Champions League: Mourinho criticised after Sevilla stun Manchester United

Manchester United 1 Sevilla 2 (Sevilla win 2-1 on aggregate)

Manchester United are out of the Champions League after a shocking performance against Sevilla yesterday cost them a place in the quarter-final draw.

It was an evening that the Old Trafford faithful will want to forget, in stark contrast to Saturday, when United defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the Premier League. On that occasion the Theatre of Dreams rocked; last night it slumbered, as United produced 90 minutes of insipid football.

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Jose Mourinho had clearly sent out his team with a cautious game plan. The inclusion of Marouane Fellaini surprised many, given that he hadn’t started a game since November. And Fellaini wasn’t the only Red Devil who looked off the pace.

Chilean frontman Alexis Sanchez once more failed to make an impression, and was barely recogniseable as the player he was at Arsenal before his January move.

The liveliest spell enjoyed by United was the opening five minutes, when Romelu Lukaku lashed a shot wide and had another blocked from close range. Once Sevilla had weathered the early pressure, they began to look at home in Old Trafford, creating chances of their own.

Steven N’Zonzi and Ever Banega controlled the midfield, and the Spaniards deservedly took the lead on 74 minutes when substitute Wissam Ben Yedder fired past David de Gea just two minutes after coming on.

Four minutes later Yedder added a second goal, heading home a corner, and although Lukaku scored back for United, the damage had been done.

Mourinho was philosophical about the defeat, telling reporters: “I don’t think the performance was bad… I think the intention and the way we started was really good and positive. Sevilla has a good team and they can hide the ball and have players in midfield who are good at doing that. They did that for the majority of the time.”

Losing at the last-16 stage “is not something new” for his side, he admitted.

Asked if he regretted his team selection and strategy, Mourinho said: “I don’t have regrets. I did my best, the players did their best. We tried, we lost and that is football.”

The Manchester Evening News had a more damning take on the evening’s performance, noting that Sevilla, who are sixth in La Liga, have a minus goal difference and had won none of their four previous Champions League matches in England.

The newspaper was particularly scathing about Mourinho’s starting XI, saying: “Mourinho’s behaviour over Pogba, named on the bench at the expense of Fellaini... was classic hubris. The willingness to accommodate Alexis Sanchez, subdued for the majority, is also a growing issue. Despite recent positive results and an auspicious chance of FA Cup success, United are at times rudderless and aimless.”

The only trophy that the side might now claim is the FA Cup, making Saturday’s quarter-final at home to Brighton a must-win game for Mourinho.