Five talking points as Manchester United defeat Real Betis 4-1 in the Europa League

After the embarrassing defeat to Liverpool, Manchester United bounced back to defeat Reak Betis 4-1 in the Europa League.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side with a brilliant finish to put them 1-0 up in six minutes.

Real Betis replied after half an hour, with on-loan Leicester City forward Ayoze Perez rocketing the ball past David de Gea into the bottom left-hand corner to leave the sides level at the break.

Antony produced a stunning finish during the early stages of the second half to regain United’s lead, with Bruno Fernandes heading in from Luke Shaw’s corner just before 60 minutes had passed.

Wout Weghorst added a fourth with five minutes left on the clock, scoring his first goal at Old Trafford.

1) Erik ten Hag gives a chance for redemption

After many expected Erik ten Hag to make multiple changes to the line-up, he named an unchanged XI for the Betis game to the team that lost 7-0 against Liverpool.

The reply from his players was instant, with Rashford’s goal signalling immediate intent from the squad. Wout Weghorst also had several chances to score in the first half, however, Betis’ reply put a dent in United’s momentum.

The second half produced a much more dominant display, with United turning in three second-half goals to place one foot into the Europa League quarter-finals.

2) Marcus Rashford has not lost his touch

Rashford’s goal in minute six of the tie was probably one of his best goals this season so far and was just what United needed heading into the tie.

He looked lively from minute one, having several chances to score throughout the game, and looking like a big threat.

There are no signs of the English forward slowing down any time soon, with his strike being his 18th goal in 22 appearances since the World Cup.

3) United’s defence still has problems

Ayoze Perez’s goal signalled that despite the better start than the performance on Sunday, United’s defence still had problems that could be exploited.

United seemed to find it hard to deal with the quick switches that Betis were employing, with one of them ultimately leading to their opening goal.

They looked much more sure in the second half, shaking off any nerves, ticks, or lack of confidence they may have suffered from in the first half.

4) Ten Hag’s trust in Aaron Wan-Bissaka is growing with every game

After playing just four minutes for United this season before the World Cup, Wan-Bissaka has been deployed much more often by Erik ten Hag with notable performances in fixtures such as the Carabao Cup final.

Originally coming back into the side after Dalot’s post-World Cup injury, Wan-Bissaka has impressed with Ten Hag, choosing to substitute the player on at half-time against lettuce in place of Dalot to help shore up the United’s defensive problems.

However much is a coincidence and can be attributed to his substitution, United looked much better in the second half with Wan-Bissaka on the field on Thursday evening.

5) Ultimately, United are on the road to redemption

The second-half performance by Manchester United with a stark contrast to the low levels performed at Anfield just days earlier.

Putting in a good performance to get the fans back on-side and reinstall confidence in the team would have no doubt been one of Ten Hag’s primary objectives for the fixture.

The goals from Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wehgorst gave United a firm grip on the tie with the second leg due to be played in one week’s time in Spain.