Manchester United v Real Betis Live Commentary & Result, 09/03/2023, UEFA Europa League

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United's coasting to a 4-1 victory in this first leg should make the second a formality - however, that's never the case in football, is it? Betis' second half was dismal, as they tailed off massively following a bright end to the first period, and unless Los Verdiblancos can produce something special to turn the tide at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, the place up for grabs in the quarter-finals is the Red Devils' to lose.

After a dismal performance against Liverpool in their Anfield nightmare, United captain Fernandes stood above the rest to lead by example in this game. The playmaker completed five key passes, recording one assist, as well as two attempts on goal, scoring with one. He also managed more touches, crosses, and successful passes in the Betis half than any of his team-mates, contributing three tackles and a clearance at the other end. Response.

A brilliant second half performance from Manchester United sends them into the second leg with a massive 4-1 advantage, which looks unassailable based on the last 45 minutes of dominant football. It was one-way traffic towards the Betis goal from the minute Antony's 52nd-minute strike hit the top corner, with United adding another through Bruno Fernandes six minutes later before Wout Weghorst rounded off the scoring inside the last 10. Betis repelled a fair amount of the Red Devils' chances too, with Claudio Bravo making nine saves in total, and with a three-goal cushion going into the return leg in Seville, Erik ten Hag's side will be more than confident of advancing to the last eight.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 4-1 REAL BETIS.

90' + 4' Pellistri charges down the right once more and crosses to the near post, but Pezzella gets across to hook the ball away from danger!

90' + 3' SAVED!!! Fernandes slips another fantastic throughball forward which Pellistri latches onto. He drills a low shot towards the near post, which takes a nick off Felipe before being tipped wide by Bravo!

90' + 1' WIDE!!! Fernandes' corner is drilled to the near post, where Martinez arrives and attempts a volley which he rattles wide!

90' We'll play four added minutes at the end of a second half which Manchester United have been well on top of, and then some.

89' WIDE!!! Fernandes finds Casemiro lying in wait on the edge of the box, and the midfielder pulls the trigger, sending his effort through the crowd to flash inches wide of the far post!

87' McTominay finds Sancho bursting forward, who tees up Pellistri to his right. The youngster's heavy touch takes the ball away from him, and he slides in, wildly catching Felipe and conceding a free-kick.

85' Abner cuts inside to cross from the left, but Ruibal's glancing header has nowhere near enough power on it to trouble De Gea.

83' Weghorst doubles his tally for Manchester United since joining on loan from Besiktas in January, and his first strike at Old Trafford had the Stretford End rocking!

W. Weghorst

Goal

82' GOOOOAAAALLL!!!! A richly deserved fourth for the Red Devils!!! Pellistri is straight into the action, and burns around the outside of two defenders on the right, before cutting the ball back from the byline. McTominay meets it with a first-time shot that Bravo parries, but the ball falls for Weghorst to slot home the goal he's been chasing all night!! 4-1 on the night, and United's dominance of this second half suggests that this tie may already be done and dusted - we're not even halfway through it yet.

F. Pellistri

Antony

82' Antony also comes off, and Uruguayan Facundo Pellistri replaces the United winger.

S. McTominay

Fred

81' Scott McTominay is on for the hosts, replacing Fred in the heart of midfield late on.

Willian José

Juanmi

80' Juanmi is off in the latest Betis change, with Willian Jose brought on to see out the final 10 minutes.

80' Fernandes clips a first-time pass into the path of Weghorst, but Felipe gets in the way to put the ball behind for a corner.

79' SAVED!!! What a save!!! Carvalho's slip in midfield allows Weghorst time and space to put Antony through on goal, but out charges Bravo to close the distance between man and ball, parrying the Brazilian's shot wide and denying a certain fourth goal!

78' United haven’t lost the first leg of any of their last eight European knockout ties. When their first leg has been at home in the Europa League, the Red Devils have lost just one of 11 matches, against Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao side in March 2012.

76' BLOCKED!!! What a recover that was!!! United break and Fernandes finds Fred. His throughball wide is hacked half-clear by a desperate Felipe, and the ball falls straight to Weghorst. He shoots first-time, but the defender gets back in cover to deflect the attempt safely into Bravo's gloves!

74' Ruibal takes on Malacia down the right and looks to whip a cross towards the back post, but the substitute left-back stands his ground and blocks the attempt away for a Betis throw-in.

73' Antony picks up the ball in space once more and looks to find the far corner, but his low effort is poor and rolls wide of the post.

72' Since his Manchester United debut in February 2020, only Mohamed Salah (16) and Harry Kane (15) have scored and assisted in more different games among Premier League players in all competitions than Bruno Fernandes (14).

