on as Onana and Veltman collide following a ball from Mata into the box. Not exactly the settling start this young side would have wanted. Paul Pogba volleys wide moments later.
3 minUnited have started this match very much on the front foot, with Ajax struggling to get themselves settled into the game just yet. It is still very early days, but Mourinho will be the happier of the two managers right now.
5 minAjax seem to be trying to get the ball forward too quickly at the moment, playing passes to no-one without looking. They need to just calm down a little and get their foot on the ball for a longer period.
7 minHere is that minute's applause which broke out in memory of the victims of Monday's terrorist attack which killed 22 people.
9 minPogba plays the ball down the left flank for Rashford, who pulls of a nice piece of skill to create space for a cross. He whips it into the middle, but Ziyech is back there it make the clearance.
10 minAlmost the first chance of the contest as Mata collects the ball on the left side of the area and sends a teasing ball into the box. Fellaini attacks it, but he is just short of getting his head to it.
12 minBetter from Ajax as they play the ball about inside the United half with real purpose for the first time tonight. Younes creates room for a cross and swings the ball into the middle, but Pogba is back there to make the clearance.
14 minAjax have just begun to settle into this game now, knocking the ball about a bit more confidently and getting that dangerous front three involved a bit more. Nothing to report in terms of chances, but this is better from the Dutch side.
15 minSAVE! The best attacking moment of the night so far falls to Ajax as Younes darts past Herrera on the left flank before cutting the ball back inside for Traore. The angle is against the Chelsea loanee, though, and Romero makes a relatively routine save at his near post.
17 minThe last two Europa League finals have seen nine goals between them, but there hasn't been much to shout about so far tonight. Not the most entertaining opening to the game!
18 minGOAL! Ajax 0-1 Manchester United (Paul Pogba)
18 minFirst blood to Manchester United! Mourinho's side take the lead inside 20 minutes of this Europa League final to put them in the driving seat, but it comes via a big deflection off Sanchez. It is a dreadful throw-in from Riedewald which gifts the ball to United deep inside the Ajax half, and they work it across to Pogba on the edge of the box. He takes a touch before drilling a low left-footed effort which takes a huge deflection off Sanchez and flies past Onana.
20 minThat will be a huge blow for this young Ajax side, who had just begun to start looking at home in this match. To have fallen behind in such unfortunate circumstances will be a test of this, although it all stemmed from that poor throw-in.
22 minAjax have responded well to fallen behind, though, and they almost have a half-chance here as Schone whips a free kick into the middle. De Ligt attacks it, but he can't get enough on his header to steer it on target.
24 minSAVE! United threaten a second as Valencia finds space to run into down the right channel and powers a shot towards goal from a tight angle. Onana is covering his front post, though, and beats the ball away.
25 minBig deflection, but do you think anyone of a Manchester United persuasion cares? Not one bit...
27 minWell, it feels as though Manchester United have had the better of this opening half an hour or so, but Ajax have actually had 67% possession. The Dutch side just have not been able to make the most of it, with their forward players almost anonymous so far.
29 minUnited have been very solid when Ajax have had the ball, keeping their shape and marking the likes of Dolberg out of the game. They have a good degree of control over this one so far, helped of course by that deflected Pogba strike.
31 minYELLOW CARD! The first card of the final is shown to Henrikh Mkhitaryan who, not for the first time tonight, brought down his man.
32 minBrilliant defending from De Ligt as he stands up to a Rashford going at full speed and times his challenge perfectly. Rashford stays down just inside the area, but he should be fine to continue.
34 minNervous moments for Manchester United for the first time really tonight as they can't clear their lines from inside the area. Eventually the ball flashes across the face of goal, but Dolberg cannot get a touch.
36 minLess than 10 minutes to go until half time now and so far it has been just what United would have wanted. They look in control and have the lead, and the next step will be trying to get that two-goal cushion.
37 minTraore suddenly sparks into life for Ajax with a fine run that sees hims skip past three or four blue United shirts before finally being halted inside the penalty area.
39 minPogba and Herrera are controlling the midfield area in this match at the moment, and Ajax aren't posing enough threat in behind either. It is all too easy for United at the moment.
41 minGood quick feet from Herrera again to get out of a sticky situation, and the ball is quickly played upfield. Sanchez first tries to chest the ball back to the keeper but messes that up, and then he is very nearly caught in possession by Rashford. He got away with one there.
43 minAjax ust have not had the cutting edge in the first half. They have seen the majority of the ball but, with the exception of one save to deny Traore, Romero has had precious little to do in the Ajax goal.
45 minTraore almost steals in behind the defence after a one-two on the edge of the area, but Darmian gets back there and eventually wins a free kick off Traore when shepherding the ball out.
45+1 minThere will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Ajax 0-1 Manchester United
8.38pmThe first half comes to an end at the Friends Arena, then, but before we go any further allow me to again point you in the direction of Sports Mole's Reader Awards. Voting closes at midnight, so be sure to have your say!
8.40pmUnited have the lead at the halfway stage of this Europa League final and, while they have given up the majority of possession to Ajax so far tonight, they are worthy of their lead. Ajax have failed to turned that possession into chances, and it is United who have looked most in control of the contest despite seeing relatively little of the ball.
8.42pmPaul Pogba's goal is all that separates the two teams as things stand, and it came via a huge deflection too. It was a problem of Ajax's own making, however, as a poor throw-in gifted United possession deep inside the Ajax half. Herrera then gave the ball back to Fellaini, who played it square to Pogba. The Frenchman's effort may have been heading wide, but it took a major deflection off Sanchez on the way through which took it past the keeper.
