Manchester United 2-2 Sevilla: Red Devils held to draw after two late own goals

For a long time this looked like a European tie that would be won over the course of just one game. Manchester United were so dominant against Sevilla, the 13th best team in Spain, that a rout looked likely. Two up in 21 minutes, an avalanche was on the cards.

For all that United were poor in the second half of this game, they were comfortable on the back of two early goals from their midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. Indeed, when young defender Tyrell Malacia took aim from 13 yards with eight minutes left, it seemed their performance was finally about to be garnished by another goal.

But when Malacia could not take his chance, the whole game turned. A minute later the same player was misjudging a cross at the other end and then diverting a cut back from Jesus Navas against goalkeeper David de Gea and into his own goal. That was 2-1 and felt bad enough. But worse was to come.

First United defender Lisandro Martinez fell unchallenged with what appeared to be an achilles injury. He was carried off, leaving United to play the game out with 10 men. 

And then, almost unbelievably in the second minute of stoppage time, a cross from the left was headed towards goal by Youssef En-Nesyri, struck Harry Maguire and beat the flat footed De Gea to his right.

Tyrell Malacia had deflected the ball into his own net just a few minutes earlier 

The full back was distraught after letting Sevilla back into the match late on

So United ended the game with four goals to their players’ names but with two of them landing in their own goal. What impact this now has on their season remains to be seen. Certainly it will affect what happens next week. 

United have an FA Cup semi-final three days after the return leg of this tie in Spain next Thursday and the opportunity to rest players in Seville has now well and truly gone.

United dominated the opening 45 minutes from first whistle to last. Seville were dreadful out of possession, their back four rarely in a straight line and their efforts to track United’s runners from deep almost non-existent. United were impressive, though.

With no Marcus Rashford and Ten Hag’s other available forward Wout Weghorst on the bench, this was an opportunity for Anthony Martial. The Frenchman was lively, too, often dropping into deeper and wider positions to feed colleagues bursting forward, often unchecked, from midfield.

On the wing, Antony was also sporadically dangerous and he brought the first save of the night from Bounou in the 15th minute, driving a shot towards the near post that the Sevilla goalkeeper turned away with one hand. 

The first goal arrived soon after, though. United’s pressure was persistent at that stage and when Bruno Fernandes slid Sabitzer through the middle, the Austrian had time to shoot high to Bounou’s right despite pressure from central defender Marcao.

Already this game had an ominous feel about it from a Spanish point of view. United looked in the mood to finish the tie over 90 minutes and stretched their lead just seven minutes later.

Marcel Sabitzer had scored twice in the first half to put United in full control before the break

The midfielder looked to be enjoying playing higher up the pitch as United started well

This time the build-up play was more direct as Martial was allowed to carry the ball from his own half. After turning inside the first defender he encountered, Martial was then alert to Sabitzer’s run forward and the through-ball was perfect. This time the finish was low to the goalkeeper’s right.

In the 10 minutes or so that followed, there could have been more. A scramble by the post almost presented Sabitzer with a 17-minute hat-trick. Then another central midfielder, Casemiro, threatened twice, once with a blocked shot and once with a header from a corner.

Sevilla were hanging on at this point but did finally bring a save from De Gea in the second minute of stoppage time, Tanguy Nianzou delivering a powerful header from a corner that the United goalkeeper parried.

United must have felt a third goal would kill the tie but after the break, Sevilla found a foothold at last in terms of possession and territory, if not chances. 

The only problem with that was it gave United the opportunity to play on the break and when Antony led a charge down the right just after the hour, he cut inside to crash a left-foot shot against the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.

Lisandro Martinez appeared to suffer a serious injury as he had to be helped from the pitch

Martinez was stretchered down the tunnel and there are now fears he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines

Still, Sevilla carried a threat themselves and when they did so, it was usually after they managed to overload midfield and release their full backs behind the United back four. This was a ploy that worked down their right-hand side in particular.

Three substitutes — including the returning Christian Eriksen — sought to lift United again with around 25 minutes remaining but there was no escaping the fact a little of the fizz had gone from their game. United still looked comfortable but that evaporated in the space of two very bad minutes for young left back Malacia.

First the Dutchman snatched at a chance to score his maiden United goal in the 83rd minute. Then, at the other end, he allowed a cross to bypass him at the far post and when Sevilla substitute Navas pulled the ball back across goal, it struck Malacia and then De Gea to end up in the net.

A game that had been so one-sided for so long ended with a quite different feel to it. United’s feeling of deflation worsened only when Martinez was carried off with two minutes to go — and became overwhelming when Maguire also diverted the ball into his own net.