Man United vs Sevilla result, highlights as Red Devils throw away lead in costly Europa League clash

Joe Wright

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Man United vs Sevilla result, highlights as Red Devils throw away lead in costly Europa League clash image

Manchester United suffered a remarkable collapse in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal tie with Sevilla.

Marcel Sabitzer scored twice in the first half of the first leg at Old Trafford to put the Red Devils 2-0 ahead and they were in complete control of the contest against the struggling La Liga side.

Sevilla had done little to threaten David de Gea's goal despite an improved second-half performance, but a dreadful lapse in concentration for Tyrell Malacia allowed Jesus Navas to force an own goal and put the visitors back in the tie.

United then lost Lisandro Martinez to injury and, having made all their substitutes, they were forced to play the final stages with 10 men.

They couldn't hold on: a header from Youssef En-Nesyri, which was going well wide, diverted off the head of Harry Maguire and past De Gea.

Man United vs Sevilla final score

  1H 2H Final
Man United 2 0 2
Sevilla 0 2 2

Goals: Man United — Sabitzer — 14th min
            Man United — Sabitzer — 21st min
            Sevilla — Malacia (OG) — 84th min
            Sevilla — Maguire (OG) — 90 + 2 mins

The way United started the game, it looked like the tie might be over before a single half of football had been completed.

Sabitzer was the early star of the show. His first goal came via a deflection following a good pass from Bruno Fernandes; his second, courtesy of an excellent Anthony Martial throughball, was a fine low strike that left Bono with no chance.

United eased off late in the first half and De Gea did well to block a point-blank header from Tanguy Nianzou, as Sevilla grow a little more into the game. That pattern continued early in the second half, although the visitors were barely troubling De Gea's goal and looked ripe to be picked off on the counter-attack.

Unfortunately for the hosts, United didn't take their chances. Antony smashed a shot off the post; Malacia dithered over a good chance in the box. Once Erik Ten Hag made a raft of substitutions, which included taking off Martial for Wout Weghorst, their threat largely diminished.

Still, it was hard to imagine the game could end as it did. A hopeful Fernando cross towards Navas should have been cleared easily by Malacia, but the left-back switched off and let the ball reach the former Manchester City man. He then deflected the cross into his own net for good measure.

Within moments, Martinez had to be carried off with what looked like a potentially serious foot or ankle injury, and United were left trying to hang on with a man down. They didn't manage it, although it was a scarcely believable equaliser: En-Nesyri's header was flying wide but struck Maguire in the face from barely a yard away, and the ball spun to the opposite corner of De Gea's goal.

Ten Hag must be questioned over substitutions

It's a cliche that 2-0 is "the most dangerous scoreline in football" but United certainly did a good job of making a mess of a comfortable lead. The fact that they did owes much to the changes made by Ten Hag.

Okay, taking off Martial made sense: United lost Marcus Rashford to injury against Everton and, having just got his No.9 fit again after three months out, Ten Hag was trying to avoid another issue.

The problem is United's attack lost all its fluency because Weghorst, for all his endeavour, is just incapable of leading the line in the same way.

What was strange was Ten Hag's decision to take off the excellent Fernandes, who was booked for a highly contentious handball and would have been suspended for the second leg anyway, and then Jadon Sancho and Antony, United's best attackers. The team had a patchwork quality in the closing stages and they didn't control things as they should.

Ten Hag's explanation was that the referee had warned him about Fernandes and Antony already being on yellow cards, insisting he had "no choice" but to make the changes. But given Fernandes was already suspended for the second leg, did he really need to make so many substitutions in a short space of time?

Martinez, Varane injuries could derail Man United

Was this the most costly result of Man United's season?

Sevilla are not having a good season and they were poor in the first half here. It's certainly well within United's capabilities to go to Spain and win the second leg.

But they shouldn't be in the position where winning that game is necessary. They could, and should, have killed the contest here and now. And while the result was frustrating enough, there are wider implications to what went on at Old Trafford.

Fernandes' unfortunate booking means he will be suspended for the second leg. Marcus Rashford isn't likely to be fit in time for next week. Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay are sidelined, and there are no guarantees they will be back, either.

The bigger issue is at the heart of defence. Raphael Varane had to go off at halftime, although United will hope his was not a serious injury given he played on until the interval. It certainly looked like Martinez's was a major one, though.

This was a result that put United at risk of exiting the Europa League, missing out on a trophy and a route to the Champions League. Given their injuries, it could also derail their top-four challenge an damages their chances in the FA Cup semifinals.

Man United vs Sevilla commentary, highlights from Europa League

FT: It finishes 2-2 inside a stunned Old Trafford. United were utterly in control and have somehow contrived to throw away their lead through two entirely fortuitous own goals for the visitors. What's more, Bruno Fernandes is suspended for the second leg and they lost both Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez to injury, with the latter looking like a serious one.

