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Manchester United were knocked out of the Europa League after a facile 3-0 loss to Sevilla in the second leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday (April 20). A brace from Youssef En-Nesyri either side of a Loic Bade strike ensured a 5-2 aggregate win for the Andalusians, who progressed to the last four.
Having squandered a two-goal lead in the first leg, the Red Devils came undone with a more insipid performance at the back, starting with their goalkeeper. David de Gea attempted a risky back pass to Harry Maguire, whose poor touch allowed Sevilla to go in front in the eighth minute.
The La Liga giants doubled their advantage after the break as Bade headed home a lovely corner from Ivan Rakitic. More individual errors from United were to follow as De Gea made another poor first touch while attempting to clear a cross. En-Nesyri was on hand to pounce on it, makinga terrific lofted finish into the far post.
For the sixth year in a row, Manchester United's European campaign was ended by a Spanish team. Sevilla will next battle Juventus for a place in the final. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the match:
#5 Manchester United remain winless against Sevilla
There's always one rival against whom a side tends to struggle all the time. For Manchester United, that team is Sevilla. The Andalusians are United's kryptonite, having now failed to beat them in five meetings.
The Red Devils were on course to pick up their first win in the first leg last week at Old Trafford after racing to an early 2-0 lead. However, they contrived to blow it away with two clumsy own goals.
In Seville, Erik ten Hag's side put up an even worse performance, marked with individual defensive mistakes. They also offered no real attacking threat going forward as their winless run against the Sevillistas continued.
#4 Sevilla punish Manchester United for individual mistakes
Speaking of individual mistakes, Manchester United were guilty of them in the first leg and repeated them in the return, showing that they hadn't learnt their lesson.
David de Gea and Harry Maguire, who scored an own goal in the 2-2 home draw last week, combined to 'assist' Sevilla for the first goal. De Gea made a risky pass to his centre-back, whose poor touch allowed Erik Lamela to pounce on the loose ball and square it to Youssed En-Nesyri, who opened the scoring.
Sevilla's second came through an excellent set-piece, but the third was also gifted to them by the Red Devils. De Gea came rushing out of his area to clear a cross from Marcos Acuna, but his first touch was poor. En-Nesyri raced in and lobbed the ball over the United custodian and into the far post as Sevilla rubberstamped their passage to the last four.
#3 Manchester United struggle without Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United came into the Thursday night fixture without Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended after collecting a yellow card in the first leg. It was obviously a huge blow for the Red Devils, as their task was cut out without their talismanic playmaker.
As the game progressed, it became increasingly clear that Fernandes was dearly missed on the field, as United struggled to create anything of note. Anthony Martial was also devoid of proper service, rendering him toothless up front.
Antony was the only bright spark for the visitors, especially in the opening stanza, but he didn't get enough support from his attacking cohorts to make his exploits count.
United ended the game with 62% possession but mustered only three shots on target. In comparison, Sevilla managed twice as much with only 38% of the ball.
#2 Sevilla are Europa League royalty
For the fifth time in ten years, Sevilla have reached the Europa League semifinals. In the four previous occasions, the La Liga outfit won the title.
No club has seen more success in the competition during this period than Sevilla. In fact, they're the only team to have won the Europa League multiple times in the last decade.
Surely another title will be on their minds now. However, standing in their way are Serie A giants Juventus, who have never lost to them, winning three of their last four clashes.
It's worth mentioning that all of them came in the UEFA Champions League, where the Old Lady have more experience. However, this is the Europa League, Sevilla's favourite hunting ground, and many big teams have fallen to them here.
#1 Manchester United must go back to the drawing board
Manchester United have nobody but themselves to blame for their disastrous elimination from the Europa League. Over the two legs against Sevilla, the Red Devils were let down by their own mistakes and incompetence, allowing their La Liga rivals to prevail without much hassle.
Manager Erik ten Hag has been given plenty of food for thought over the two legs, as his tactics might work in domestic games, but Europe is a different ball game.
Squad reinforcements will also be on the club's mind this summer, with De Gea proving to be unreliable in goal and Maguire continuing to be an unmitigated disaster at the back.
In attacking, too, some new options could be added, with Martial being injury-prone since his return from his loan spell at Sevilla, scoring just eight goals in 31 appearances in the last two seasons.
It's time to go back to the drawing board for Manchester United.
