Neither wounded pride nor team in depression, Manchester United, four days after receiving a 7-0 against Liverpool, beat Real Betis comfortably (4-1) and points to the quarterfinals of the Europa League that will have to endorse in Seville next week.
The ‘Red Devils’ were far superior to Betis, who believed in the miracle when Ayoze Pérez equalized Marcus Rashford’s first goal. But in the second half, in which the other day Liverpool scored six goals, United grew and with a fantastic Antony finished the game and leaves the tie very face for the Manchester team.
The snow that became the protagonist of the previous one did not anticipate a new cold performance of United, which came out to bite Betis and show that Liverpool, however recent it still is, was only an accident.
With six minutes on the scoreboard, Erik Ten Hag’s team had already had time to have a goal cancelled, Wout Weghorst for offside, and to generate another, legal.
Rashford, after a bad clearance from Luiz Felipe, stepped on the ball, as if it were a futsal match, and nailed it at an angle. A great goal to show why he is the fittest footballer in England.
The English had enough chances to extend the rent, through Weghorst and Rashford, but on the half hour, Juanmi controlled a ball on the left flank, drove inside and found Ayoze inside the area. The Spaniard, a great connoisseur of the Premier League, shot the ball and crossed it to De Gea’s second post. Another goal to replicate Rashford’s.
And only a stick prevented Betis from winning at half-time at Old Trafford, as an Ayoze interception, with his centre, bounced off Lisandro and went to the woodwork. De Gea, who had given away the ball in the construction of the play, breathed.
The nerves that could anticipate the final minutes of United in the first half did not make an appearance again and Ten Hag’s team gave a blow of authority in the second half, knowing themselves favorites in this competition.
The responsibility was assumed by Antony, who as soon as he could was located in the front, placed the ball on the left and put it in a square. In the duel of goals already won the Brazilian, who minutes later, with 3-1 on the scoreboard, missed two hand to hand that could sentence the tie.
Before, United took advantage of the passivity of the green-and-white defense to make the third. Luke Shaw took a corner and the controversial Bruno Fernandes appeared alone at the first post to head his goal.
The Portuguese could be sent off later, for a kick to Claudio Bravo, but the VAR did not go in to review the possible red card.
Eight minutes from the end, Facundo Pellistri drove the Betis defense crazy, put a pass back that finished off McTominay, stopped Bravo and Weghorst, at pleasure, made the final 4-1.
With the 4-1, Betis only has to hold on to a historic night in Seville to try to have options or at least compete, which at Old Trafford was impossible.
It is worth mentioning that only the tremendous performance of Bravo prevented a real massacre. At least six key saves had the Chilean goalkeeper. The national had three notable interventions in the first half and another three in the complement. In fact, in the initial stage his was key for Betis to continue in the game.
Betis is hanging in the Europa League. And only a feat, if not a miracle, would change history in the rematch to be played at Benito Villamarín Stadium next week.
Pellegrini acknowledges that in the second half the rival could “score more goals”
Manuel Pellegrini stressed that the English team achieved in the first bars of the second half “a great goal from Antony, who put it in the squad, and then with the other soon they opened the game,” he said about the 3-1 achieved by Fernandes before the first quarter of an hour.
“Then we could not have control and Manchester, with two goals advantage, calmed their game,” said the Chilean, who insisted that from 3-1 was when he made the changes because “before the game was even.”
On the options of overcoming these knockout stages with the 4-1 that the English team takes next Thursday to the Benito Villamarín stadium, he said that “everything is traceable in football. It’s not going to be easy but it’s going to be tried.”
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