Real Betis 0-1 Manchester United (1-5 agg): Player ratings as Rashford strike seals straightforward progression

maN UTD

Marcus Rashford’s strike earned Manchester United a 1-0 win at Real Betis and a straightforward route into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals as they advanced 5-1 on aggregate.

Erik ten Hag’s side did the hard work last week in a crushing 4-1 victory, leaving Betis with a huge mountain to climb in Thursday’s second leg at Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Betis edged a first half in which both sides hit the woodwork, but Rashford’s 27th goal of the campaign completely killed off the tie shortly after the break.

With their slim hopes punctured, LaLiga’s fifth-placed side offered little in response as United comfortably booked their place in the last eight.

The sides managed 11 shots between them in the first half, but just one of those efforts was on target – Juanmi, who had earlier shot wide, failing to get the better of David de Gea from a one-on-one.

Joaquin had previously shaved the post with a bending effort from distance, while Facundo Pellistri’s volley pinging the upright at the other end brought a lively first half to a close.

United were far more dominant early in the second period and, after having a shot saved by Rui Silva and blazing one over, Rashford made the breakthrough in the 55th minute, picking the ball up 25 yards from goal and sending an effort swerving past Silva, marking his 25th European goal in the process.

Substitute Marcel Sabitzer had a shot saved by Silva as Ten Hag made the most of the opportunity to rotate his squad ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on Sunday.

Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: David de Gea – 7/10 – Made a really good save at 0-0. Had that gone in, it would fuelled the home side’s energy and ability to mount a comeback.

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7/10 – Played with decent energy and had no issue striding into midfield.

CB: Harry Maguire (c) – 6/10 – Put under a bit of pressure until Rashford scored but came through it.

CB: Lisandro Martinez – 7/10 – Top distribution and did what he needed to defensively.

LB: Tyrell Malacia – 7/10 – Got forward in support of Rashford plenty of times.

CM: Casemiro – 7/10 – Walking a tightrope given he was only one yellow card away from a suspension and it seemed to show in his defensive performance. Good on the ball though.

CM: Bruno Fernandes – 6/10 – Another who was at risk of suspension and was taken off midway through the second half. Still creative.

RM: Facundo Pellistri – 8/10 – Rewarded for his promising cameo last time with a start here and took it with both hands. Exciting to watch on the ball.

AM: Fred – 5/10 – Played a bit further forward than usual. Limited impact.

LM: Marcus Rashford – 8/10 – Looked a threat throughout. Scored an excellent goal to break the deadlock on the night and was taken off early with the job done.

ST: Wout Weghorst – 5/10 – Another night of hard work without things ever quite falling for him.

Substitutes

SUB: Jadon Sancho (60′ for Rashford) – 7/10

SUB: Marcel Sabitzer (61′ for Fred) – 6/10

SUB: Anthony Elanga (68′ for Fernandes) – 5/10

SUB: Diogo Dalot (75′ for Wan-Bissaka) – 6/10

SUB: Victor Lindelof (75′ for Martinez – 6/10

Manager

Erik ten Hag – 8/10 – Went with a strong team but , presumably with an eye on games to come, started making changes as soon as United had extended the aggregate lead.


Player of the match – Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)

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