Maguire and Malacia own goals give Sevilla draw at Manchester United

Three trophies in a season? It is being discussed in the blue half of Manchester – the ultimate treble – and the United support had to be thinking of their own version of one as they led Sevilla by two goals to advertise a step into the semi-finals of the Europa League. The Carabao Cup is already in the cabinet while an FA Cup semi-final looms against Brighton on Sunday week.

And yet a night that contained such promise, which featured a two-goal salvo from Marcel Sabitzer – the biggest return so far on his January loan from Bayern Munich – and fine displays by Antony and the returning Antony Martial carried quite the sting.

Tyrell Malacia had suffered a few jittery moments and, on 84 minutes, moments after blowing a good chance at the other end, he erred badly, misreading a bouncing ball to allow the substitute, Jesus Navas, to cross. The ball flicked off Malacia and flashed past David de Gea.

United had lost Raphaël Varane to injury. Now Lisandro Martínez was also stricken and there was even worse to come. After De Gea had made a fine save to deny Youssef En-Nesyri, the Sevilla substitute rose to send a header goalwards. This time the ball hit another substitute, Harry Maguire, to fly past De Gea. Two own goals, the script unceremoniously torn up.

Sevilla had stabilised across their past two La Liga games under José Luis Mendilibar but there was no escaping the fact that the 62-year-old is the club’s third manager of a deeply underwhelming season. The fourth-placed finish of the previous campaign that yielded Champions League football has come to feel like a distant memory, overtaken by relegation fears. Sevilla sit 13th – five points above third-from-bottom Valencia.

Ten Hag had to feel the knock of opportunity as the