Dealing with pressure
You could say Manchester United walked out into a red hot cauldron at the Ramon Sanchez-Pijuan, but white was the colour of choice for the Rojiblancos. Conscious that the 3,000 travelling fans would be clad in red, Sevilla made a plea for their supporters to wear white. The message got through.
United might have been dressed in red, but they waved the white handkerchief in Seville. This was a pitiful collapse, both on the night and in a tie they had total control of. From 2-0 up they conceded five goals across 93 minutes of this tie. The compilation of those goals would work well with the Benny Hill theme tune.
A wall of white doesn't sound intimidating, but the noise created by the 40,000 or so home supporters was spectacular. This stadium was built without a roof, presumably to make the most of the city's year-round sunshine, but also perhaps with the thought that it could blow off on nights like this.
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But then you glanced at Sevilla's home record and saw seven defeats this season for a mid-table La Liga side. All it was going to take was a professional performance to quieten them down and let class show. But this team have a tendency to panic and lose control.
Erik ten Hag might have thought he'd eradicated those traits, but they still rise to the surface every now and again. He has improved the mentality of this squad, but there is still work to be done. If Sunday's win against Nottingham Forest was promising, this was pitiful. There was no character and no personality in this team.
How this side chucked away that two-goal led in this tie will forever remain a mystery, but this is a team that keeps finding ways to throw it away in the latter stages of competitions. The Carabao Cup win was supposed to be the start of something, but Thursday night in Seville was a sign that the United who freeze on big occasions are still very much alive and kicking.
An already tricky-looking FA Cup semi-final against Brighton suddenly looks fraught with danger for a team who have embraced calamity in this tie. Ten Hag needs to find a way to rebuild the shattered confidence after a dismal night.
Maguire's mistakes
Opinion is going to remain split on the role of David de Gea and Harry Maguire for Sevilla's opening goal. Both of them are culpable to some degree here and as captain Maguire should be telling his goalkeeper to get the ball out of the danger zone, not demanding it in a dangerous area when he can see he has players near him.
He also lacked awareness when the ball came to him. He could have let the ball run and played it forward, beating an aggressive press, but instead played a pass that never looked on.
Maguire's own goal against the same opponents a week ago was unfortunate, but he had a shaky start against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and just doesn't look cut out for this level or this manager.
A separation this summer is surely the best outcome for both parties. There will be interest in Maguire as a starter from Premier League clubs and United can get a relatively high earner off the books, earning a decent fee and freeing up the club captaincy.
At the moment, this is a relationship that is no longer working.
Sancho's struggles continue
The first-half focus in Seville was on United's shambolic defending and passive performance, but it was summed up by Jadon Sancho, of whom serious questions must start to be asked.
This was a lifeless performance from the £73million winger and after 69 appearances for the club you would struggle to make the case that even a quarter have been of the requisite standard.
Not only is Sancho not producing in the final third, with just 10 goals and five assists, but he rarely looks up for the fight either. On one occasion in the first half he failed to sprint back with Lucas Ocampos. On the stroke of half-time he pulled out of a 50-50 with Suso on the edge of the area and was extremely fortunate it came to nothing.
Injuries have meant Sancho has had a run in the team recently, but those bright sparks we saw when he made his return from his three-month absence have long since disappeared.
Fernandes' costly absence
When Bruno Fernandes was booked last week with United 2-0 up it looked like it might be a well-timed suspension. Instead, United have been left to lament what was a poor decision from the German referee.
Fernandes was suspended for United's Premier League defeat to Aston Villa in November and now missed another woeful night for his club. His creativity was badly missed in what was one of the worst midfield displays of the season.
United's play in possession in Seville was woeful. Simple passes went astray time after time. There was a lack of quality on the ball and a lack of care and attention as well.
You felt it was the kind of standard that Fernandes would raise and also that he wouldn't stand for. He shouldn't be needed every week, but without the 28-year-old United looked lost.
Missing Martinez
The only sign of Lisandro Martinez's shirt on Thursday was the one handed over to the Pope. United needed some divine inspiration without the Argentine in their side.
It is not just his tenacity and his spirit that United miss, nor his reading of the play and his astute defending. As much as anything, it is his quality on the ball and his ability to get the ball moving forward.
This was a disjointed United display, a night where no area of the pitch was immune from criticism, but Martinez's ability to receive the ball under pressure and the speed with which he fires the ball forwards is transformative for this team. When he's not playing it can be slow and predictable and that makes it a lot easier to play against.
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