DE GEA’S LIGHTNING SAVE
Amazing reaction rescues United
No, it most certainly wasn’t vintage Manchester United in Europe. Sevilla dominated, Sevilla should have won.
There were precious few chances for the visitors and no away goal. After the fireworks of recent English sorties it was without doubt underwhelming. And yet, they soaked it up, came away with a draw and will fancy their chances at home. So this was a good night for United, in many ways.
A clean sheet, the beginning of the rehabilitation of Paul Pogba, who came on as a 17th-minute substitute and improved the team, another furiously energetic display from Alexis Sanchez.
This was never going to be the sort of game that the English team win by four or five away goals. Sevilla are much better than Basle or Porto. Between them, these two clubs have won the last four Europa League finals, Sevilla accounting for three of them. They know what they are about at the European knockout stages.
So, increasingly, do Manchester United under Jose Mourinho. He won the lesser of the UEFA trophies last season and will expect, after this, to be competing in the last eight of the Champions League. United are still vulnerable at old Trafford in the return — any scoring draw sends Sevilla through — but while David de Gea was plainly United’s star performer, he wasn’t needed as often as he should have been. Sevilla’s finishing was poor. They had 25 shots, just eight on target, and the majority of those powder puff.
De Gea made one brilliant save, another very good one and a handful he could have claimed in his sleep. If there is a reason Sevilla are outside the Champions League places in Spain it will be their finishing. A great forward line would have put United away last night.
Mind you, the same could be said of the one good chance that fell to Romelu Lukaku. The chance came after 25 minutes — Manchester United hadn’t had a shot until that point — when Sanchez, very energetic, very quick to go to ground, very trying on the patience of the locals, played the most beautiful chip that picked out Lukaku in more space than any striker should receive in the box. Lukaku panicked, without question. He opted to take it first time when maybe he could have been patient, and skied it horribly over the bar.
In the circumstances, however, goalless will have to do. United are comparative novices in the Champions League these days. They have won just one of their last six Champions League knockout games and last visited this stage of the tournament when David Moyes was in charge. Louis van Gaal couldn’t get them there, Moyes didn’t get a second chance, and this is Mourinho’s first.
So he had a plan. It might not be a popular one, but it worked in its limited way. United soaked up Sevilla’s pressure, before introducing the pace of Marcus Rashford with 15 minutes to go and Anthony Martial soon after. The problem was, by then, Sevilla had been allowed to dominate for too long. United couldn’t get into the game. So it fell to a well-marshalled defence and the outstanding De Gea to see them home safely.
This they did, aided by some wanton finishing from Sevilla. Pablo Sarabia headed over from close range after 74 minutes, Clement Lenglet should have done more with another header in the 64th minute, Joaquin Correa had several breakthroughs on the left without providing an adequate finish and referee Clement Turpin wisely dismissed a late moment of deviousness from Jesus Navas, trying to win a penalty against Pogba.
It was former Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins who said before the game that Sevilla were a bottom- six Premier League team. How much he has seen of Sevilla, or how much respect he has for Brighton, who he reckons would be above them, is unknown, but contrary to predictions this was hard, hard work for the visitors. Certainly harder than they would get from West Brom.
It is a sign of the times that three of the four full backs on show last night, including both of United’s, were once flying wingers. Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Jesus Navas have all been reinvented as the modern game changes.
Sevilla also have a conventional wide presence in Correa and much of their best work comes through him. He set the template for Sevilla’s attacks after just four minutes by feeding the ball in to striker Luis Muriel, forcing a strong onehanded save from De Gea, the first of many important interventions.
Valencia had more aggravation with Correa than Mike Pence in Pyeongchang, and he could have scored twice in the first half, cutting inside from the flank, the first straight at De Gea, the second an attempt to place his
finish, neither effective. Yet in firsthalf time added on, Sevilla forged the best two chances of the game, back to back. A corner was only half cleared and centre half Gabriel Mercado tried an unlikely overhead kick that Steven N’Zonzi helped on its way to goal, De Gea responding magnificently to tip his header over the bar.
Again the corner wasn’ t adequately dispatched to safety, allowing N’Zonzi to recycle the ball, finding Muriel who had managed to lose his marker, and everybody else, and was in clear space, certain to score. What a save De Gea produced to deal with that. If there is better goalkeeper in the world right now, Ray Wilkins probably hasn’t heard of him, and neither have the rest of us.
So disappointing, but no disaster. Mourinho, of all people, knows the value of nights like this. He just can’t afford another one like it when they meet again next month.