Man Utd crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford to Sevilla, with Wissam Ben Yedder doing the damage for the visitors.
The second-half substitute had barely been on the field before he struck his first, but he wasn’t done there as he added a second shortly after to end all hope for United advancing to the quarter-finals.
SEE MORE: Video: Romelu Lukaku pulls one back for Man Utd with EMPHATIC finish, FIFTH goal in CL this season
Romelu Lukaku scored to give faint hope to the home faithful of an unlikely comeback, but it wasn’t to be on a very disappointing night for the Red Devils as they looked a shadow of the side that beat Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend.
Here’s the good, the bad and the weird from Old Trafford…
The good
Wissam Ben Yedder’s impact off the bench. In truth, both sides were devoid of quality in the final third for the most part as neither looked on form on the night.
However, the 27-year-old’s introduction after 72 minutes changed the game for Vincenzo Montella’s side, as he scored in 74th and 78th minute to completely swing the tie in Sevilla’s favour.
To make it all the more impressive, he kept his composure to finish past David de Gea no less on two occasions, and he was unlucky not to have more as Man Utd pushed up in search of a way back into the game, leaving themselves exposed at the back in the process.
The bad
Man United’s overall performance. For a side that just beat Liverpool at the weekend, this was a completely different team on Tuesday night.
They looked shaky at the back as perhaps nerves played a part with an away goal potentially proving so important, while they simply didn’t look like they had the quality to break Sevilla down.
It only came as they ramped up the pressure through desperation late on that Lukaku managed to get one back, but it was too little too late from the home side who were very poor on the night and arguably deserved to be knocked out over the two legs.
The weird
The decision to play Marouane Fellaini. In a game in which Man Utd should of grabbed by the scruff of the neck and attacked to go out and win it, Mourinho for some reason opted for solidity instead of quality.
Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay were benched, and in came Fellaini to start alongside Nemanja Matic. It was a poor and bizarre decision given the circumstances, and it was one of the reasons that cost United a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
As noted in the reaction below from supporters, they weren’t impressed with the Portuguese tactician…
Jose needs to take his medicine now. Leaves a world record player on the bench in favour of a lumbering midfielder who won’t be at the club next year. Pogba’s failures are Mourinho’s failures. He’s got eight games to save his job. Third or below won’t be accepted by anyone. #MUFC
— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) March 13, 2018
Mourinho will never be a Man United manager. He was the least worst option. Not a big club manager. The underdog mentality doesn’t work at the biggest club in the world. He cannot set teams up to play like the big team every game.
— JB™ (@gunnerpunner) March 13, 2018
Mourinho is not the right manager for @ManUtd and should be sacked . The Red Devil fans deserve better
— Marwan Koukash (@drmarwanK) March 13, 2018
Some United fans seemed to boo Mourinho specifically as he approached the tunnel. Maybe excessive but they’re entitled to be angry after those two legs. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) March 13, 2018
Embarrassing level of ambition and execution from United. Mourinho’s football just about palatable for United fans when they win. Just grim when they don’t
— Anthony Jepson (@AJepsonMEN) March 13, 2018
Pogba was poor when he came on, but the approach from Mourinho to play Fellaini as a target man is beyond me. The man’s been injured for God knows how long, and he waltz into our biggest game of the season? How does that make sense? We’ve been playing well w/o him. #FullTimeJohn
— Full Time DEVILS (@FullTimeDEVILS) March 13, 2018
Mourinho got it completely wrong over both legs. I imagine he will have destroyed a good portion of his backing from the fan base after that tie. United/Mourinho got exactly what they deserved. Very poor.
— Jono II. (@jonothesecond) March 13, 2018
What a disgrace and disgusting performance. I blame Mourinho and players. No passion and desire to win and Pogba awful. Team need to hang there head in shame.
— James ? (@EliteLukaku) March 13, 2018
Disgraceful tactics by Mourinho. Can’t believe we were parking the bus and hoofing the ball to Fellaini and Lukaku at home to one of the worst teams in la liga.
— SCHOLES (@iamscholes) March 13, 2018