Manchester United did something vs Real Betis that they had not done in 23 years

Manchester United put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a convincing 4-1 win over Real Betis in the first leg of their last 16 showdown at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.

Determined to make amends for Sunday's 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, United made the perfect start, getting their noses in front after just six minutes through Marcus Rashford's 26th goal of the season. However, Betis hit back just past the half-hour mark through Leicester City loanee Ayoze Perez.

The Spaniard found space inside the penalty area to drive an excellent finish into the bottom corner, sparking wild scenes in the away end at the other end of the stadium. Despite suffering that setback, United responded brilliantly after the interval, reclaiming the lead just seven minutes into the second half.

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After being picked out by Bruno Fernandes, Antony curled a trademark, left-footed effort into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Claudio Bravo with absolutely no chance. Fernandes, who was heavily criticised for his performance at Anfield, then got in on the act himself, extending United's lead with a powerful header just six minutes later.

Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst then made his mark on the contest, scoring his first Old Trafford goal with eight minutes of normal time left on the clock to complete the scoring. It means United will head into next Thursday's second leg in Spain in a commanding position, though manager Erik ten Hag is unlikely to leave anything to chance.

Not only did the victory boost United's hopes of reaching the last eight of the Europa League, it also extended their unbeaten run at Old Trafford to 20 matches. They