Opposition Watch: Sevilla record huge away win
Manchester United travel to Spain this week knowing that Thursday’s Europa League tie against Sevilla is finely poised.
Following the 2-2 draw in the first leg of our quarter-final at Old Trafford last week, it’s all to play for, and both sides are coming into the second leg on the back of domestic away wins.
United defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City Ground on Sunday, and later in the day Sevilla beat Valencia by the same scoreline at the Mestalla Stadium.
The victory means manager Jose Luis Mendilibar remains undefeated in his first four games in charge of Los Rojiblancos, recording two wins and two draws across all competitions, as the six-time Europa League champions look to stride away from La Liga’s drop-zone.
What a win on the road 😎
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) April 16, 2023
Proud to be a Sevillista ❤ pic.twitter.com/ypzuH6HsWz
With left-back Marcos Acuna and midfielder Papi Gueye suspended, and possibly having Thursday’s clash with United in mind, Mendilibar made a whopping eight changes from the side that lined up at Old Trafford last week for the clash against Valencia.
The alterations paid off, however, with centre-back Loic Bade squeezing the ball home from a corner after a defensive mix-up in the hosts’ box, with 55 minutes on the clock.
Shortly after, Valencia had a penalty shout waved away when the ball appeared to strike Bade’s arm. The referee reviewed the call on the VAR monitor and stuck to his initial decision not to give the spot-kick.
As the game approached the closing stages, and the hosts pushed for a leveller, Sevilla struck the sucker-punch.
A well-worked move down the left resulted in the ball being played square to Suso, and the ex-Liverpool man arrowed his effort into the bottom corner to double Sevilla’s lead with little over 15 minutes to play.
There was more drama late on, with a Valencia penalty originally being awarded for an apparent foul on Marcos Andre, but following another VAR consultation it was overturned.
HIGHLIGHTS: #ValenciaSevillaFC 0-2
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) April 16, 2023
Valencia beaten as Sevilla impress at Mestalla!#LaLigaSantander | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/V1MfDM7Ppf
Valencia’s evening went from bad to worse soon after, with midfielder Illaix Moriba being dismissed for a late challenge on Bryan Gil.
Sevilla saw out the win to claim a valuable three points in La Liga, lifting them up to 12th place and giving them further momentum coming into the clash with United on Thursday.