United v Sevilla: Things we noticed

Marcel Sabitzer’s brace put Erik ten Hag’s side ahead in the first half, but two own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire gave the visitors parity ahead of the Reds' trip to Spain for the reverse fixture.

Despite the disappointing end to the game, there was a great amount of attacking brilliance shown by United during the game, especially in the opening 45 minutes when the front three of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial all linked together to produce great chances.

Here are some of the things we noticed against Los Nervionenses at the Theatre of Dreams...

EUROPEAN ATMOSPHERE

With a place in the Europa League semi-finals up for grabs, both sets of fans were giving their all. Flares were let off before the game by the away end with scarves aloft and balloons set free, while the Stretford End serenaded the Reds with chants of “We’re Man United and we’re never gonna stop.”

The noise inside Old Trafford was deafening when Jadon Sancho’s offside goal went in during the first minute. But when Marcel Sabitzer bagged his two goals in the first half, the Theatre of Dreams became unglued at the sight of the Austrian putting United ahead.

The visiting supporters would come alive again at the very end of the game, chanting and bouncing, as Sevilla came back to equalise.

ANTONY'S ATTACKS

Before the game, United manager Erik ten Hag told BT Sport: “I know now for three years, he is intelligent and he will step up. But he needs a challenge. I think he is so capable and has a very good mentality and wants to win games.” And tonight, the Brazilian dynamo showed exactly what he brings to United's front line.

Just 28 seconds into the tie, Antony slipped through a wonderful pass into the path of Jadon Sancho to slot home, but the wing wizard had wandered into an offside position, and the goal was ruled out for offside. Following that, United’s no. 21 attempted to lift the ball over Bounou at the start of the second half to try and grab United’s third goal.

Antony's best chance came from a quick counter attack just before the hour mark, when the former Ajax maestro broke down the right wing, using trickery to get the best to Marcos Acuna. Antony managed to turn his body and try his signature left-footed curling shot past Bounou, but the resulting strike cannoned off the crossbar.

NEW-LOOK FRONT LINE

With Marcus Rashford out with an injury, Erik ten Hag decided to rejig the United front line and play Anthony Martial in the striker's position, with Jadon Sancho taking up Rashford’s position on the left-wing and Anthony on the right. Marcel Sabitzer continued in the no.10 position but was given the freedom to roam and this paid off when the Austrian beat the Sevilla defence on two separate occasions to snatch United’s two goals. Although this was the first time that particular front four had started together, it looked as though they had played together all season long. Their attacking link-up play was a joy to watch.

MILESTONES FOR ERIK AND AARON

The fixture against Sevilla was a landmark match for Ten Hag, who has now completed 50 games as United manager with the record of 35 wins, seven draws and only eight defeats. Meanwhile, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka reached 150 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.

CONCERNS FOR SECOND LEG

With five minutes to go in the first half, a Sevilla shot ricocheted off the arm of Bruno Fernandes. The referee immediately gave a free-kick in favour of the visitors and issued a yellow card to the Portuguese midfielder, who will now miss the reverse fixture at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium next Thursday.

At half-time, Harry Maguire came on to replace the injured Raphael Varane, who appeared to pick up a knock towards the end of the first half. But it would seem the biggest loss for next week's rematch will be their fellow centre-half Lisandro Martinez, who was carried off by his Argentina team-mates Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel and then put on a stretcher with what seemed to be a serious problem.

MARVELLOUS MARCEL

When Sabitzer arrived on loan from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day, we thought he would be a good addition to Ten Hag's squad. But the Austrian has since become a driving force in the team and he was involved in quite a lot of the play tonight, linking up well with Martial, Antony and Sancho in the no.10 role. He showed great intelligence in making his way through the heart of the Sevilla defence, picking up a Bruno Fernandes pass and placing the ball past Yassine Bounou to open the scoring. And the second goal was just as sweet. Sneaking around the back of Marcao and receiving a ball from Martial, the Austrian playmaker again got the better of Bounou to put Ten Hag’s side two goals up.

SEVILLA SNATCHED A DRAW

With United fully in control of the tie, it seemed we would be going to Spain with a huge advantage until the visitors somehow found a way back into the game. Former Manchester City winger Jesus Navas’ low cross diverted off Tyrell Malacia to give his side some hope. Then, with Lisandro Martinez picking up a serious injury and Ten Hag having used up all his substitutions, the Reds were forced to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game. This proved to be a task too arduous, as Youssef En-Nesyri's header bounced off half-time substitute Harry Maguire to make the score level.