Liverpool secured a quarter-final spot in the Europa League with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford to win the tie 3-1 on aggregate. A goal from Anthony Martial gave the Red Devils hope but a Philippe Coutinho wonder goal saw Liverpool get the crucial away goal to put the tie out of reach.
Manchester United: De Gea, Varela, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Carrick, Fellaini, Lingard, Mata, Rashford, Martial
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Milner, Can, Henderson, Lallana, Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge
Louis van Gaal made a surprising team selection when Ander Herrera was not even named in the squad let alone the starting lineup, perhaps with an eye on the Manchester derby and FA Cup replay. For Liverpool, Alberto Moreno was out injured with James Milner stepping in to take his place at left-back.
Liverpool strike back after going 1-0 down
Any doubts about Milner holding his own at the back were erased in the first five minutes when he was heavily involved in denying United any attacks down the right and even feeding Sturridge with a delightful through ball before joining the attack himself with Lallana also joining the attack and pressing United’s defence in their own box.
Liverpool’s early attacking threat did not last long as United eventually got a foothold in the match after a lot of back-and-forth sparring. While the first 15 minutes did not see any shots on target, Lingard had the first real attempt of the game when his header was palmed away by Simon Mignolet with a swift reaction save.
United were getting into the box on a few occasions but were unable to test Mignolet. At the other end, Coutinho tested David De Gea with a first-time shot from outside the box that kept low and the Spaniard was up to the task to keep it out with his left hand. Stu
If Milner was the supposed weak link at the back, United exposed Nathaniel Clyne on the other side with Martial’s quick feet. A dribble inside the box saw Clyne stick his leg out and trip the young French striker and the referee did not hesitate in pointing to the spot. Anthony Martial stepped up and sent Mignolet the wrong way before firing home the penalty to make it 1-0.
Sturridge almost got an equaliser soon after with a free-kick that beat De Gea but hit the corner of the crossbar at the far post. Soon after, even Henderson had a chance to finish off a sweeping move when he was released inside the box by Coutinho but his shot went wide of the target.
However, Philippe Coutinho thrust a dagger into United hearts with a solo goal at the stroke of half-time. After receiving the ball on the left flank, he skipped past Varela with ease before chipping De Gea from an acute angle to level the score and give the Red Devils a mountain to climb thanks to the away goal.
Van Gaal’s uninspired substitutions fail to get desired result
After a poor showing in the first half, Varela was hooked off with Antonio Valencia coming on to deal with the Brazilian goalscorer’s pace on the ball. Marouane Fellaini needed just a couple of minutes to pick up a booking as a battle with Dejan Lovren saw the Belgian midfielder elbow the defender out of the way.
Clyne also went into the book for a foul on Rashford but the free-kick and eventual corner were cleared by the defence. Coutinho was at his sublime best, terrorising the United midfield and defence when he got the ball. One such run saw him beat four players before he was eventually stopped.
Van Gaal tried to switch tactics by bringing on another full-back in Matteo Darmian to attack down the wings. Though United managed to stretch Liverpool’s back line, it was the lack of clear-cut opportunities in the final third that let them down. His final substitution saw Bastian Schweinsteiger coming on for Michael Carrick when the home side needed at least three goals.
At this stage, it was only De Gea keeping United in the game, making two saves off Coutinho’s shots on goal – one a comfortable low clutch, the other a parry from a stinging shot on goal.
Towards the end of the game, a number of United fans were headed for the exits with the game out of reach for Van Gaal’s side. In the end, it was too big a mountain to climb for the home side as Jurgen Klopp’s men ensured the Reds won the first ever two-legged European tie between the two arch rivals.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (Dortmund qualify 5-1 on aggregate)
Having a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg, Borussia Dortmund got the job done at White Hart Lane to qualify for the quarter-finals with a win over Tottenham Hotspur. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring with a screamer from distance when his shot beat Hugo Lloris to find the back of the net.
The Gabon striker created the goal out of nothing. With no player immediately available for the pass, Aubameyang took the shot himself and a diving Lloris stood no chance. He doubled the Bundesliga side’s lead in the second half when Henrikh Mkhitaryan released him on the right on a Dortmund counter-attack.
Although Lloris got a hand to the shot, it was too powerful to clear and the French goalkeeper could only watch it sail into the net.
Faced with an uphill task of scoring at least five goals, Spurs did get one back when Neven Subotic’s back pass was pounced upon by Son Heung-Min who quickly moved the ball around an onrushing Roman Weidenfeller and slot it home to make it 1-2. But it was too little, too late for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
