Manchester United crashed out of the Europa League last night, after drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at Old Trafford, thus losing the tie 3-1 of aggregate. The Red Devils had lost the first leg 2-0 but were given a smidgen of hope after Nathaniel Clyne’s foul on Anthony Martial, resulted in the Frenchman converting the resulting penalty.
However, Phillipe Coutinho broke Manchester hearts on the stroke of half-time as the Brazilian made an absolute mug out of Guillermo Varela on the wing before exquisitely chipping David de Gea from an acute angle to equalize for Liverpool on the night. Manchester United were ineffective for the rest of the game, which meant that Manchester United made their European exit as the final whistle blew.
Here’s how the managers, players and pundits reacted:
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal:
“It was very disappointing because we had the chance, that was the feeling in the dressing room. We created enough chances and we know of course when you are attacking in this way that Liverpool also will have chances on the counter, but the way that we conceded that goal, at half-time, they [the players] were all so disappointed.”
“If we didn't concede that goal I think it [the win] was possible. I was very pleased that the fans are seeing everything and applauded after. We tried to do everything, in the second half we also had chances, Fellaini with his head and his foot, but then you have to score three goals and that's not too easy. But we fought till the end. If we had not conceded that goal in the last seconds of the first half, that was critical.”
Van Gaal also refused to criticize Varela for the concession of the equalizer, saying “You have to give also credit to Coutinho, it was a fantastic action. You can also say that we have had fantastic actions but you also need a little bit of luck, but when you say that too much as a manager it's not good.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:
Klopp acknowledged that Manchester United had made a good fist of the game, saying “Yes, there were moments we knew they would show a reaction. They were much more intensive than in the first game, we had a little bit of trouble with them winning second balls in the first half. But when we used the ball with the extra time we had, we created wonderful chances. De Gea had another good night.”
The German also was full of praise for Coutinho, saying “They got a penalty - I think it was a penalty - then Phil had a genius moment. It was a wonderful moment. You know Phil longer than I know him! He had a lot of good moments in the first half. It was a little bit like Man City. It was brilliant what he did. What you can do in a situation like this, it was brilliant.”
Manchester United defender Daley Blind:
Blind bemoaned the timing of conceding the equalizer, saying “It was a big blow for us, of course. We were aggressive after the first goal, we were on point, we were sharp with the crowd behind us. I had the feeling there was more to get, and then it's a big blow that you concede a goal just before half-time.”
However, the Dutchman acknowledged Liverpool’s quality, saying “You have to be honest, in the end Liverpool had chances as well. We take risks in the second half, the spaces get bigger and Liverpool get chances as well. We were attacking and the spaces were bigger in our defence, but you know if you need to take a risk and score three goals, it's a risk you take.”
Players and pundits react on Twitter:
However, Jamie Carragher had the most appropriate series of tweets, tweeting this when Liverpool were 1-0 down.
After Coutinho’s goal, however :
