"It's surprising for us" - Sevilla coach aims cheeky dig at Manchester United after Europa League win
Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has taken a sly dig at Manchester United following their Europa League victory, claiming that he did not think beating United would be this straightforward.
La Liga outfit Sevilla cruised to a 3-0 win in the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal clash against Manchester United on Thursday night (April 20). With the teams playing out a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford, Thursday’s win saw Sevilla qualify for the semi-finals with a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Mendilibar lauded his team for showing top-drawer intensity but also noted that the victory was easier than expected. The Spaniard said (via Metro):
“We came from an awkward situation in Manchester, where we drew 2-2 without doing things right, and people believed that we could do it. In the end we did it.
“It’s surprising for us to win a game against Manchester United without struggling and with such forcefulness, it’s not easy.”
The Red Devils found themselves a goal down just eight minutes into the game, with Youssef En-Nesyri punishing the visitors’ lackluster defending. Sevilla went 2-0 up in the 47th minute as Loic Bade found the back of the net from an Ivan Rakitic corner. En-Nesyri scored the final goal of the game in the 81st minute after David de Gea made a wrong judgment call and gave the ball straight to him.
David de Gea made two massive blunders in Manchester United’s defeat to Sevilla
David de Gea, one of the most experienced players on the team, made two errors that directly contributed to two Sevilla goals on Thursday night.
In the eighth minute, he played a hospital pass to Harry Maguire, who was in the vicinity of multiple Sevilla players. The Englishman came under severe pressure on the edge of the D and ultimately conceded possession to Erik Lamela, who set Youssef En-Nesyri up for a straightforward finish.
Again in the 81st minute, De Gea misjudged the flight of Marcos Acuna’s attempted long ball. Rushing off his line to clear Acuna’s delivery, the Spaniard made a hash of his first touch, gifting En-Nesyri a golden opportunity to double his money.
De Gea, who also misplaced four of his six attempted long balls, conceded thrice after facing an xGOT of 1.77.