THIS WAS A CALAMITY completely of Manchester United’s own making.
It is one captain Harry Maguire will want to forget in a hurry too.
Unfortunately his contribution to the tie is more likely to result in a permanent reminder with a statue of him outside the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
An own goal in the first leg and a blunder in the second from the England international has handed Sevilla a place in the semi-finals of the Europa League and ended the Red Devils’ cup treble dreams.
After lifting the Carabao Cup with Bruno Fernandes at Wembley Maguire wanted his hands on more silverware.
It can only be the FA Cup as well now and United need to pick themselves up very quickly for Sunday’s semi-final against Brighton which is far from a certainty if this is anything to go by.
Maguire was not the only one at fault. David de Gea had a nightmare too. In fact nobody who boards the plane straight to London tonight in preparation for Sunday can do so with their heads held high.
They had this tie in the palm of their hands when Marcel Sabitzer scored twice inside the first 21 minutes at Old Trafford last week and blew it.
Manager Erik ten Hag was culpable of believing the job was done when he made too many substitutions in the second period of that first tie and his team lost their discipline and shape.
Own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Maguire late on left the tie level going into this return and a rejuvenated Sevilla looked well up to finish the job.
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The atmosphere inside the stadium was fantastic and the Sevilla players responded while United just wilted.
They were behind after just seven minutes.
Why on earth do United persist with trying to play the ball out from the back?
Their neighbours in the blue half of Manchester can do it with ease.
In the red half the ball is like a grenade with the pin out the way they nervously try to pass it about before someone gives up on the plan and launches it anyway.
Sevilla know it is an Achilles heel of their’s, every side does.
So when David De Gea passed to Harry Maguire three Sevilla players were on him and control was wrestled away by Erik Lamela.
The ball ran loose to Youssef En-Nesyri who fired home.
The place was jumping and the noise was deafening when it looked like Sevilla had second on 39 minutes before VAR riled out Lucas Ocampos goal for an offside in the build up.
United off the hook, but only temporarily.
The problem was they simply did not look like scoring themselves.
Not surprisingly Ten Hag made changes at the break with the fit again Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw brought on in place of Jadon Sancho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
But things quickly got worse just two minutes into the second-half.
From Ivan Rakitic’s corner Loic Bade’s attempted header looped up off his shoulder over De Gea and in off the underside of the bar.
Sevilla were dominant, United all over the place.
Rakitic had a shot which De Gea palmed away unconvincingly and from the resulting corner a scramble in the six yard box almost saw the ball forced past the United goalkeeper again.
You knew things were getting desperate when Ten Hag then had to turn to on loan Wout Weghorst for a route back into the game.
Martial limped off injured, again.
The manager didn’t even bother with a handshake as the completely ineffectual Frenchman took his place on the bench.
Ten Hag says United are better when Martial plays, they aren’t.
He offered absolutely nothing here.
No doubt he’ll be out for a few more weeks with whatever it is this time. It doesn’t really matter.
Sevilla had him here on loan last season and witnessed his lack of threat at first hand as he returned one goal in 12 appearances.
Not surprisingly they didn’t want to make the move permanent.
If United want to go places next season they need a striker at the top of his game to help Rashford out with the goalscoring duties.
This was a performance that reminded us of the bad old days from last season and the opening two games of this.
Listless and lacking ideas with their finger’s constantly hovering above the self destruct button.
It was pressed again to complete an awful night in the 81st minute.
De Gea came out of his area to meet a hopeful punt upfield but completely miscontrolled the ball allowing En-Nesyri to fire past him into an unguarded goal.
ACDC’s Highway to Hell was the song that revved the crowd up before kick off.
Having seemingly turned the corner under Ten Hag this tie had United back on it.
It was a humiliation.
A journey to Wembley on Sunday offers some salvation.
Brighton, fresh from victory away to Chelsea last weekend, will not be quaking in their boots.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
