Sid Lowe was at the Benito Villamarín and his report is here. Also, a reminder that Daniel Gallan is covering the Arsenal-Sporting tie right now! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Erik ten Hag speaks to BT. “I am happy but we like challenges and we knew before Betis is a really good team … we beat them twice so I think we performed very well … second half was much better though the energy was out of the opponent after the goal … we were much better on the ball … all the players did very well … we not only have 11 players, we have a squad … Pellistri had some really good actions, I’m really pleased with his performance … no red cards, no injuries … we have depth, but not that big!”
Harry Maguire talks to BT Sport. “It’s been a good two games … Betis are a good team, fifth in La Liga, they’re doing well this season, so we knew it wouldn’t be an easy draw … we knew coming here they would come at us in the first 20 minutes … we knew it would be fast … we knew if we didn’t concede it would be a big part of the game well done … we conceded a few chances, we were a bit sloppy with the ball but we had chances ourselves … it could have been a couple of goals each in the first 20 minutes … in the second half we controlled the game really well and got the goal we deserved … we played good football from then on … obviously I want to play more, to start more, but I’m playing my part on and off the field … it’s nice to be out there leading the team … I’ve an important role at this club … every day I try to make this club succeed whether I’m playing or not … that’s my main focus … we've had a little setback in recent weeks and I think it’s been a good response since then.”
United had to work hard for that win. Betis, who clearly weren’t willing to die wondering, went at them from the off. They had their chances. But United did too, while also holding firm at the back. Marcus Rashford’s winner was both clinical and brilliant; his purple patch shows no sign of ending. United’s form in the cups shows no sign of dipping either, and they make it through to the 28th European quarter-final of their storied history. As for Real Betis, their dream of facing down city rivals Sevilla in a later round is gone.
FULL TIME: Real Betis 0-1 Manchester United (agg: 1-5)
Manchester United are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League!
Updated
90 min +3: Elanga attempts a spectacular volley from 25 yards. It flies 25 yards over the bar.
90 min +2: It’s the United fans you can hear now. John Denver fans one and all.
90 min +1: Sabaly strides down the right and crosses low for Iglesias, who should get a shot away but hesitates and is eventually stripped of possession. Fair to say that none of the Betis subs, Miranda apart, have made any sort of impact.
90 min: There will be three additional minutes.
89 min: Only now do a few of the Betis fans leave. What a noise they created during that wildly entertaining first half.
88 min: Nope. United half clear. Pezzella tries to fire back through a crowded box, but doesn’t catch his shot properly and United clear up properly this time.
87 min: Canales is bowled over by Dalot out on the left. A free kick just to the side of the United box. Canales to take. Consolation time?
86 min: Canales goes on a sensational burst down the right wing, from his own half to the United box. He fires in a low cross for Juanmi, free on the penalty spot. A fine goal looks on the cards, but Juanmi takes a heavy touch in attempting to trap, and the moment is gone.
84 min: Carvalho has the chance of releasing Iglesias down the middle, but his attempted long pass pings off the nearest United player.
82 min: Miranda reaches the byline down the left and crosses in the hope of finding Juanmi in the middle, six yards out. But he gives the cross too much oomph, and Juanmi doesn’t have a hope of meeting it. Sighs of frustration from the home support. They’d like to see their team grab a consolation. Their efforts certainly deserve a goal.
80 min: Pellistri sends Sancho clear with a fine first-time ball down the right. Sancho reaches the edge of the box and should square the ball for Elanga to tap home, but opts to slam past the keeper instead. Rui Silva stays big to block, then the flag goes up for offside. Even so, that was poor from Sancho, and Elanga is within his rights to give him the earful he’s getting.
Updated
79 min: Guardado slides a pass down the left for Miranda, whose cross is forced out by Maguire. Pezzella meets the set piece with a header that harmlessly sails over the crossbar.
78 min: Speaking of Rashford, here’s David Wall: “It must be a great example for Sancho after his struggles this season to see a fantastic example of how it can turn around quite quickly for a player, from the real doldrums to the best form of their life.”
Updated
77 min: The Betis fans have been quiet since Rashford’s goal, but now they haul themselves up for one last hurrah. Songs of defiance ring around the Benito Villamarín.
75 min: Lindelof and Dalot come on for Martinez and Wan-Bissaka.
74 min: Sabitzer tries to release Elanga down the left but blooters into the stand. Nothing matters tonight now.
72 min: Canales allows the ball to roll under his foot and out of play for a throw. United appear – clearly and understandably – more up for these final exchanges than the hosts.
