Daniel Taylor’s match report from Old Trafford:

Post-match musings: United dominated but struggled to turn their superiority into goals until Maroune Fellaini popped up with virtually the last action of the game to give them a two-goal cushion for next week’s trip to Brugge. Memphis was undisputed man of the match, chipping in with two fine goals and an assist as he wreaked havoc throughout the game.

“So next week will we see Rooney and Memphis as Ray and Ken, the two hitmen wandering around aimlessly In Bruges, discussing purgatory?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “(‘Purgatory’s kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren’t really shit, but you weren’t all that great either. Like Tottenham.’) And Van Gaal in the role of Harry, their violent boss with unbending principles, angry at them for never carrying out his orders to the letter? It could get ugly!”

90+2 min: United win a free-kick on the right touchline. The big men lumber forward and the ball’s played into the penalty area. Bastian Schweinsteiger heads it across the face of goal and Chris Smalling heads straight at Bruzzese from point-blank range.

89 min: If Brugge can hold on here, they’ll be delighted with themselves, going back to Belgium with an away goal in the bank and just a one-goal deficit to try to overcome. Ruud Vormer picks up a booking for a foul on Luke Shaw.

87 min: Fellaini’s probably the last man you want to see coming on for the last few minutes after you’re a defender who’s spent the previous 80 being softened up and knackered out by Wayne Rooney, Memphis and Juan Mata. He leaps to get on the end of a Luke Shaw cross, but heads weakly wide.

85 min: United continue to turn the screw. Taking the ball down with his chest and on to the arm of Laurens De Bock in the Brugge penalty area. It looked like there wasn’t a great deal the left-back could do to avoid the ball striking his arm, but it’s irrelevant as the free-kick goes the other way.

83 min: Rooney and Memphis combine well in the Brugge penalty area, but Cools intervenes to clear. Manchester United substitution: Rooney off, Marouane Fellaini on. Rooney hands the captain’s armband to Chris Smalling.

82 min: The substitute Claudemir comes forward for the free-kick and gets his head to the ball at the far post. Over the bar.

81 min: Another card - this time it’s a yellow for Chris Smalling, who concedes a free-kick for a foul on Obbi Oulare about 40 yards from his own goal, right of centre.

78 min: Memphis takes the corner, raqising both hands in what appears to be a signal of his intention to send the ball out of play. Goal kick for Brugge.

77 min: Hernandez wins a corner for United when his attempted cross is blocked and put behind. Mata plays it short and United win another corner. Before it can be taken, there’s a Brugge substitution: Victor Vazquez makes way for Hans Vanaken.

76 min: The ball breaks kindly for Schweinsteiger on the edge of the Brugge penalty area and he unleashes a ferocious drive. Duarte blocks bravely and brilliantly. That’s got to hurt.

74 min: Brugge are hanging in there by the skin of their teeth and would surely settle for a 2-1 defeat to take to the second leg. They’re being outclassed and Memphis is running amok, getting Brugge right-back Dion Cools all hot and bothered.

72 min: Brugge centre-half Brandon Mechele takes one for the team, picking up a booking for a foul on Wayne Rooney about 35 yards from goal as the striker motored goalwards. Memphis takes the free-kick, but his swerving shot goes wide.

70 min: Not much to report in the way of on-field action, but off the pitch Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez is about to come on for Adnan Januzaj. Goddammit, if a man wants to call himself Little Pea, I say Little Pea.

68 min: “Re: Memphis deciding to go by his first name only,” writes David Wall. “The answer is to be found in the 1980s films of Eddie Murphy, as is so often the case (what can’t be learnt from Trading Places?). Like Saul, the old white man (played by Murphy, of course) in the barbershop in Coming to America remarks: ‘Goddammit. If a man wants to call himself Muhammed Ali, I say Muhammed Ali’.”

66 min: Manchester United win a corner. Juan Mata’s inswinger gets flicked on by Memphis and the ball bounces in front of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who isn’t quite quick enough to react before it’s cleared.

64 min: Memphis blasts over from about 12 yards out after being picked out in the Brugge penalty area by a wonderful Rooney flick. He should have kept that down.

63 min: There’s a pause in play as Romero gets treatment. I’m not quite sure what prompted his hesitation there, as he had oodles of time to hack a perfectly weighted backpass clear.

61 min: Woeful defending from Manchester United, as Romero stands waiting to pick up a back-pass as Victor Vazquez bearing down on him. Vazquez blocks the clearance and gets the ball into the net, only to be penalised for fouling the keeper.

59 min: United are in control of the game now, having had 11 attempts on goal to Brugge’s one.

58 min: Rooney shoots wide from distance after being teed up by Juan Mata.

57 min: Wayne Rooney wins a throw-in deep in Brugge territory. United take it, ping the ball backwards and pass it from side to side as they search for an opening.

56 min: Brugge substitution: Abdoulay Diaby off, 19-year-old Obbi Oulare on. A big man on for a little man.

55 min: Gadding through the centre, Rooney picks out Memphis on the left and the Dutchman advances before pulling the ball back to the edge of the area. Brugge clear.

51 min: Another long range effort from Memphis, whose low drive is clawed around the upright for a corner by Sebastien Bruzzese. Nothing comes of Juan Mata’s inswinger and Brugge clear.

50 min: Difficult to type Tuur Dierckx drills a cross from the right flank towards the near post, but Manchester United clear.