70' Antony is put into open space and crosses for Sancho who attempts to slot the ball into Casemiro's path, but his pass is cut out by Pezzella!

Bruno Fernandes

Yellow Card

68' Guardado underhits a back-pass to Bravo, and Fernandes slides in going for the ball. He gets nothing on it though, instead catching the goalkeeper late, and the riskiness of that challenge results in the United captain being shown a yellow card.

67' SAVED!!! Sancho jinks inside and dribbles into the box. Crowded out by green-and-white shirts, he pulls the ball back to Fred, whose first-time finish is easily collected by Bravo at his near post!

Borja Iglesias

Ayoze Pérez

65' Los Verdiblancos also make a change up front, as equalising goalscorer Perez is replaced by their overall top scorer this season, Borja Iglesias.

A. Guardado

G. Rodríguez

65' Rodriguez is the latest player withdrawn by Manuel Pellegrini, and veteran Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado comes on for Betis.

T. Malacia

L. Shaw

65' Shaw also comes off having made a significant contribution at both ends, and Tyrell Malacia comes on to see out the last half hour or so.

J. Sancho

M. Rashford

65' Rashford's opener sent Manchester United on their way to what looks like being a comfortable victory in this game, and the in-form striker is replaced by his international team-mate Jadon Sancho.

63' OVER!!! It should be four!!! Weghorst gives Wan-Bissaka space to run into, and he cuts the ball back to Antony. A one-two with Fernandes puts Antony through on goal, but with Fred in open space to his left, the winger attempts to chip the goalkeeper and lofts the ball over the bar! The ball nestles on top of the net, and Antony really should have squared for his Brazilian compatriot there!

62' Play halts due to an injury to Perez, after the Betis goalscorer was clipped by Fernandes, but we're soon back underway with United on the attack.

60' SAVED!!!! The ball drops to Wan-Bissaka on the edge of the area, and his shot is blocked wide to Antony. The second goalscorer cuts inside and fires off another attempt with his left foot, but it takes a deflection before Bravo can smother the ball!

Aitor Ruibal

Luiz Henrique

59' Luiz Henrique also comes off for Los Verdiblancos, with Aitor Ruibal, another who has two European goals this season, replacing the Brazilian.

Sergio Canales

Joaquín

59' Joaquin comes off in Betis' first change of the game, with the captain replaced by his second-in-command Sergio Canales in the number 10 role.

L. Shaw

Assist

58' Shaw’s corner perhaps caught Betis by surprise, but it was a pinpoint ball that gave Fernandes a fantastic opportunity to head goalwards.

Bruno Fernandes

Goal

58' GOOOOAAAALLL!!! United make it three!!! Shaw's outswinging corner is met superbly by Fernandes at the front post, and his header is too much for Bravo to handle as the ball finds the back of the net! It's woefully poor marking from Betis from the corner, but the captain won't care as he makes it 3-1!

57' Fernandes fizzes a first-time cross into the danger area, and the ball speeds across the face of goal before Sabaly clears with Rashford in close proximity!

W. Weghorst

Yellow Card

56' Weghorst bundles Pezzella out and over the touchline, and is far from happy when the referee penalises him. That dissent sees the official take things a step further, as he brandishes a yellow card Weghorst's way.

54' That pearler of a strike is Antony's second consecutive goal in Europa League knockout games, and among Premier League players in all competitions this season, only Kevin De Bruyne and James Ward-Prowse (both four) have scored more goals from outside the box than Antony's three.

Bruno Fernandes

Assist

52' Fernandes gets the assist having found Antony in space on the right, but the Brazilian's signature cut-back onto his left should have been a warning sign for Betis - but they didn't react quick enough!

Antony

Goal

52' GOOOOOOAAAALLLL!!! Super strike!!! Fernandes finds Antony to the right, and cuts back onto that dangerous left foot of his. Betis don't close him down quick enough and he shoots, leaving Bravo rooted to the spot as the ball sails straight into the top corner! 2-1 to the hosts, and the second half begins just as the first did - with a bang!

51' United have won each of their last seven home games in all competitions when level at half-time, since a goalless draw with Newcastle back in October.

49' Fernandes drops very, very deep to held out his defence, and finds Shaw with a superb long pass forward. Shaw charges into space and looks to find Rashford, but his ball to the striker is less than superb and Rodriguez easily cuts it out.

48' 41.5 per cent of the action was in Manchester United's defensive third over the last 15 minutes of the first half, and can Betis pick up where they left off to find a second goal here?

46' Perez resumes proceedings at Old Trafford, and we're back underway in the second half!

A. Wan-Bissaka

Diogo Dalot

46' United make a half-time change as Aaron Wan-Bissaka comes on for Dalot at right-back, looking to provide some more defensive solidity in that area of the pitch.

