The Manchester United players most likely would have appreciated a night off on Thursday. They played their 50th game of the season against Sevilla in the Europa League quarterfinal first leg, and with Premier League, FA Cup, and Europa League games still to come, that number might climb by another eleven by the time the season is over.
Although it's not nearly as many as Liverpool had last season, it's still a significant number. One of the minor drawbacks of success is the mounting number of fixtures. But by the conclusion of the game, they'd blown a two-goal lead and a commanding early performance, making their travel to Spain for the second leg noticeably more challenging—and one player was potentially gravely critically injured.
Erik ten Hag may have believed he had the ideal opponents for the situation, even if weariness is to become a major worry for him over the course of the season. Chelsea may learn a thing or two from Sevilla about what it means to be in a "crisis" right now.
Over the past year or so, United's opponents have descended into a state that resembles chaos, with the board at odds, the team leaking money left, right, and center, and the team wasting away on the field as a result of some disastrous transfer dealings.
They have dropped from being top four contenders to 13th place in La Liga, only five points above the relegation spots, in less than a season. After the team shrivel through Jolen Lopetegui and Jorge Sampaoli, Jose Luiz Mendilibar became their third manager of the season. Although their league form has recently significantly improved, there is still a chance that they could be relegated this season. Their status on the field has perfectly mirrored the club's entire state.
It also felt as though the tie might even have already been decided as a game at the halfway mark of the first half. In less than 30 seconds, Manchester United had the ball in Sevilla's goal, only for an obvious offside to be flagged.
The reprieve from execution for Sevilla didn't last very long. Marcel Sabitzer swung the ball in from the edge of the penalty box after 14 minutes had passed, then did it again after 7 minutes. The first time, Anthony Martial. received the ball from Bruno Fernandes as Sevilla's defense moved back with the gait of scared rabbits. The second time, a midfield miscue gave the ball to Anthony Martial, a former loanee from Sevilla, whose brilliantly weighted through-ball was met by Sabitzer's precisely timed run. Whatever the opposition's shortcomings, this was outstanding football.
However, after a leisurely first hour, United's evening began to disintegrate in front of them. Erik Lamela went in on Casemiro with perhaps overexcited studs, but he was fortunate to avoid receiving a red card. The referee gave him a yellow card, but there was a protracted VAR review that ultimately favored Lamela. About a minute later, Fernandes was controversially given a yellow card, a decision that was probably influenced by the way his arm moved. As a result, he will not play in the second leg of this tie. He responded exactly as you would have predicted.
Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, Sevilla came dangerously close to scoring again. However, David De Gea's brilliant save and Raphael Varane's superb clearance kept the ball out of the goal in a hectic finish to the half that provided just a brief moment of reflection as the halftime whistle blew. Maybe they were simply beginning to feel tired. Manchester United didn't seem to benefit much from the break as they struggled to get going in the second half.
Naturally, adjustments were made. Three players entered the game: Wout Weghorst, Anthony Elanga, and Christian Eriksen, who was making his long-ago injured return. Within a few minutes, Weghorst had the crowd up when he charged at Sevilla goalkeeper Bono like an overly excited Great Dane and blocked the clearing after he took too long to react.
However, Manchester United had been struggling since around five minutes before halftime, and the outcome of the game, which appeared to be decided at the halfway point of the first half, was in danger of being called into question once again. The continued beef between Antony and Marcos Acuna brought some light to the gritty second half.
And with six minutes left in the game, their evening began to really unravel. Tyrell Malacia, blissfully unaware that Jesus Navas was lurking behind him, abandoned a seemingly harmless diagonal pass from midfield to sprint out. Navas attempted a shot-cum-cross across the goal face, but David De Gea blocked it, resulting in an own goal. Only a few seconds later, Lisandro Martinez pulled up alone and hobbled off the field with what appeared to be a significant injury based on his own reaction.
