Manchester United looked to have broken their witchery against Spanish teams after beating Barcelona and Real Betis.
Defeating Sevilla over two legs was too much for this injury-plagued squad. Manchester United have been eliminated from the Champions League for the sixth consecutive season, three times by Sevilla.
A 5-2 aggregate loss against Spain’s 13th-ranked team is humiliating. This was a horrible display.
Winning three cup events was always a tall order. Now the best conceivable outcome is two. Defeat here means United must recover swiftly for the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton on Sunday.
1. Bruno was missed
The suspension of Bruno Fernandes was always going to be a difficult obstacle to overcome. The midfielder is the team’s beating heart.
United are accustomed to playing without many additional players. Fernandes is rarely absent.
The Red Devils’ lack of creativity in the first half only aided Sevilla’s pressure, with only one shot on target.
His spirit was also missed. United lacked a spark and edge, and they were too passive both on and off the ball.
2. Lack of Focus
This was a poor performance, and Sevilla deserves kudos for getting one up on us yet again. But, if we dig a little deeper, Manchester United blew this tie in the first leg.
Manchester United should have been out of sight last week, 2-0 up after 20 minutes at Old Trafford, and put this tie to bed before the return leg.
Instead, the team slowed down and made two late-game blunders to tie the game 2-2 and give Sevilla hope for the second leg.
3. Martinez and Rafael Defence
Lisandro Martinez and Rafael Verane of Manchester United will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his foot and injury respectively.
Martinez had fractured a metatarsal bone and will not play again this season. Martinez was stretchered off during Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal, and medical tests on Friday revealed that he has fractured a metatarsal bone and will not play again this season.