The teams are back out for the second half, and although the weather has let up a tad, here's hoping the entertainment won't be following suit!

Rashford's opener got the hosts on the front foot, but Weghorst up front has been a superb outlet for the Red Devils to aim for, with the on-loan Dutchman providing many a chance. He's had three shots from inside the box, generating a massive 0.94 xG with his one on target, and has also won all four of his aerial duels. He's lost four more on the ground though, but has won one of three tackles, as well as making one interception and clearance apiece. Target.

All square at the break, and it's been one hell of an entertaining first 45 minutes! Rashford's early opener was the perfect reaction to United's 7-0 humbling at Anfield, and the hosts had chances to extend their lead, with Weghorst in particular going close on several occasions. Back came Betis though, with United's shaky defence stretched and Perez lashing in a superb equaliser. We've got a delicately poised second half ahead of us, and one which should see plenty of goalmouth action at both ends!

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 REAL BETIS.

45' + 1' CHANCE!! Dalot hangs a high cross into the centre of the six-yard box, but Bravo's strong hand punches the ball clear with Weghorst closing in!

45' + 1' We're into a sole minute of added time at the end of an action-packed first half at Old Trafford.

45' Fernandes plays a clever one-two with Antony and advances into the box, but he looks to find Rashford rather than shoot and Sabaly intercepts before clearing at the far post!

44' OFF THE WOODWORK!!! A horror show of a clearance from De Gea is immediately snatched upon by Juanmi, who plays in Perez. His shot deflects off Fernandes and beats De Gea, but the ball bounces across the face and off the post before Shaw hammers it clear!

43' BLOCKED!!! Weghorst plays Rashford in behind, who bursts clear of the chasing defence and engages Bravo before squaring to Antony. His shot is a poor one though, and Abner gets in the way as the ball spins into the safe gloves of Bravo!

41' With half-time approaching, there's nothing to separate these sides. It's been tetchy to say the least since Perez's equaliser, however whenever Rashford is on the ball for the hosts, both the home crowd and the Betis defence anticipate another moment of magic.

39' Betis have won just one of their last seven knockout matches in the Europa League, a 3-2 victory against Zenit in February 2022. However, their three knockout wins in the competition have all come away from home, at Rubin Kazan, Sevilla, and Zenit.

37' The Betis free-kick routine sees the ball worked into the box, where Abner cuts onto his right foot and attempts a shot, but it's blocked behind to give the Balompie a corner.

36' A poor ball backwards from Weghorst has Perez underneath it, but Casemiro climbs up his back to concede a free-kick and gift Betis another chance to cross into the area.

34' That Betis equaliser was their eighth first-half goal in seven Europa League games so far this season, with six of these coming in the final 15 minutes of the first 45!

Juanmi

Assist

32' That finish from Perez was on a par with Rashford's opener, but the close control and vision from Juanmi to find his striker was even better!

Ayoze Pérez

Goal

32' GOOOOAAAALLL!!!! What a finish to equalise, and Old Trafford is silenced! A cross-field pass is chested down by Juanmi, who cuts inside before switching play back to the right. It's controlled by Perez, who smashes the ball across the face of goal and beats De Gea to finish in the far corner! A superb low shot, and just like that, Betis are level at 1-1!

30' Fernandes' hanging cross from the corner drops for Casemiro, who attempts a shot on the turn from close range but can only send the ball skyward and behind.

29' SAVED!!! The ball drops for Antony to charge forward in midfield. He links up with Rashford to his left, whose side-footed effort to the far corner is parried away by Bravo! Weghorst recovers the ball and tees up Fernandes, but his finish is deflected wide off a Verdiblancos defender!

27' OVER!!! How has he missed that? Antony whips a teasing low cross right into Weghorst's path, but the big striker can only hit the bouncing ball with his shin, and sends it a mile over the bar from just five yards out! A great cross, but the less said about that finish, the better!

26' Shaw switches play to Rashford on the right flank, and after linking up with Fred, the England forward whips in a cross for Antony in the box. His first touch brings the ball down, but Carvalho steps in to deprive him of a second and Betis will look to counter!

24' Juanmi touches down the Betis corner and Felipe tries his luck with a half-volley from the edge of the box, but the defender's shot ricochets off Weghorst before the hosts clear their lines!

23' Perez finds Henrique running into space down the right, and he takes on Shaw in the box before Fernandes arrives to knock the ball behind for a Betis corner.

21' Real Betis have lost four of their previous six European games against English opposition, with this their first such game since a 0-0 draw in November 2005, against Liverpool in the Champions League.

19' Bravo's been moving rather gingerly since that sliding collision with Rashford on the edge of his box, but the Chilean looks fine to carry on as play continues.