A really pleasant evening was coming to an end under a cloud, and in the third minute of stoppage time, the cloud intensified into a storm. Not that a warning hadn't already been given, mind you. Yousseff En-Nesyri, who had already forced one outstanding save from David De Gea, scored a second own goal and an extremely late equalizer when he went up inside the penalty area and slammed a header on the back of the unfortunate Harry Maguire's slab of a head.
Tyrell Malacia and David De Gea disagreed more over the first goal, whereas Harry Maguire may argue that his own goal was an unfortunate accident. Even if these circumstances can be characterized as "unlucky" in a broad sense, the reality that own goals are ultimately self-inflicted remains unchanged.
Additionally, Manchester United should have been completely out of the picture by the time they scored because they were coasting during the first half. Instead, they made their second leg significantly more tough than it needed to be, whether it was due to bad luck, complacency, or exhaustion.
Although Sevilla may be in a crisis, they appear to have a game plan for this particular competition. Their improvement as the game went on more than made up for the lackluster first half of their play.
They had a bloody nose and the know-how to take advantage of the defensive openings caused by Manchester United's substitution of Maguire for Varane at halftime and subsequent loss of Lisandro Martinez. More victories result in more games, and more games result in more exhaustion. It is inherent in the situation. The loss of a two-goal lead from a dominant position begins to make a little more sense than it may have as the final whistle blew at a startled Old Trafford. Add some poor luck, injuries, and individual blunders to that.
Talking points
Erik ten Hag made a crucial decision by choosing Marcel Sabitzer over Fred for this game and delaying the return of Christian Eriksen. In the first half of this quarterfinal match, Sabitzer rewarded the faith placed in him by his management by scoring the game's first goal.
Sabitzer skillfully maneuvered into a gap between the center backs and was found by Fernandes for a well-taken goal. He made advantage of a terrific scoring opportunity that was created by a great first touch.
When Anthony Martial's pass allowed Sabitzer to get through on goal in the 20th minute, he doubled his total and United's advantage. He beat Bounou with another crisp finish. There is hope that a contract may be reached in the summer, even if he is just on loan from Bayern Munich. It is beginning to appear as though it is necessary.
Players step up in Marcus Rashford's absence
Since Marcus Rashford injury himself over the weekend, Manchester United had not played. The group handled future challenges admirably.
Erik ten Hag felt at ease with his attacking options going into the match and exuded confidence. He was correct to be concerned, and it was a brilliant move on his part to reassign Sabitzer to an advanced position.
In Rashford's absence, United needed individuals to step up, and they did so in attack. This is encouraging for the upcoming games that the leading scorer will also miss.
Excellent line leadership by Anthony Martial enabled Sabitzer to score second. Despite losing steam at the end of the game, Jadon Sancho and Antony were both threats.
Fresh injury worries for Erik Ten Hag
Since joining Manchester United, injuries have not been Raphael Varane's friend. But things had been going really well for him lately. To keep him fresh, Ten Hag even gave him a nap before this event. Varane's luck against Sevilla ran out.
Due to a possible injury, he was replaced by Harry Maguire at halftime. I'm hoping it was merely a safety measure.
Varane is too superb to gamble with, and United was up 2-0 at the break. He cleared the ball off the line towards the end of the first half, making a key intervention. Lisandro Martinez suddenly going down untouched complicated things towards the end of the second half. He needed two Sevilla players' assistance to leave, and they carried him down the tunnel.
Manchester United falls apart in the second half
With a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, it appeared as though Manchester United would duplicate their epic victory over Roma.
But the flood of ambitions never materialized. The closest United came to extending the tally was when Antony rattled the post.
After what appeared to be a consolation goal from Sevilla, United was forced to finish the game with 10 men due to Martinez's injury.
This seemed like a chance lost. Sevilla's necks were being squeezed, but United backed off. Sevilla tied the score at 2-2 with a deflected goal to equalize.
Now, instead of being the dead rubber we had anticipated it would turn out to be, the second leg is going to be a true contest.
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