90 + 2 mins: SEVILLA HAVE EQUALISED! Would you believe it — it's another own goal! Youssef En-Nesyri's header is going miles wide but it smacks off Harry Maguire's forehand and David de Gea can't get to it! How have United allowed Sevilla back into this game?

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90th min: Big save from David de Gea! Youssef En-Nesyri beats Tyrell Malacia to a cross but his header is brilliantly saved at full stretch by the keeper. Sevilla are piling on the pressure in stoppage time.

85th min: Things have gone from bad to worse for United: Lisandro Martinez has had to be carried off the pitch after going to ground when under no real challenge. It looks like he might have injured his Achilles tendon. United have lost both first-choice centre-backs this evening and have used all their subs, so they will see out this game with 10 men.

84th min: SEVILLA GET A GOAL BACK! It's a horror-show from Tyrell Malacia! Fernando curls a pass towards Jesus Navas and the United left-back doesn't know he's there, so he simply leaves the ball to fall to the veteran. Navas then fires it off Malacia and into the net via David de Gea, who could do nothing to react in time.

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81st min: Big chance for 3-0! Marcel Sabitzer's backheel to Wout Weghorst finds the striker in space six yards out, but with his back to goal. He has options, and chooses to lay it off to Tyrell Malacia, but his shot is blocked. The left-back took a bit too long to set himself there.

78th min: Sevilla have pressed high in this half, but United have played through it well to get on the attack. The latest one ends with a Tyrell Malacia cross that runs behind Wout Weghorst.

75th min: There's a running battle going on between Antony and Marcos Acuna. The former just celebrated in the latter's face as he won a tackle. Given they're both on a yellow card, we could be in for a fun final 15 minutes.

70th min: A nice little passing move, with Christian Eriksen at its heart, ultimately comes to nothing. There hasn't been too much goalmouth action in this half.

64th min: This time, Antony follows up four stepovers by going onto his right foot, and it duly confuses everyone inside Old Trafford. He's unlucky not to find a red shirt with the cross. United have made a few changes, bringing on Wout Weghorst, Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga for Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho.

61st min: Antony hits the post! After a spell of Sevilla pressure, Antony leads a break down the right. We all know the cut-in-onto-the-left-foot is coming, but Marcao can't stop it. The curling shot crashes off the inside of the left-hand post and Sevilla clear.

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58th min: At the moment, United seem happy enough to let Sevilla have the ball and try to pick them off on the break. It's not quite working at the moment, but you do sense the visitors will leave bigger and bigger gaps as they push for a way back into the contest.

55th min: Jadon Sancho makes a good run down the United right but Gonzalo Montiel blocks his progress. The shouts for a penalty from the Stretford End were tentative.

51st min: Jesus Navas' low cross doesn't quite fall for Lucas Ocampos and United clear. The visitors have started the second half well.

47th min: Good play from Casemiro allows Antony to try a curler with his left foot, but it sails wide.

46th min: We're off and running for the second half. There's a change apiece for the teams: Harry Maguire is on for Raphael Varane, while Sevilla have brought on captain Jesus Navas for Oliver Torres.

HT: United hold a comfortable 2-0 lead at halftime but Sevilla very nearly snatched a goal back right at the death. Erik ten Hag will not be happy with the way his players rather ambled through the final minutes of the first 45. However, he'll be delighted with the rest of the performance, particularly from two-goal midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

You'd imagine the booking for Bruno Fernandes, and the suspension for next week's second leg, will really have annoyed the United manager...

45 + 3 mins: Brilliant save, David de Gea! Sevilla win a corner and Tanguy Nianzou glances a header towards goal from six yards out, but United's keeper is right behind it. Raphael Varane then rises highest to head the loose ball away from the goal line. Given we were already well over the allotted stoppage time, that's the last action of the first half.

45th min: United have just eased off in the past few minutes and it's allowed Sevilla to get a foothold in possession. Okay, David de Gea's goal hasn't really been threatened, but Erik ten Hag won't want to see his players let the visitors back into this contest. There are also some concerns about Raphael Varane, who was down for a few minutes near the touchline and isn't moving too freely.

41st min: Sevilla win a free-kick on the edge of the United box after Bruno Fernandes is penalised for handball. He slid to block a shot and, even though he was barely two yards from the ball before it flew into his elbow, the referee decides that's worthy of a yellow card. Fernandes will now be suspended for the return leg in Spain.

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38th min: There's a check for a possible red card after Erik Lamela stands on Casemiro's leg in a 50-50. It looked like a yellow card was fair and, indeed, we're sticking with the referee's initial call. No red.

33rd min: Another chance for United as Jadon Sancho lays it back to Anthony Martial, who tees up Casemiro to shoot. It's blocked behind for a corner, from which Casemiro heads into the hands of Bono. The Red Devils are creating chances at will in this first half.

30th min: Marcel Sabitzer almost has the ball in the net again but Bono claws the ball away from the bottom corner. He would likely have been called for offside by VAR had that gone in.