71 min: Miranda tries to make good down the left but is denied by Wan-Bissaka, who earns a slap of approval from Casemiro for his efforts.
70 min: Sancho cushions a long ball down the left into the path of Weghorst, who bobbles a shot straight at Rui Silva.
69 min: That means Fernandes has avoided the booking that would have seen him miss the first leg of the quarter final. Casemiro is still walking that particular tightrope.
68 min: Sancho, Fernandes and Sabitzer nearly open Betis up down the left with some cute triangles. Sabitzer is caught offside, though, and up goes the flag. That’s the end of the evening for Fernandes, who is replaced by Elanga.
66 min: Rodríguez is replaced by Guardado.
65 min: Fernandes glides down the left and rolls a ball into the box for Sabitzer, whose first-time low drive is kicked clear by Rui Silva.
64 min: Sancho jinks into the Betis box from the left and scuffs a shot. It’s deflected, but he doesn’t get the corner he’s earned.
63 min: Miranda pulls Pellistri back, a full handful of shirt. Surely a booking, but the referee’s not interested. The state of this tie may have influenced that decision.
62 min: The air out of the Betis balloon now, United may be able to fill their boots. A corner on the left. Fernandes loops to the near post, where Maguire powers a header wide.
60 min: United respond by switching out Rashford and Fred for Sabitzer and Sancho.
Updated
59 min: Iglesias, Canales and Jose come on for Joaquin, Perez and Ruibal. Nothing comes of the corner.
Updated
58 min: Miranda slips Rodriguez into the United box down the left. Rodriguez wins a corner. Before it can be taken, on come the subs.
GOAL! Real Betis 0-1 Manchester United (Rashford 56); agg 1-5
Casemiro finds Rashford 25 yards out, just left of centre. Rashford swings, sending a shot into the bottom right with the outside of his boot, the ball swerving away from Rui Silva’s desperate fingers. What a finish! From the ridiculous to the sublime!
Updated
55 min: This is getting absurd now. Rashford breaks into the box down the middle. He’s surely got to score … but in going for power, he slices a wild effort miles over the bar! What a miss! But it doesn’t matter, because …
54 min: Perez wins a corner down the left. The corner’s delivered to the near post, where Perez flashes a header goalwards. De Gea, his reflexes in good nick, punches clear. How on earth is this still 0-0?
53 min: United launch a three-on-two break. Pellistri and Fernandes combine, and the ball’s fed left to Rashford, who enters the box one on one with Rui Silva. He aims a fizzer towards the bottom right only for Rui Silva to block magnificently. What a save!
52 min: Fred lashes over from distance.
51 min: Pellistri nutmegs Gonzalez down the right and skitters into the box. Miranda comes across to put a stop to his gallop just before he can shoot. That was very nearly something special.
50 min: Rashford makes good down the inside-left channel and tries to release Weghorst. The pass pings back to him so he takes a shot instead. Over.
49 min: Ruibal drags a speculative shot miles left of goal.
48 min: Miranda set that chance up with a fine dribble down the left. And he goes on another here, before standing one up to nobody in particular.
46 min: Within 30 seconds of the restart, Joaquin runs into a pocket of space in front of the United box. He could release Perez to his right, but opts for the shot instead. He curls towards the top right but sends the effort way too high. A very decent chance to give Betis the fast start they need if they’re to launch any sort of comeback.
United get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes.
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HALF TIME: Real Betis 0-0 Manchester United (agg: 1-4)
How on earth is this goalless? United won’t care too much; they remain three goals up and are now 45 minutes closer to the quarters. It’s been great fun.
45 min +2: Fernandes swings the resulting free kick into the mixer, and United nearly score. United should have scored. The ball drops to Pellistri, who swivels and whips a shot towards the bottom left. Weghorst extends a leg hoping to poke home from a yard out. He misses. The ball comes off the post, Rui Silva fingertips it off the line, and Rodriguez hammers clear! What an end to the half that would have been.
Updated
45 min +1: Casemiro drives down the left only to be flipped into the air like an old sock by Joaquin. No booking for the Betis captain. Pellistri must wonder what he’s done wrong.
45 min: Rashford cuts in from the left and tries to work some shooting space, only to become indecisive at the crucial moment. He’s crowded out.
43 min: Juanmi has a bash from the edge of the box. Maguire bravely throws himself in front of the ball to block. That shot was shifting.
42 min: De Gea takes his sweet time over a restart, much to the crowd’s pantomime displeasure.
41 min: Joaquin swings it in. United half clear. Juanmi tries to make space to shoot on the edge of the box, but is eventually crowded out.
