Europa League

PAUL SCHOLES reckons there was method in Erik ten Hag’s madness to stick with his 11 Manchester United flops.The Red Devils boss named the exact same starting XI that were battered 7-0 by Liverpool for tonight’s Europa League clash with Real Betis.
The same Manchester United team that started at Anfield played against Real BetisCredit: Getty
Paul Scholes shared his view on why they all playedCredit: BT Sport
Many expected the Dutchman to ring the changes to punish his underperforming men and give others the chance to shine in their place.
However, Scholes believes he knows why Ten Hag opted against dropping anyone.
The ex-United midfielder told BT Sport: “I’m slightly surprised. They have played a lot of games but they owe him after what was a shambles of a second half at Liverpool.
“Ten Hag has sent the same team out to test a few characters.
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“To see, going forward, can these players play for me in big games when it really matters?”
Owen Hargreaves added: “I think he’s telling them to go and fix it after the mess at Anfield.”
Ten Hag confirmed that was indeed his thinking behind his selections, naming an unchanged United side for the first time in Europe this season.
He said: “We want to win and we think this is the best team to make a good performance.
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“Of course, they get the opportunity for rehabilitation, this is the most important game now.
“On Sunday we got hammered, we have to get back to our standards.”
But fans on social media were divided by the response from the manager.
One said: “Naming an unchanged side after this weekend’s battering will either make Ten Hag look like a genius or a complete idiot.”

Another wrote: “Seems Ten Hag is getting that same XI from Sunday to go out and make up for their mess-ups. Let’s win this and get back up, boys!”
But a third added: “Some changes were needed. Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Diogo Dalot and maybe Jadon Sancho or Facundo Pellistri for Antony.”
And a final user joked the final score would be 7-0 to Real Betis.
However, the Red Devils came out fired up in the Manchester snow and made a lightning start to immediately ease the pressure.
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Marcus Rashford beat a defender and blasted into the back of the net with just six minutes on the clock against the LaLiga side.
However, Ayoze Perez – on loan from Leicester – fired in a classy equaliser on 32 minutes.
Erik ten Hag described the game as a chance for ‘rehabilitation’Credit: Getty More

ARSENAL might not need to win the Europa League to guarantee them Champions League qualification any more.But Mikel Arteta’s relentless young Gunners are still refusing to sack off their Thursday nights in Uefa’s consolation prize of a competition.
Arsenal got a 2-2 draw away at Sporting in the Europa LeagueCredit: Reuters
William Saliba headed in the opening goalCredit: Rex
Saliba celebrates his third goal of the seasonCredit: Getty
With a 21-point lead over fifth-placed Liverpool in the Premier League, their return to Europe’s premier club competition after a six-year absence is all but guaranteed next season.
Yet even though it is now 13 years since Porto became the one and only Europa League winners to go on and win their domestic title, Arsenal are still not ready to abandon their double dreams just yet.
Goals from William Saliba and Granit Xhaka mean they head back to London perfectly placed to secure their quarter-final place in next week’s return leg.
And they did it despite having to cope with a striking dilemma which is already causing Arteta headaches ahead of Sunday’s return to Premier League action at Fulham.
Even if he had wanted to rest some of his key players in Lisbon last night, he was denied that luxury by simultaneous injuries to Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard.
To make matters worse, captain Martin Odegaard and Keiran Tierney were both laid low by illness which left Arteta relying on a bunch of kids just to fill out the bench.
That meant an Arsenal debut for Jakub Kiwior, the Polish defender signed in a £20million January deal from Spezia, as well as a first start in three months for Reiss Nelson.
A return to the team was the very least Nelson deserved for his stunning weekend winner against Bournemouth.
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And he was quickly back into the action with an attempted shot which required an important early block by Hidemasa Morita.
But with so many changes to the team, it was hardly surprising that Arsenal looked disjointed and they were fortunate to escape when Pedro Goncalves was allowed to get in behind Jorginho but struck his shot wide of the far post.
Yet the Sporting fans did not have too many expectations of the 19-time Portuguese champions who are currently a distant fourth in their domestic league and were knocked out in the Champions League group stages despite taking four points off Spurs.
Having been forced to sell Joao Palhinha to Fulham, Matheus Nunes to Wolves and Pedro Porro to Spurs this season, they suffered another setback when former Arsenal favourite Hector Bellerin injured a knee on the eve of this match.
And their lack of confidence was brutally exposed when Saliba was allowed to head home unchallenged from Fabio Vieira’s 22nd-minute corner.
Oleksandr Zinchenko celebrated the goal by laughing in the face of Matheus Reis, sparking a major scuffle which ended with the Arsenal defender and Sporting giant Sebastian Coates both seeing yellow.