49 min: United right-back Matteo Darmian gets booked for obstructing Diaby.

47 min: Memphis goes close, picking up the ball on the left side of the Brugge penalty are, cutting inside on to his right foot and unleashing a curling effort that fizzes a yard or two wide of the far upright. Wayne Rooney had made a run towards the far post in anticipation of a cross, but wasn’t in a position to divert the shot on target.

46 min: Juan Mata brings a save out of Bruzzese with a low drive that’s hit straight at the Brugge goalkeeper.

45 min: Wayne Rooney skips down the left flank, almost drawing a foul from Duarte before reaching the byline and cutting the ball back for Schneiderlin at the near post. The Frenchman bundles the ball wide under pressure, but replays show that Rooney had actually run the ball out of play. Goal kick.

43 min: We could be seeing the birth of a new Old Trafford star tonight. Young Memphis made a clever run down the inside-left channel, picked up the pass with a wonderful first touch and cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable purler.

40 min: Brugges substitution: Timmy Simons goes off after 40 minutes of his 750th competitive match, to be replaced by Claudemir the Brazilian defensive midfielder. Interesting story about Timmy Simons: he sometimes treats himselfs to chips while out in restaurants with his wife, but insists that she stop the car a few miles from their house on the way home, so that he can run the rest of the way in order to sweat off the surplus ounces.

38 min: Brugge captain Timmy Simons goes down holding his hamstring, seconds after Memphis had a deflected shot saved by Bruzzese.

37 min: Memphis is put through on goal by Wayne Rooney and gallops down the inside left channel. With Bruzzese dashing off his line, the Dutchman elects not to chip the goalkeeper or, indeed, to take the ball around him, preferring instead to try to pick out Adnan Januzaj. Wrong decision.

33 min: Dierckx drills the ball low and hard across the United six-yard box, but Abdouly Diaby wasn’t on his wavelength and hadn’t put himself in a position to prod the ball home. That was a wonderful scoring opportunity.

32 min: Mechele plays the ball long into Manchester United territory for Vormer to chase, but the ball ends up being put out for a United throw-in once Luke Shaw intervenes.

30 min: Zanujaz gets a long ticking-off from German referee Aytekin, for what looked dissent.

29 min: Adnan Januzaj appeals for a penalty after going to ground in the Brugge box under a challenge from Duarte. He doesn’t get one, but Brugge do win a free after the Manchester United winclatters into goalkeeper Bruzzese.

27 min: Mata crosses and manages to tee up Rooney, who goes close with a bicycle kick, forcing Victor Vazquez to clear off the line. Corner for Manchester United and it’s one from the training ground ... that perhaps needs a little more work. Close again for Rooney, but no cigar.

26 min: Brugge right-back Dion Cools leaps to volley the inswinger goalwards, but his effort doesn’t trouble Sergio Romero unduly. The ball is cleared upfield, where Boli Bolingoli is booked for a foul on Adnan Januzaj, who was threatening to escape into space on the breakaway.

24 min: Vormer releases Tuuer Dieckx down the right flank. The winger dawdles over a cross that should have been hit first time, allowing Chris Smalling to get into position to make the block. Corner for Brugge, whose manager is not happy with Mr Dieckx.

22 min: Juan Mata curls a cross towards the far post from the edge of the penalty area, but Wayne Rooney is unable to get near it.

20 min: A long ball towards the edge of the Brugge penalty area is cleared by Brandon Mechelle. The frantic pace at which the game was played for the opening 15 minutes has slowed considerably. United are starting to boss their opponents.

18 min: Juan Mata bustles his way up the right touchline and wins a corner, which Memphis plays to the near post. Brugge clear, but not very convincingly - skipper Timmy Simons scuffs his effort and United have possession again, courtesy of a throw-in.

16 win: Manchester United win a throw-in, Wayne Rooney takes it and is penalised for a foul throw.

15 min: Now it’s Brugge’s turn to go forward in a splendidly entertaining game - they’re no shrinking violets and have come to attack. Dierckx attempts a shot, which is blocked.

11 min: Manchester United go on the attack. Januzaj crosses into the Brugge penalty area, but Ruud Vormer clears before Carrick concedes a free-kick with a foul on Tuur Dierckx.

8 min: That was a freakish own goal. A Mata foul meant Brugge won a free-kick some distance out in the inside-left challenge. Victor Vazquez attempted to chip the ball into the penalty area, the ball deflected off the one-man Januzaj-shaped wall and, standing just inside his own penalty area, Carrick stuck out a foot and diverted the ball inside the left upright.

5 min: Chris Smalling picks out Wayne Rooney with a pass out to the right touchline and the winger squares the ball. There’s nobody around in a Manchester United shirt to capitalise and Brugge goalkeeper Sebastien Bruzzese is quick off his line to gather the ball.

4 min: Memphis is brought down just outside the Brugge box and appeals for a free0kick, but none is forthcoming.

3 min: Rooney picks out Memphis Depay with a cross-field pass, but the midfielder is unable to get a shot away. Moments earlier, Brugge had a shout for a penalty turned down, before Romero was forced to lump the ball long after being put under pressure by a Michael Carrick backpass. Brugge are employing a high press which is putting pressure on United’s defence, but leaving openings for the home side further up the field.

Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch and have lined up for the pre-match niceties. United’s players wear their usual home kit of red shirts, white shorts and white socks. Brugge’s players are in blue and black stripes, black shorts and black socks.