Erik ten Hag’s hopes of leading Manchester United to the Europa League final have been thwarted after Sevilla secured a sensational 3-0 win in Spain on Thursday evening.
The Red Devils led the first-leg quarter-final tie at Old Trafford last week through a Marcel Sabitzer brace before suffering an epic collapse late in the second half against Sevilla.
United arrived at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan with a 2-2 aggregate scoreline and were placed on the back foot inside the opening 10 minutes of the second-leg tie.
Harry Maguire was at fault for the opener after Erik Lamela intercepted his poorly placed pass, which allowed Youssef En-Nesyri to pounce on the mistake.
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Sevilla then doubled their advantage only two minutes into the second half thanks to a sensational header from defender Loic Bade.
Ivan Rakitic fired in a corner from the right and Bade, who was positioned between two United players, directed a looping header towards David de Gea’s net.
A helpless De Gea was unable to stop Bade’s effort as the ball bounced off the underside of the United bar and put Sevilla 2-0 up on the night.
En-Nesyri completed his brace late in the second half after a howler from De Gea, who charged out of his penalty area in a bid to clear a ball which was hoofed over the top from the Sevilla half.
However, De Gea made a complete mess of the clearance and En-Nesyri pounced on the loose ball before slotting it into the empty United net from 35 yards out.
United manager Ten Hag suffered a huge blow going into the second-leg tie after losing first-choice centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane to injury.
Varane was subbed off with an injury at half-time in the first leg, while Martinez suffered an injury in the 86th minute of the 2-2 draw.
Martinez, who has been hailed for his impact in the United defence, was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season after he fractured a metatarsal bone in his foot.
United will now return to action on 23rd April for their FA Cup semi-final clash against Brighton at Wembley.
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Topics: Manchester United, Sevilla, Europa League, Football
Adnan Riaz