40 min: Betis probe at speed, this way and that. Malacia suffers a rush of blood and clatters Ruibal, 30 yards out on the right. A free kick in a dangerous position.
38 min: Ruibal sashays in from the right and into a pocket of space. He can’t decide whether to cross towards Perez or aim for the top-left corner, so manages to do neither. Goal kick.
37 min: Fernandes slips a pass down the right to release Pellistri into space in the Betis box. The debutant whips a cross to the near stick. Rui Silva gets in ahead of Weghorst to claim.
Updated
35 min: Rashford and Pezzella rut like stags near the corner flag over bugger all. The referee comes across and tells them both to act their age. To be fair, it all blows over quickly, and Rashford walks away smiling.
34 min: Ruibal goes down theatrically after Malacia slides in on him. It was a foul, and possibly a booking, but the over-the-top response might have tested the referee’s patience and saved Malacia there. There was certainly more reason to book Malacia than Pellistri, put it that way.
32 min: Ruibal slides a glorious pass down the inside-right channel for Juanmi, who only has De Gea to beat. He can’t do it, though. De Gea starjumps and blocks brilliantly, then makes himself big as Juanmi meets the rebound and tries to loop a header goalwards. The ball drifts wide. That’s superb goalkeeping.
31 min: Credit to young Pellistri for not kicking off about that, and accepting his fate stoically. You’d pay good money to see how Fernandes would have reacted.
29 min: Pellistri goes flying into a tackle with González. He looks to have won the ball and taken a knock in doing so. The referee doesn’t see it that way, though, and books him. That is beyond harsh.
Updated
28 min: United have done well to settle things down after that early Betis storm. They appear much more in control now.
26 min: Betis deal with the corner, then say goodbye to Abner, who can’t continue as a result of the whack taken by Li’l Abner. Miranda takes his place.
25 min: Malacia slaloms down the left and cuts back dangerously from the byline. Betis hack clear. United come back at the hosts. Wan-Bissaka heads across goal from the right but can’t quite find Rashford. Sabaly is forced to knock behind for a corner.
Updated
23 min: Juanmi and Perez combine down the left. Then Perez crosses into a box unpopulated by Betis players. De Gea claims and immediately feeds Fernandes, whose long pass sends Rashford clear. Rashford enters the box but before he can shoot is muscled off the ball by Sabaly. That’s top-drawer defending, and the fact the flag then goes up correctly for offside changes that not one jot.
21 min: Pellistri probes down the right before cutting back to Casemiro, who whips in a cross. Rashford goes for goal in a singular fashion, whipping his torso to the left and chesting the ball fiercely. It flies straight to Rui Silva, and turns out he was offside anyway.
19 min: Abner is good to continue for now. After the restart, Fernandes takes a swipe from 25 yards. Over the bar it flies. He demands a corner in his trademark style, but the referee isn’t interested.
18 min: Wan-Bissaka tries down the right, but can’t get the better of Abner, who clears. Abner then goes down. He might have taken a whack in his trouser arrangement.
17 min: Rashford dribbles into the Betis box from the left but immediately slips over. Sabaly saunters off with the ball.
16 min: Ruibal pearls a long pass down the middle and nearly releases Juanmi. De Gea is forced to race out of his box and hack clear just in time. Betis are giving this a proper go.
14 min: Some bagatelle in the United box leads to a Betis corner. De Gea plucks it from the air. The hosts are coming at their guests from all angles right now.
13 min: Joaquin beats a couple of challenges as he dribbles down the inside-left channel. He goes for the one-two with Perez. Had Perez been aware, United would have been opened up. He wasn’t, though, and the move falls apart.
12 min: Joaquin aims a curler towards the top right. A slight deflection off the lunging Casemiro takes it past De Gea and off the outside of the right-hand post. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
Updated
10 min: A free kick for United is flung into the Betis box. The hosts counter at speed and for a second they’re three on two! Juanmi can’t pick the correct pass, though, and another great opportunity is passed up.
9 min: A huge chance for Betis as Juanmi races down the inside-left channel after a long pass. He’s got the beating of Maguire, but takes a touch to his left, making life harder for himself. He bundles a low shot across De Gea and towards the bottom right … only for the ball to sail inches wide of the post. So close!
8 min: The corner’s hit long. Casemiro, who wins more than his fair share of attacking headers, eyebrows on towards Weghorst at the far stick. Weghorst is inches away from Keith Houchening one into the net, but doesn’t connect with his diving header.