8.44pmThere has been little else to shout about in an attacking sense in that first half, with Pogba firing a volley wide in the opening minute and Valencia stinging the palms of Onana from a tight angle too. Ajax's only sight of goal saw Traore fire an effort at Romero from a tight angle, but aside from that they have been disappointing going forward tonight.
46 minKICKOFF: Ajax get us back underway for the second half in Stockholm - can the youngsters get themselves back into this one?
47 minImportant interception from Sanchez as he clears the ball behind for a corner just when it looked as though he might be in a shooting position.
48 minGOAL! Ajax 0-2 Manchester United (Henrikh Mkhitaryan)
48 minMassive, massive goal for United! They have struggled to kill games off this season, but that is a big step towards doing exactly that in the biggest game of the campaign. The resulting corner is met by Smalling's downward header which, on its own, doesn't look like causing any problems, but Mkhitaryan is there to hook it in from close range. It is a long way back for Ajax now!
50 minRashford bursts for in search of what would surely be a killer third goal, but Sanchez tracks him all the way and makes a really good sliding challenge to steal the ball back.
52 minYELLOW CARD! Fellaini becomes the second name in the book tonight for a cynical trip on Schone.
53 minHere is that Mkhitaryan goal which has put United in complete control of this final...
55 minThe onus is completely on Ajax now and, in truth, they haven't shown anything to suggest that they are capable of getting back into this match. This is the biggest game of this young team's lives and unfortunately they haven't turned up yet.
57 minFinally a bit of extended pressure from Ajax, and they eventually win a corner from it following a mistake from Pogba. The delivery is towards De Lidt, but he can't make anything of it and United eventually clear their lines.
58 minYELLOW CARD! Veltman is the first Ajax player in the book tonight for a trip on Mata.
60 minMourinho has just sent a few United players out to warm up, including a certain Wayne Rooney who could well be involved in his last game as a Manchester United player tonight. Will he be handed a farewell cameo?
62 minAJAX SUB: Ajax make their first change of the night, and off comes the ineffective Dolberg for David Neres.
64 minYELLOW CARD! Another card is shown to Younes for a tug back on Valencia.
65 minCHANCE! Big chance for United to kill the game off once and for all as Rashford gives the ball to Pogba, who floats it into the middle. Predictably Fellaini is there, but he plants his header straight at the keeper when he probably should have done better.
66 minBetter build-up play from Ajax in and around the area, but it all comes to nothing when Ziyech floats a nothing shot well off target.
68 minAjax have just started to build the pressure on United in the last few minutes, and a goal for the Dutch side would change the picture immediately. United are still in control right now, but if this young Ajax side can get the wind in their sails sooner rather than later then he could see a different final 20 minutes.
70 minAJAX SUB: Another change from Ajax sees Schone replaced by Donny van de Beek. That sees the average age of their lineup drop even lower.
70 minMeanwhile, Ajax have a free kick for a handball against Mkhitaryan right on the edge of the box. It is a harsh one on the United man, but Ajax know that they can ill-afford to waste this shooting chance.
72 minAfter a long, long build up to the free kick, Ziyech fires his effort straight into the wall. What an anticlimax that was.
74 minMAN UTD SUB: United make their first change of the evening as Jesse Lingard replaces Mkhitaryan.
75 minLingard almost has an immediate impact as he plays a part in a flow team move forward that almost sees Pogba break into the box, but Sanchez is just too strong from the midfielder and shoves him off the ball.
77 minIt's all kicking off here! Mata goes in late on De Ligt and the Ajax players are not happy about it. Herrera and Riedewald are both involved too before the referee calms things down.
78 minYELLOW CARDS! After all that, Mata and Riedewald go into the book.
80 minJust 10 minutes remaining in this Europa League final and it would take a major turnaround for Ajax to drag themselves back into the game. They have simply failed to perform tonight, which was always going to be a risk considering their inexperience.
82 minAJAX SUB: A third and final change from Ajax as Frenkie de Jong comes on in place of Riedewald.
83 minSHOT! De Ligt had a shot which flew off target a moment ago, and now his centre-back partner Sanchez tries his luck from range too. The outcome is the same, though, with the ball flying over the crossbar.
84 minMAN UTD SUB: United make their second change of the evening as Anthony Martial replaces Rashford.
86 minTime is really running out for Ajax now - they need a goal in the next minute or two if they are to stand any chance of forcing extra time.
87 minCHANCE! Chance for United to put this one to bed once and for all as Lingard streaks clear of the defence with only the keeper to beat, but Sanchez shows brilliant pace to chase him down and make a crucial challenge.
87 minSAVE! Ajax attack at the other end moments later as Van de Beek cuts inside Smalling before drawing a routine save from Romero.
89 minMAN UTD SUB: Is this the final time we will see Wayne Rooney in a United shirt? He comes on in the dying stages to replace Mata.
90+1 minThere will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.
90+4 minFULL TIME: Ajax 0-2 Manchester United
90+4 minMANCHESTER UNITED WIN THE 2016-17 EUROPA LEAGUE!
9.41pmThe United players are delirious as they celebrate the 2016-17 Europa League crown - the one major European trophy which had been missing from their collection. They will be in the Champions League group stages next season!
9.43pmJose Mourinho's name rings around the Friends Arena as he celebrates his second major trophy in his first season at the club, which goes a long way to make up for their disappointing showing on the domestic front. Goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan proved to be too much for Ajax as United ran out 2-0 winners, completing the full house of European trophies in the process.
9.45pmRight, the United name is being carved onto the trophy and the celebrations are ongoing, but that is all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's final as Manchester United seal Champions League qualification and win the Europa League trophy at the expense of Ajax. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. Allow me also to point you in the direction one last time of our Reader Awards, voting for which closes at midnight! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!