Manchester United threw away a two-goal advantage against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final first leg at Old Trafford this evening.
Erik ten Hag made three changes to the side that defeated Everton on Saturday.
Anthony Martial, Casemiro and Raphael Varane replaced Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire.
United started the game strongly with Marcel Sabitzer scoring in the space of seven minutes.
The visitors looked vulnerable at the back, but the Red Devils failed to take advantage.
Sevilla gained confidence as the game progressed. Their relentless pressure on United paid dividends as they benefited from two own goals to set up an intriguing second leg in Spain.
This is what we made of the game.
Manchester United were their own enemy
The Red Devils had many chances to take the tie away from Sevilla but failed to convert their chances.
Complacency kicked into the side after doubling their lead within 20 minutes. It felt like United had already qualified for the semi-finals against downbeat Sevilla.
They were sloppy with the ball, making poor choices at crucial junctures and letting the advantage slip.
Ten Hag made it even hard for his side by making odd substitutions. He summoned Bruno Fernandes and Martial to come off at the hour mark.
Instead of United wrapping up the tie by bagging the third goal, Wout Weghorst and Anthony Elanga were allowed to get some game-time.
Varane and Martinez suffer injuries
The big reason behind United’s success this season is their robust centre-back pair of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
Both players sustained injuries tonight, allowing Sevilla to make their way into the game.
Varane was brought off at half-time which looked more like a precaution. However, the injury to Martinez seems to be a serious one.
The Argentine went to the ground with no players around him. The distraught centre-back was carried off the pitch by his international colleagues Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel.
Antony showed what Jadon Sancho has to do at the wings
Antony was United’s best player on the pitch. His battle with Acuna on the right flank was a treat to watch.
The Brazilian winger exhibited breakneck pace and trickery to beat the defenders. He came the closest to extending United’s lead, but his curling shot rebounded off the goalpost.
On the opposite flank, Sancho looked like a shadow of a player he was at Borussia Dortmund.
He squandered a couple of opportunities to score and lost the ball possession 12 times during his 63 minutes of play.
With Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out due to injuries, Sancho will get a run of games on the left flank.
He needs to pull up his socks to repay the faith Ten Hag has shown in him.
