FLYING YEDDER STUNS UNITED
Sub hits two in four minutes as Jose pays for lack of ambition
THE noise around Old Trafford told its own tale. The stunned silence, the frustration at the end. This was a long, long way from what was expected; a long, longer way from what was good enough.
It is said 0-0 in the first leg is a dangerous score, but Manchester United made it doubly so with an uninspired, cautious display that ended in humiliation on their home turf. Sevilla scored twice in a second half that exposed the limitations of this team, certainly their limitations when sent out to play in such an unimaginative way.
Marcus Rashford, alone, and even then only sporadically, showed the determination to run at the Spaniards, to challenge them in wide positions. The rest was mediocre in the extreme. Wayward, long balls. Ponderous, slow play. Attack, attack, attack, shouted the fans. Sevilla did, finally locating their range after a series of wild attempts to send United stumbling out of the competition, disoriented, humbled. At least they can concentrate on coming second now.
It is fitting that an attacking substitution changed the game. Wissam Ben Yedder has been Sevilla’s top scorer in Europe this season but hasn’t started either tie against United. Introduced with 18 minutes remaining here, he changed the game. His first goal came after two minutes of involvement, in which time his movement was already having an impact. It was a superbly taken goal. Pablo Sarabia picked him out through the middle and Ben Yedder held off the defensive attention to bury the ball at David de Gea’s left post. Statistics show how difficult that is this season.
The next — the killer — was a little less perfect but not less effective, a header at the back post that De Gea scrambled to clear but was judged correctly to have crossed the line. Romelu Lukaku pulled one back from a Juan Mata cross — and how United could have done with his invention from the start — but with only six minutes remaining it was too late.
Indeed, Ben Yedder should have had a third when one-on-one against De Gea but shot weakly against the goalkeeper’s leg.
Trying to do a job on Sevilla, United had a job done on them instead. If there is a blueprint from this match, it should be tucked away, never to be unfolded. This is no way for United to play in Europe; it is a way for them to lose.
It says something of the upheaval and trials of United since Alex Ferguson stood down that less than half of last night’s starting line-up had ever played a Champions League knockout game at Old Trafford — the defence-minded players, mostly. It was 2014 when United last ventured into the business end of this tournament and anyone who expected a safe, uneventful passage to the quarterfinals would have been very disappointed come half-time.
United had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes, but it was singular and they never looked other than vulnerable. Had Sevilla been able to hit a bovine backside with the proverbial stringed instrument they could have been in real trouble much earlier.
Nil-nil in the first leg is not the good result once imagined. Indeed, in the modern Champions League, 70 per cent of the teams who have got a goalless draw away have gone out in the second leg at home. United were bucking that trend with five progressions in eight after a 0-0 first leg away, but this did not make for comfortable viewing, even for Jose Mourinho.
He stood for long periods on the edge of the technical area, hands deep in pockets, expression sober. He had picked a midfield to smother as well as deliver, Marouane Fellaini preferred to Paul Pogba — or even Scott McTominay — beside Nemanja Matic, to counter Sevilla’s aerial threat from set-pieces, and offer some at United’s own.
Indeed, Fellaini played much as he did under Louis van Gaal, alternating between defensive midfield duties and support striker, flicking the ball on to that other giant, Lukaku. It wasn’t greatly effective. The one time United did threaten to score was in a sweet passing move between Fellaini and Alexis Sanchez that breached a very competent defence. That came in the 38th minute, Fellaini feeding Sanchez and getting the ball on the return before forcing an excellent save from Sergio Rico.
That aside, it was meagre stuff from United. They started brightly when Jesse Lingard put in Lukaku, who shot over with a minute on the clock, but then the lion’s share of possession, as well as several good shooting chances, were conceded to Sevilla, who could have made a devastating impact with greater accuracy. In the 10th minute, the dead ball threat that clearly concerned Mourinho was apparent, a left-side corner from Ever Banega met by wide man Joaquin Correa, whose header went over the bar. Sloppiness could have cost United dearly on several occasions and in the 14th minute a poor pass from Eric Bailly was struck directly to Correa, who gave it to Luis Muriel in a good position. He snatched at a very loose shot, however, and sent it over the bar. Much the same after 17 minutes when Sarabia, Muriel and Franco Vazquez combined before Vazquez sent another effort into the night air. Then, 11 minutes later, Fellaini conceded possession in his own half and allowed Sevilla to counterattack through Sarabia, and finally Muriel. Wide again.
De Gea, in United’s goal, had saved a staggering 20 of the 21 shots that have come his way in the Champions League this season — a statistic made all the more amazing if one considers that the ‘expected goals’ register says he should have conceded from five of them — but he was hardly needed before the break.
The second half started in much the same fashion, Correa dangerous in the penalty area, Bailly brilliant in the tackle to deny him, the ball falling to Vazquez, who sent it wildly into the stand.
For United, Lingard forced the second save of the night from Rico, before Rashford put a ball across the face of goal but found the vital touch elusive. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Valencia 6 (Mata 77min), Bailly 6, Smalling 6, Young 6; Matic 6, Fellaini 6 (Pogba 60, 5); Lingard 6 (Martial 77), Sanchez 5, Rashford 6; Lukaku 6.5. Subs not used: Romero, Lindelof, Darmian, McTominay. Scorers: Lukaku 84. Booked: Rashford. Manager: Jose Mourinho 5. SEVILLA (4-2-3-1): Rico 6; Mercado 6, Kjaer 7, Lenglet 6.5, Escudero 6; Nzonzi 8, Banega 7; Sarabia 6, Vazquez 6.5 (Pizarro 87), Correa 8 (Geis 89); Muriel 6 (BEN YEDDER 72, 8.5). Subs not used: Soria, Pareja, Nolito, Arana. Scorer: Ben Yedder 74, 78. Booked: Banega, Ben Yedder, Correa, Sarabia. Manager: Vincenzo Montella 7. Referee: Danny Makkelie 5. Attendance: 74,909.