It looks like Manchester United just can’t get to finals this season. After previously being eliminated in Carabao Cup and FA Cup during the semi-finals, they now experienced the same fate in UEFA Europa League following a 2-1 loss to Sevilla on Sunday night.
United struggled in QF against F.C. Copenhagen, needing a penalty in overtime to advance to the next stage. In the match with Sevilla, however, they looked a lot better and managed to get to lead in the 9th minute.
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford delivered a great piece of one-two play in the penalty box, after which Sevilla’s defender Diego Carlos tackled Rashford in the forbidden area. Referee Felix Brych showed to the spot, and Bruno Fernandes confidently converted.
But the Premier League side couldn’t keep the lead too long, as Suso scored in 26th minute to give Sevilla an equalizer for 1-1. This ended up being the score for the first half.
In the second half, Manchester United had a chance to get ahead, but Martial, Rashford, Fernandes, and Fred all failed to score from tremendous opportunities thanks to Sevilla’s goalie Yassine Bounou. After weathering through a period of United’s dominance, La Liga club decided to strike back and managed to get to lead thanks to a 78th-minute goal from super-sub Luuk De Jong.
The result didn’t change until the end, and Sevilla celebrated an inspiring 2-1 comeback win while Man Utd had to head home.
“I feel like I’ve been hugged by joy. We know what this side has been through, today included, and we’ve got such a resilience against such intensity,” said Sevilla’s manager Julen Lopetegui.
Sevilla advanced to their sixth UEFA Europa League (UEFA Cup) finals. They won the competition in all five previous attempts.
This defeat means that Man Utd haven’t won a trophy for three consecutive seasons, which is their longest drought since the ‘80s.
“It’s difficult. The boys are devastated,“ said United’s captain Harry Maguire. “We created numerous chances. The best team lost. They punished us for missing chances. They didn’t make many chances to be honest.“