21st min: IT'S 2-0, AND IT'S MARCEL SABITZER AGAIN! United break with speed again and Anthony Martial holds the ball up brilliantly to work some space. Then comes another one of those Sabitzer runs, and Martial times the throughball to perfection. The midfielder then blasts a clean strike beneath Bono.

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18th min: Couple of anxious moments for Tyrell Malacia, who loses the ball to the left of the United box — Lucas Ocampos' cross is a waste — and is then beaten too easily down the same flank. Sevilla seem to be focusing their attacks down that side, and Lisandro Martinez has been busy making timely clearances.

14th min: MANCHESTER UNITED LEAD! Some more good interplay in the final third — and some magnificent skill from Anthony Martial — sees Marcel Sabitzer make an overlapping run into the No.9 spot. Bruno Fernandes finds him with a throughball, the Austrian spins well, and his shot deflects into the net, leaving Bono helpless.

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12th min: Chance for Antony! The Brazilian combines well with Jadon Sancho in a packed Sevilla box, but his left-footed strike is well saved by Bono.

5th min: United started this game in lively fashion but Sevilla have had a few minutes of decent play. One clever short corner sees Erik Lamela have a shot from 18 yards out well closed down.

1st min: We're underway at Old Trafford... and Man United have the ball in the net inside 30 seconds! They win the ball back in Sevilla's half, Antony threads it through to Jadon Sancho, who finishes really well. He was offside, though.

15 mins before KO: Anthony Martial's future this year is in doubt given the amount of games he's missed for Man United through injury, plus the fact they are keen to sign a new striker. He starts tonight against a team with whom he spent an uninspiring loan spell last season. "He is ready to play," Erik ten Hag said to BT Sport before kickoff. "He has had three games to come in. He has been playing really carefully. Now, [Marcus] Rashford is injured and it is logical he plays in the team."

45 mins before KO: Sevilla might have endured a pretty rotten season, but this is truly their competition: the record six-time winners can effectively view this as a pressure-free tie and play with a little more freedom away from the difficulties of a La Liga relegation battle. The fans are certainly in England to enjoy themselves — no surprise they gathered outside the Oyster Bar in the city centre.

1 hour 5 mins before KO: We have some early confirmed team news from Old Trafford! Erik ten Hag makes three changes from last weekend's 2-0 win over Everton, but none of them is a surprise. Casemiro returns to midfield after serving the last game of his domestic suspension, while Raphael Varane is back in place of Harry Maguire. Anthony Martial replaces the injured Marcus Rashford in attack.

Sevilla start with Yassine Bono in goal, the Moroccan having become more of a cup goalkeeper due to the form of Marko Dmitrovic. Ivan Rakitic captains the side and former Tottenham man Erik Lamela is leading the attack. United loanee Alex Telles is on the bench.

1 hour 45 mins before KO: Sevilla have endured a season of dysfunction, on and off the pitch. Winning just three of their past 10 games in all competitions, and sitting 13th in La Liga (and only five points outside the relegation places), they sacked head coach Jorge Sampaoli in March and there is speculation sporting director Monchi could also depart.

2 hours to KO: Man United haven't lost at home this season since Real Sociedad were 1-0 winners back in September in the Europa League group stage.

They have already beaten La Liga leaders Barcelona and top-four challengers Real Betis at Old Trafford — will struggling Sevilla spring a surprise?

Man United vs Sevilla live stream, TV channel

  Date Kickoff time TV channel Streaming
Australia Fri, Apr. 14 05:00 AEST — Stan Sport
Canada Thu, Apr. 13 15:00 ET — DAZN
Hong Kong Fri, Apr. 14 03:00 HKT beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect
India Fri, Apr. 14 00:30 IST Sony TEN 2 JioTV, Sony LIV
Malaysia Fri, Apr. 14 03:00 MYT beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect,
sooka
New Zealand Fri, Apr. 14 07:00 NZST — Spark Sport
Singapore Fri, Apr. 14 03:00 SGT beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect,
StarHubTV+
UK Thu, Apr. 13 20:00 BST BT Sport 1 BT Sport site/app
USA Thu, Apr. 13 15:00 ET Unimas,
TUDN		 Fubo,
Paramount+,
ViX+, Univision Now, TUDN app/website

Man United vs Sevilla lineups

Man United confirmed lineup (4-3-3): De Gea (GK) — Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Malacia — Fernandes, Casemiro, Sabitzer — Anthony, Martial, Sancho

Man United subs: Butland (GK), Vitek (GK), Elanga, Eriksen, Iqbal, Maguire, Pellistri, Fred, Weghorst, Lindelof, Dalot

Sevilla confirmed lineup (4-2-3-1): Bono (GK) — Montiel, Nianzou, Marcao, Acuna — Fernando, Gudelj— Ocampos, Rakitic, Oliver Torres — Lamela

Sevilla subs: Dmitrovic (GK), Flores (GK), Rekik, Suso, Telles, Navas, Mir, En-Nesyri, Gil, Gomez, Bade

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.