18' CHANCE!!! A Rodriguez back-pass puts Bravo under all sorts of pressure, and Rashford is so close to getting to the ball first before the Betis goalkeeper races out of his box to scythe the ball clear!!

17' WIDE!!! Agonisingly wide from Weghorst! Shaw and Rashford play a one-two down the left, with the latter squaring for Weghorst. His first-time effort looks destined for the bottom corner, but the ball rolls millimetres wide of the target!

16' Casemiro's ball into the area is over the head of Antony, but is chased hard by the winger before Bravo comes out to claim the ball.

14' Antony bursts forward and beats Abner around the outside before cutting back onto his left foot. He wants to shoot from inside the box, but is shrugged off the ball by Rodriguez and the visitors recover possession!

13' United have won all four of the games in which they've scored first in this season's Europa League, and Rashford's early opener gives them a golden opportunity to make that record five from five.

11' Carvalho wins possession in midfield and looks to play Perez into space down the left, but the on-loan Leicester forward is needlessly offside and the linesman flags accordingly.

9' SAVED!!! Casemiro clips a brilliant ball into the box with the outside of his foot, which finds the head of Weghorst. His diving attempt is on target, but Bravo is able to get down to his right and hold the ball!

8' Rashford becomes the outright top scorer in this season's Europa League with five goals, taking his tally this season to 26 in all competitions.

M. Rashford

Goal

6' GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!! What a strike, and what a response!!! United break forward in numbers and Fernandes attempts to find Weghorst in the box. Pezzella clips it away, but the ball only finds Rashford, who takes a touch before rifling a thumping shot goalwards, giving Bravo no chance and finding the back of the net!!! The power on that shot was simply unsavable, and it puts Manchester United 1-0 up just six minutes into this match!

6' CHANCE!!! Dalot's poor back-pass puts De Gea in some trouble, and he heads straight to Juanmi. He squares to options in the box, but it's cleared by the Red Devils!

5' NO GOAL! Fernandes finds Fred in space to the right, but he's a mile offside and the linesman has his flag in the air before the Brazilian crosses for Weghorst to tap home! A faint cheer goes up from the home fans, but it's a textbook decision and the goal won't count!

4' This is the first ever meeting between Manchester United and Real Betis in any competition, with Los Verdiblancos becoming the 12th different Spanish side the Red Devils have faced in major European competition - the most from a single nation.

2' The hosts win an early corner which is crossed into the box by Shaw, but Sabaly beats Casemiro in the air to head it clear for Betis.

1' Fernandes kicks off for Manchester United, and we're underway in the first leg of this Europa League knockout tie!

The teams trudge out onto a snowy Old Trafford pitch, but the atmosphere here is anything but frosty!

Betis have had scorers aplenty in the Europa League this season, with five different players netting twice and another two scoring once apiece. Luiz Henrique is the only one of the former five to start this game, and he’ll look to exploit space down the right for Los Verdiblancos.

Marcus Rashford’s career-best scoring form has translated to the continental stage, and he’s the joint-top scorer in this season’s Europa League with four strikes so far, including one in the first leg of the qualifying tie against Barcelona. He starts up front for the hosts, with second-leg scorers Antony and Fred making up two of their five-man midfield as Erik ten Hag keeps the exact same XI that started the 7-0 mauling on Merseyside.

REAL BETIS SUBS: Rui Silva, Dani Martin, Edgar Gonzalez, Victor Ruiz, Borja Iglesias, Sergio Canales, Willian Jose, Andres Guardado, Aitor Ruibal, Rodri, Juan Miranda, Dani Perez.

REAL BETIS (4-2-3-1): Claudio Bravo; Youssouf Sabaly, German Pezzella, Luiz Felipe, Abner Vinicius; William Carvalho, Guido Rodriguez; Luiz Henrique, Joaquin, Juanmi; Ayoze Perez.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Tom Heaton, Jack Butland, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, Facundo Pellistri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Anthony Elanga, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Wout Weghorst, Bruno Fernandes; Marcus Rashford.

Betis finished top of their Europa League group after winning five of their six games, and thus didn’t have to play in a qualifier to reach this stage of the knockouts. Their form in La Liga coming into this match has also been strong, with three straight wins followed up by a 0-0 draw with reigning league champions Real Madrid.

The Red Devils played out a gripping two-legged tie against Barcelona in the round of 16 qualifiers, winning 4-3 on aggregate after a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in the second leg. However, they come into this game off the back of one of the most humiliating defeats in the club’s history, having been thumped 7-0 by Liverpool in their last league outing at Anfield.

Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this round of 16 knockout tie in the UEFA Europa League, as Manchester United face Real Betis.

Manchester United v Real Betis Live Commentary, 09/03/2023

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