7 min: Wan-Bissaka, much improved under Ten Hag, wins a corner down the right. The fully recovered Fernandes to take.
5 min: Sabaly crosses from the right. Fernandes heads clear, but also manages to nut Juanmi on the shoulder. He felt that, and stays down for a while before gingerly getting back up. United then counter, Rashford nearly releasing Pellistri down the middle only to overcook the pass. Rui Silva claims.
4 min: Perez briefly threatens to bustle his way into a shooting position down the inside-left channel. The home side look up for this. An early goal would certainly give United something to think about.
2 min: De Gea gives Wan-Bissaka something of a hospital pass. The full back does well to return it to the keeper before Juanmi can nick it away. The Betis forward would have been clear on goal. Somewhere in the multiverse, it’s already 1-1.
Real Betis v Manchester United (agg: 1-4)
Betis get the second leg underway. A fine atmosphere at the sunny Estadio Benito Villamarín. Within seconds, the full debutant Pellistri tears down the right only to overcook his cross. A low fizzer might have found Rashford. What a start that could have been!
Updated
The teams are out! Los Verdiblancos wear their green and white; the Red Devils are in red. Say what you see. We’ll be off in a minute. “Outlier though that 5-0 defeat to Sporting 60 years ago is, I think time has gotten enough of a stomp on under that particular bridge and we can cheerfully disregard it,” quips Bill Preston. “Needing to score quite a few, I think Betis will press heavily from the go, but stoic defending in the face of thrilling heroics will easily see United through.”
Updated
Manuel Pellegrini speaks to BT. “It is a difficult game … it is not only the three goals, it is Manchester United … they have spent a lot of money on important players … it is important for us not to play with the three-nil in our mind … to start nil-to-nil … we need to play a good game in defence and be clear in attacking … we will try to play a good game to try to reverse … we were happy [with our early play at Old Trafford] but after that we made a mistake … one minute changed all we did in the whole game … now we must try to do it at home.”
Erik ten Hag talks to BT Sport. “[Pellistri] deserves it … he is training very well … Harry Maguire is training very well … it is about rotation … we know Harry can do the job, he is an outstanding player so he will do the job … [Pellistri] knows the principles, knows his job, and now it’s about him … he knows his teammates and the tactics and what we expect from him … he can do it and he has proved it in many games and also for the national team and we see it every day in training … you can’t go in a game when you are afraid of getting a booking [both Fernandes and Casemiro will miss the next match if booked this evening] … we play on the front foot … it is high pressing and aggressive … it can happen that you get a booking … but we have to win this game so you have to bring a strong team and Bruno and Casemiro belong in it.”
Pre-match entertainment. A schadenfreude special for United fans.
Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini makes three changes to the side named for the 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Rui Silva replaces Claudio Bravo in goal, while Edgar González and Aitor Ruibal step in for Luiz Henrique, who drops to the bench, and the hamstrung Luiz Filipe.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag makes four changes to his starting XI from the first leg. In come Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and, making his long-awaited first start for the club, Facundo Pellistri. Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw drop to the bench, while Antony is ill.
The teams
Real Betis: Rui Silva, Sabaly, Pezzella, Edgar, Abner, Rodriguez, William, Ruibal, Juanmi, Joaquin, Ayoze.
Subs: Bravo, Martin, Ruiz, Iglesias, Canales, Henrique, Willian José, Guardado, Rodri, Miranda, Felix Garreta, Dani Pérez.
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Martinez, Maguire, Malacia, Fred, Casemiro, Pellistri, Fernandes, Weghorst, Rashford.
Subs: Heaton, Butland, Lindelöf, Sabitzer, Varane, Dalot, Shaw, Sancho, Elanga, McTominay.
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (Serbia).
💚🤍🖤
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) March 16, 2023
Our starting eleven for #RealBetisManUtd!#BetisDay #EuroBetis pic.twitter.com/PE73AICQ8z
🔴 U N I T E D 🔴@FPellistri07 is in for his first start for the Reds 👊#MUFC || #UEL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 16, 2023
Updated
Preamble
Last week this happened …
… so Manchester United are very much on the brink of the quarter-finals. One word of warning, though. While they’ve won 20 of the previous 25 European ties in which they’ve won the first leg at home, one of the five failures sticks out like a sore thumb: in the 1963-64 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals, they beat Sporting 4-1 at Old Trafford only to lose the return in Lisbon 5-0. That remains their heaviest defeat on the continental stage. Betis are battling against history all right, but that’s some outlier. Kick-off is at 5.45pm GMT, 6.45pm in Seville. ¡Esta encendido! It’s on!
