A game of two halves. Real Betis went toe-to-toe with Manchester United until half-time, but the Premier League outfit fought back with relentless intensity to blow away Los Verdiblancos in the second 45, leaving them with a near-impossible mountain to climb in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16.
MANCHESTER UNITED
David de Gea: 3 – Very poor in his distribution, and was lucky that Betis could not capitalise fully on his first-half error.
Diogo Dalot: 4
Raphaël Varane: 6 – The Frenchman took no chances, choosing to clear or head away any loose ball that came down his side.
Lisandro Martínez: 5
Luke Shaw: 6 – Looked threatening whenever on the overlap, putting in some dangerous crosses.
Casemiro: 7 – Came into his own in the second half as United upped the intensity, effortlessly manipulating possession with his long-range passing to open United overloads on the flanks. Did a solid job defensively.
Fred: 4
Antony: 7 – Looked full of zeal right from the whistle, proving to be a menace for Abner. Scored a spectacular curling goal from outside the box to give United the lead.
Wout Weghorst: 6 – Missed a couple of chances but got his first Old Trafford goal late on, as he added a fourth for the Red Devils.
Bruno Fernandes: 8 – Spectacular. United’s Portuguese ‘magnifico’ was at the heart of every build-up, creating a number of good chances with his crossing, including the opening goal. Ran in unmarked to head home a crucial third goal.
Marcus Rashford: 6 – Scored the first goal of the night, firing home inside six minutes. Didn’t find much joy otherwise, and was subbed off shortly after the hour mark.
SUBSTITUTES:
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 7 – Brought on at half-time, Wan-Bissaka tightened the screws on the right flank, whilst also getting involved frequently in United’s offensive transitions.
Jadon Sancho: 5 – A sharp 25 minutes on the pitch for the English forward.
Facundo Pellistri: 6 – Was the catalyst for the fourth goal, driving towards the byline before cutting it back into space.
Tyrell Malacia: 5
Scott McTominay: n/a
REAL BETIS
Claudio Bravo: 6 – Was swift and alert to rush out and prevent a couple of dangerous openings for Manchester United.
Youssouf Sabaly: 6 – A gritty defensive performance. Fantastic in the first half, and did his best against the United overloads on his side. Four clearances, three tackles, two interceptions and a block for the Senegal international.
Germán Pezzella: 5 – Superb in the first half, reacting quickly to United’s long ball threat. Could do little to prevent the second-half onslaught.
Luiz Felipe: 4 – Struggled to keep his footing in the rainy conditions, as his slip allowed Rashford the space to fire in the opener.
Abner: 3 – Was run ragged by Antony throughout the game, and added very little going forward.
Guido Rodríguez: 6 – A strong first-half performance, winning ten out of 14 duels and cleaning up well. Subbed off in the 65th minute, with Betis seeking a more offensive approach.
William Carvalho: 5 – Won the midfield battle in the first half in a Rolls Royce performance. Faded in influence as the game progressed, overpowered by United’s intensity.
Luiz Henrique: 5 – His defensive efforts in the first half kept United at bay up their left wing.
Joaquín: 4 – Underwhelming besides a couple of decent in-swinging set-piece deliveries.
Juanmi: 5 – Assisted Ayoze’s goal and was relentless in his pressing game in the first half. Ineffective as the game went by and Betis got pinned back by United.
Ayoze Pérez: 6 – Scored with a cracking finish to draw Betis level. Forced off with an injury in the second half.
SUBSTITUTES:
Sergio Canales: 4 – Could not influence the game with Betis mostly on the back foot in the latter parts of the game.
Andrés Guardado: 3 – Absolutely dreadful after coming on for Guido, completely incapable of handling the United pressure.
Borja Iglesias: 4
Aitor Ruibal: 4
Willian José: n/a
Roddur Mookherjee | GSFN
