Manchester United travelled to the Andalucia region in southern Spain earlier today for the return leg of their Round of 16 fixture against Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarín. Given that United had a 4-1 aggregate lead coming into this match, manager Erik ten Hag opted to rotate his squad a little bit and give some regular starters a rest during this grueling season. There was still plenty of firepower in the team though, as evidenced by the inclusion of forward Marcus Rashford and midfielder Bruno Fernandes. Meanwhile, Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini knew that if his side were to have any chance at turning the tie around, they would need the first goal. Ideally, it would also be early on.
And that is almost exactly what happened. Betis midfielder Juanmi had a sublime chance to score just 8 minutes in after he beat center back Harry Maguire to a long ball, but he was forced wide by Maguire and his re-directed shot rolled just outside United keeper David De Gea’s far post. Betis then had another very good chance in the middle of the pitch only three minutes later, when ageless winger Joaquín saw his long-range shot go off the post after it was partially deflected by the leg of United midfielder Casemiro. United were fortunate that neither of these efforts went in, as it would have changed the complexion of the match completely.
There was a real lack of composure in the first half for the Red Devils. They gave the ball away needlessly too many times, and Los Verdiblancos were looking very dangerous in attack when they went forward. Juanmi, Joaquín, and striker Ayoze Perez were putting themselves about effectively. Maguire and fellow center back Lisandro Martinez were usually on hand to snuff out any danger, but many were questioning the attack-minded nature of ETH’s tactics in the first half. United did not need to score to advance today. They just needed to make sure they didn’t lose by 3 goals or more. The needless turnovers in midfield were causing the away supporters a fair amount of concern, and it was only a lack of finishing that kept Betis from going ahead. Juanmi forced another save from an onrushing De Gea on 31 minutes, but this chance was nowhere near as good as his first one.
United’s best chance of the half came in stoppage time, when a Bruno free kick from the left wing was whipped into the area. It bounced around a bit before falling to winger (and first-time European starter) Facundo Pellistri, who got an awkward, bouncing shot away towards goal. It looked to be going wide, so striker Wout Weghorst threw himself at the shot to try and guide it into the goal. He failed to make clean contact though, and the ball struck the post with an immediate clearance from Betis. A great chance, but off the post from almost point-blank range. 0-0 at halftime, and while United likely could have played better, they had at least prevented Betis from getting an early goal. A goalless draw suited United just fine, today.
The second half was more of the same from both teams. Betis would go forward, then United, and vice versa. It should be said that United were better in the second half though. Much more possession and composure on the ball in midfield. They were also creating better chances too, with Rashford forcing a low save from Betis keeper Rui Silva on 53 minutes. Joaquín then had a header saved reflexively by De Gea from close range at the other end, before Rashford got another chance on the resulting counter-attack. He blazed over the bar though despite being put through on goal by Bruno. Undeterred, Rashford did find the back of the net on 55 minutes, and it was counter-intuitively the most difficult chance to score from. He received a pass from Casemiro in space in a forward position after a good ball recovery and run by Pellistri. The Betis defenders failed to close down Rashford, and he took a touch or two before unleashing a wicked dipping shot towards the goal. Silva couldn’t get over to it in time, and the ball nestled into the far corner of the goal. Well done to Rashford for keeping his composure and focus! It’s never easy to score from 25 yards out, but this effort had top-notch placement. That is now 27 goals for Rashford this season, but more importantly it was 1-0 to United (5-1 on aggregate)!
That goal effectively killed off the tie. It was a longshot for Betis to come back anyway, but they now had no hope. They were professional about it of course and kept attacking, but United grew in confidence once the first goal went in. Betis were not having the same joy going forward they were in the first half, and part of that is due to the introduction of midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. He was very effective at retaining possession for the Red Devils today, and he even forced a save from Silva on 65 minutes. Bruno and Rashford were also substituted off with the result now locked up. Weghorst had a chance fall to him on 70 minutes, but again he couldn’t get good contact on the shot and it was an easy save for Silva. There were no major chances after that, as Betis seemed somewhat resigned to their fate and United were in cruise control. The match ended 1-0 on the day, 5-1 on aggregate to United!
Most of the heavy lifting in this tie was done in the first leg last week at Old Trafford. Aside from the two early chances today, Betis never looked like getting themselves back into the fixture. United’s defense was pretty solid, with De Gea his usual reliable shot-stopping self. There are still questions about De Gea playing the ball with his feet and commanding his penalty area, but again he always handles his shot-stopping duties well. A great debut for Pellistri too! He didn’t score or assist, but he was involved in the build-up to the goal and in United’s best first-half chance. He is industrious and difficult to knock off the ball, despite his diminutive stature. His quickness and close control with the ball are also ideal for a right winger. He needs more game time, but he is in line behind fellow wingers Antony dos Santos and Jadon Sancho. Sancho also looked alright when he came on for Rashford today, but he really needs to have a breakout game soon to justify his high weekly wages. Happy to see Bruno, Rashford, Antony, left back Luke Shaw, and center back Raphael Varane all get a little bit of a rest today.
United are through to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, and they will find out who their opponent is at tomorrow’s draw. There are a lot of strong teams left, so nothing is guaranteed despite the good performance in this tie. Next up for the lads though is an FA Cup quarterfinal fixture against Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday. The winner of that match moves on to the semifinals at Wembley stadium next month. Well done to the lads on a very professional victory today.
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