Crisis? What crisis?Manchester United put Sunday’s Anfield drubbing behind them after powering past Real Betis in their Europa League last-16, first-leg tie on Thursday evening, with Erik ten Hag’s side producing a stunning second-half display to all but confirm their place in the last eight.The hosts had made a fast start at Old Trafford as Marcus Rashford lashed home for his 26th goal of the season in all competitions, albeit with a shaky spell prior to the interval seeing the La Liga outfit strike back, with on-loan Leicester City man Ayoze Perez producing an exquisite, driven finish from the angle.With nerves creeping in among both the United players and the home crowd heading in at the break, the Red Devils looked rejuvenated in the second period as the often-maligned Antony expertly curled in from range to mark ‘his best goal for United’ – in the words of Samuel Luckhurst – before under-fire skipper Bruno Fernandes nodded home with ease from Luke Shaw’s pinpoint corner.The home side then added late gloss as an emotional Wout Weghorst finally got the goal that his performance deserved, with the towering Dutchman showcasing a mixture of relief and delight at having bagged just his second goal for the club.For all the negativity heading into last night’s meeting, that late strike marked what was a commendable display from Ten Hag’s men amid the circumstances, with the former Ajax boss more than vindicated with his decision to start the same starting lineup to that which was brutally undone on Merseyside.The likes of Fernandes, in particular, had a point to prove after being branded “embarrassing” by club legend Gary Neville at the weekend, although the Portugal international was simply sublime after being restored to his playmaking berth, recording a goal and an assist as well as contributing five key passes in total.That standout showing – which earned the 28-year-old a 9.1 match rating, as per Sofascore – will help to serve as a reminder of the former Sporting CP’s man undeniable quality, as he truly led from the front with a “captain’s performance”, in the words of writer Si Lloyd.The midfield maestro was also joined by the aforementioned Antony in having “redeemed” himself on the night – as per one source – with the latter man having also shaken off justified criticism of his performance last time out.
How did Antony perform against Betis?
The 23-year-old’s tough start to life in England ultimately reached its nadir against Jurgen Klopp’s men as he simply proved rather ineffective at both ends of the pitch, with pundit Micah Richards suggesting that it was as if the Red Devils had been playing with “ten men” due to the Brazilian’s failure to track back.
Having also been branded as a player whose “final product is horrible” – according to ex-United defender Paul Parker – the £86m man could well have wilted after featuring from the start once again last night, although he ultimately went on the showcase the “personality and character” that his manager simply loves.
Although the one-time Sao Paolo man did still prove infuriating at times – notably failing to tee up what would have been a certain goal after selfishly dinking his effort over the crossbar – he was a real threat in that relentless second-half showing for the hosts, marking that impact with an “unstoppable” finish, as per CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.
The fleet-footed “genius” – as described by journalist Juan Lopesino – also came close to adding a second only to see his effort saved by the sprawling figure of Claudio Bravo, having also completed 100% of his crosses and laid on two key passes from his 53 touches.
That encouraging performance also saw Antony win three of his four ground duels as a marker of his improved attitude defensively, while his match rating of 7.5, as per Sofascore, was only bettered by that man Fernandes.
While bigger tests will lie ahead for Ten Hag’s side over the coming weeks and months, yesterday’s outing will have revived the confidence among the likes of Antony and Fernandes, in particular, with the aim going forward to prove that the grim, 7-0 thrashing was nothing more than a mere blip.
