Manchester United beat Real Betis 4-1 in Europa League: Stats
Manchester United responded well after a 7-0 drubbing in the hands of Liverpool by beating Spanish side Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford handed United an early lead before Ayoze Perez equalized for the visitors. In the second half, goals from Antony, Bruno Fernandes, and Wout Weghorst helped United take command.
Rashford races to 26 goals in the 2022-23 season
Rashford has scored 26 goals in all competitions this season. As per Opta, this is the third most of any player from Europe's top five leagues after Erling Haaland (33) and Kylian Mbappe (30). Rashford netted his 5th goal in the Europa League this season. In Cup competitions this season, Rashford has scored 12 goals in 16 appearances.
Key numbers for Bruno Fernandes and Antony
The versatile Fernandes provided an assist before scoring his side's third goal. In the 2022-23 season, Fernandes has recorded 10 assists and eight goals in all competitions. In 167 matches for MUFC, Fernandes has managed 58 goals and 49 assists. Antony scored his 7th goal for United across competitions this season. He has now scored in two successive UEL matches.
How did the match pan out?
United started on the front foot and Rashford scored a thumping goal from inside the box in the 6th minute. The hosts had several chances to take a 2-0 lead but spurned the same. Betis saw Perez score a sensational goal for the equalizer as United looked vulnerable. After half-time, United upped the tempo and responded with three goals.
A look at the match stats from United vs Betis
United had 25 attempts, including 13 shots on target. Betis had two shots on target from six attempts. United had 57% of ball possession and an 81% pass accuracy. They also had 8 corners compared to Betis' three.
United script these records
As per Opta, United have scored 2+ goals in 15 consecutive home matches for the fourth time in their history, and for the first time since March-October 2000. United are now unbeaten in eight matches in Europe (W7 D1).
Arsenal hold Sporting; Roma win
In the earlier round of 16 first-leg ties, Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw. Jose Mourinho's AS Roma claimed a solid 2-0 win against Spanish club Real Sociedad. Bayer Leverkusen earned an impressive 2-0 win over Ferencvaros. Union Berlin and Union Saint-Gilloise played out a 3-3 thriller. Meanwhile, in the late ties, Juventus and Sevilla claimed crucial home wins.
