An excellent free kick from Marcus Rashford proved crucial as Manchester United secured a 1-0 away at Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Europa League semi final.

The result gives United the advantage of an away goal heading into the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday, May 11th.

After a scoreless first half, Rashford stepped up on 67 minutes to curl a free kick across the Celta Vigo goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give United a lead they would ultimately protect.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford (right) scores his side's first goal. Nick Potts/EMPICS Sport

In the other semi final, Ajax defeated Lyon 4-1 in the first leg on Wednesday night in Amsterdam to give themselves a great chance of getting within 90 minutes of a first major European trophy since the 1995 UEFA Champions League.

The Europa League final is scheduled for May 24th in the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden.