In Seville, Spain, on April 20, 2023, Sevilla defeated Manchester United 3-0 in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final, qualifying for the semifinals with a 5-2 total aggregate score (Sky Sports).
The Manchester United team captained by Harry Maguire and led by coach Erik ten Hag had a night to forget, as two of their key players committed mistakes that led to the Sevilla goals.
David de Gea gifted Sevilla with their first goal after failing to clear a cross that ended with an easy tap-in for Sevilla’s striker (Manchester Evening News). The second goal came after a mistake by Maguire, who let a through ball go past him, allowing the other Sevilla forward to score one-on-one against de Gea (Sky Sports).
Despite having players such as Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Marcel Sabitzer, and Tyrell Malacia available, Manchester United failed to create any dangerous chances throughout the game (Sky Sports), while Sevilla controlled the match with their possession-based football (ESPN).
After the final whistle blew, Sevilla fans celebrated their team’s qualification to the semifinals, while Manchester United fans expressed their disappointment on social media (The Guardian). This loss put a dent in Manchester United’s ambitions to win the Europa League, a competition they won previously in 2017 by defeating Ajax 2-0 in the final (BBC).
Manchester United will now have to shift their focus back to the Premier League, where they are currently competing for a top-four finish to qualify for the Champions League next season (The Mirror).
