Manchester United's hopes of securing progression to the last four of the Europa League remain firmly in the balance following a 2-2 draw with Sevilla on Thursday evening, with Erik ten Hag's men suffering a late collapse on what was a night of mixed fortunes at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils had appeared on course for an easy passage into the semi-finals after a quickfire double from Marcel Sabitzer capped what was a rampant opening for the hosts, albeit with the Premier League side failing to maintain that momentum as the pendulum swung late on.
With the visitors having rarely threatened throughout the encounter, the six-time winners of the competition were gifted a route back into the match following some slack defending from Tyrell Malacia at the back post as the ball ricocheted in to beat David De Gea from the angle.
With United have already suffered a setback after seemingly losing Raphael Varane to injury at the break, the Frenchman's centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez was also forced off in the closing stages to leave the home side down to ten men.
The struggling La Liga outfit made that man advantage count at the death as Youssef En-Nesyri's header found its way in following a fluke deflection off an unfortunate Harry Maguire, with that ensuring it is still all to play for heading into next week's tie in Seville.
Who were the worst performers against Sevilla?
It is fair to say that United had largely been coasting in the first-leg encounter prior to that piece of 'dismal defending' from that man Malacia – as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – with the Dutchman inexplicably deciding not to deal with the inswinging delivery.
That lapse in concentration epitomised what was an all-round grim performance from the former Feyenoord man as he also won just three of his 11 total duels and lost possession on 11 occasions, while the 23-year-old's 6.0 match rating, as per Sofascore, was the worst of any of his teammates.
The diminutive full-back was not alone in having let his manager down last night, however, with £73m man Jadon Sancho having also yet again come up short on the flank, with the Englishman's decision-making having notably been "awful", according to journalist James Wokabi.
The former Borussia Dortmund starlet did see an early goal ruled out for offside after initially producing a composed finish, although the £350k-per-week man was otherwise rather underwhelming, with his 6.5 match rating a marker of the winger's woes.
Much like Malacia, the 23-year-old was also something of a liability defensively after losing possession on 12 occasions and winning just three of his eight total duels, while the fleet-footed enigma's lack of attacking impact was showcased by the fact that he made just 33 touches – fewer than even teammate De Gea enjoyed in the sticks (41).
Despite offering some form of creative threat after providing two key passes in his 63-minute outing, Sancho was a regular source of frustration due to his inability to take on the opposition, having completed just two of his four attempted dribbles.
Those woes were noted by GOAL's Richard Martin, who stated in his post-match player ratings piece: 'He routinely failed to beat his man and was too slow to release the ball'.
With the absence of compatriot Marcus Rashford having heightened the need for Sancho and co to step up, the misfiring dud yet again showed why Ten Hag is believed to be growing 'increasingly impatient' with his inability to perform.