It means former Liverpool centre-half Coates will now be suspended for next Thursday’s Emirates return leg.
But Arsenal weren’t chuckling for long before Sporting were back on level terms with a 35th-minute equaliser scored in almost identical fashion to their opponents’ goal.  
This time it was former Spurs winger Marcus Edwards who delivered the inswinging corner for Goncalo Inacio to outjump Kiwior and nod in from close range.
And Edwards very nearly doubled his team’s tally with a snap-shot from distance which had Gunners keeper Matt Turner scrambling to push behind for a corner.
London-born Edwards was causing Arsenal no end of trouble with his pace and trickery and it was no surprise that he was heavily involved again when Sporting took the lead ten minutes after the break.
This time his clever pass played Goncalves in on goal and though Turner was able to get a hand to his low shot he was powerless to prevent Paulinho turning in the loose ball from close range.
Paulinho should have put the tie beyond doubt when he was played in again by Goncalves but failed to hit the target with only Turner to beat.
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Martinelli was then denied the goal of the season when he ran through four tackles from his own half, rounded keeper Antonio Adan but had his shot cleared off the line by Jeremiah St. Juste.
But this Arsenal team simply do not know when they are beaten and they completed another impressive comeback when Xhaka’s 63rd-minute pot-shot completely wrong-footed Adan courtesy of a massive deflection off the unfortunate Morita.
Goncalo Inacio levelled in virtually identical fashionCredit: Reuters
Granit Xhaka’s hopeful effort took a wicked deflection into the netCredit: Getty
Paulinho turned in to give the hosts the leadCredit: AP
Inacio leaps for joy after heading inCredit: Reuters
Tensions were running high during the first half in PortugalCredit: Getty
Jeremiah St Juste showed his rapid pace to get back and deny Gabriel MartinelliCredit: Getty More

GABRIEL MARTINELLI was booked during the first-half of Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon tonight… despite the offence being committed by Granit Xhaka.The Swiss midfielder knocked the ball out of Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan’s hands on 43 minutes.
Gabriel Martinelli was stunned to be yellow cardedCredit: AP
It was Granit Xhaka who had actually committed the foulCredit: BT Sport
Referee Tobias Stieler was not impressed with the incident… but seemed to punish the wrong perpetrator.
The German whistler brandished his yellow card, but flashed it at Martinelli rather than Xhaka – much to the forward’s bewilderment.
He protested to the official, looking completely baffled as to why he had been cautioned.
Arsenal fans on social media couldn’t believe what they were seeing either.
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One wrote: “Martinelli just got booked for Xhaka s***housery.”
While a second tweeted: “Funny situation but it was better MARTINELLI got the card than XHAKA. Terrible foul from Xhaka.”
A third agreed: “I’ll take Martinelli on a yellow over Xhaka though.”
The incident was looked at by VAR… but the video officials decided not to advise the on field ref that he’d got the wrong man.
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This caused even more confusion, with one fan writing: “The worst part is that it wasn’t even Martinelli that poked the ball away. It was Xhaka and VAR had a look at it but didn’t correct it lol.”
Another merely laughed, joking: “Martinelli getting a yellow card for Xhaka’s dirty work. Lmao.”
The incident occurred with the sides level at 1-1.
William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead on 22 minutes, only for Goncalo Inacio to level for the home side after 34. More

ANTHONY MARTIAL has returned to training ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Real Betis.The striker has been plagued by injury issues for most of the season and it is unlikely he will feature in tonight’s matchday squad.
Anthony Martial has returned to trainingCredit: EPA
The striker has not played since scoring against Nottingham Forest on February 1Credit: Getty
Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out of the Real Betis clashCredit: Alamy
A hip injury has kept Martial out of action over the past few weeks with his last appearance coming against Nottingham Forest on February 1.
The Frenchman has also had trouble with his back, hamstring and Achilles this season and has been limited to just 14 appearances.
And although he has returned to training Martial is unlikely to be included in the matchday squad, though Erik ten Hag did not rule him out completely.
He told MUTV: “I think we are quite good. The only disappointment is Marcel Sabitzer is not available, as well as Anthony Martial.
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“Anthony Martial is back on the pitch, so we will see. For the rest, everyone is available and we are ready for the game.”
Ten Hag did not reveal Sabitzer’s injury, which he may have picked up at the end of United’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Other than that it is a clean bill of health for United with Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek long-term absentees.
The Red Devils will be looking to bounce back from their Anfield humiliation as they welcome Betis to Old Trafford tonight.
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Marcus Rashford spoke ahead of the game about putting the Liverpool defeat behind them, with his side still competing for more silverware this season after winning the Carabao Cup.
He said: “It’s disappointing but we can’t dwell on it and look back.
“We’re in a position where we’re still fighting on all fronts and we have a lot of games still to play. We want to put it right.” More