In the warm Seville air, Manchester United ran out 5-1 aggregate winners over an energetic Real Betis side managed by former crosstown boss Manuel Pellegrini. United all but wrapped up the tie in Manchester last week, scoring three decisive, second-half goals to seal a 4-1 win.

Despite this, the second leg was anything but sedate.

How United lined up

Erik Ten Hag stuck by his pre-match promise of naming a strong starting eleven. The United boss made it clear in his press conference that the tie was far from over.

“We need the win and we need our best team”

The Dutchman also played up his players ability to continue this rigorous two games a week schedule. He added: “We can manage. We have players that can recover good between games.”

Facundo Pellistri was handed a deserved start, deputising for the ill Antony. With Alejandro Garnacho facing at least ‘a few weeks’ on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage, the tie with Real Betis provided an opportunity for the Uruguayan to impress. He had previously come off the bench to play a crucial role in the third goal vs. Betis in the home leg. He only played eight minutes that day.

Elsewhere, Maguire and Martinez formed the defensive pairing ahead of De Gea. Shaw was rested for Malacia and Wan Bissaka started ahead of Dalot. A midfield three of Fred, Casemiro and Bruno – the latter two both on yellow cards – supported a lively front three of Rashford, Weghorst and Pellistri.

A lively start

Both teams came out firing, but for different reasons. Betis, spurred on by their capacity crowd of noisy Sevillanos, needed a goal and early if they were to stand a chance of progressing. They exposed holes in United’s defence from early on. The Red Devils responded in kind, with fast breakaways coming from Rashford and Pellistri.

Neither side could find a way through during the first half, though the best chance came in the final moments of added time. Bruno Fernandes whipped in a dangerous cross from a free-kick. Pellistri seized onto a loose ball and his cross-shot sailed just wide. Weghorst so-nearly made a meaningful connection, but the sides were tied at half-time.

Rashford’s crazy three minutes

Minute 52:

Facundo Pellistri made a smart run and beat his man with ease – United were 4-on-3 and looking to kill the tie off. The Uruguayan played a poor ball into Fernandes, whose ball into Rashford was tame. Rashford’s finish was easily smothered by Betis’ goalkeeper.

Minute 54:

Rashford found himself with two yards of space in the Betis box after a slotted pass by Bruno Fernandes. The ball bobbled up and he sent his shot well above the crossbar. At this point he was visibly frustrated.

Minute 55:

Not 60 seconds later, Rashford again picks up a loose ball, such was the chaos of the game. This time, 25 yards from goal, the England forward hit a glorious outside-of-the-boot shot that nestled into the far corner of Rui Silva’s goal. He celebrated with his trademark head-point, and it was clear he relished the finish. 0-1 United.

The goal and the context of its scorer was reminiscent of a certain famous Wayne Rooney volley vs. Newcastle in 2005.

Foregone conclusion

By the time Rashford’s goal went in, the tie had already been over for a while. The goal however allowed Ten Hag to rest and rotate. Surprisingly, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, both on the verge of suspension, were kept on through the first wave of subs. Sabitzer and Sancho came on for Rashford and Fred. Casemiro actually saw out the entire game.

Sabitzer looked full of pep and covered lots of the pitch for the final 30 minutes. In one 20 second spell, he went from testing the goalkeeper with a good shot to mopping up a loose ball in the centre circle. He is set to get a decent amount of game time in the league given Casemiro’s four match domestic suspension – three of which will come after the upcoming international break.

Indeed it was an international break which saw Aaron Wan Bissaka’s stock under Erik Ten Hag rise dramatically. The right-back is now firmly first-choice right-back ahead of Diogo Dalot. An almost forgotten man before the World Cup, Wan Bissaka is understood to have made quite an impression on Ten Hag in the month-long World Cup hiatus.

A look ahead

Against Betis, United made it 8 European away knockout ties without defeat. They have officially exorcised any demons about Spanish clubs, having defeated two already this campaign. This will be put to the test again in April, as United have drawn Spanish side Sevilla in the quarter-finals. The Red Devils welcome a persistently difficult Sevilla on April 13th – the away tie taking place a week later. Should they progress, United will face either Sporting Lisbon, who knocked out Arsenal, or Paul Pogba’s new club Juventus in the last four.

Before this, United end a relentless spell of fixtures with a home tie vs. Fulham on Sunday. The winner will be off to Wembley for an FA Cup Semi-final. United will be hoping to return there, following their Carabao Cup triumph earlier this year.