Manchester United blew a two-goal lead as late own goals from Harry Maguire and Tyrell Malacia handed Sevilla an unlikely lifeline and a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Old Trafford.
United appeared to be striding towards the semi-finals after Marcel Sabitzer’s first-half double but a failure to underscore their dominance was ruthless punished in a remarkable finale.
Malacia’s 84th-minute own goal handed Sevilla a route back into the tie and there was more for the LaLiga side, with Youssef En-Nesyri forcing Maguire to put through his own net in the second minute of stoppage time.
Already without topscorer Marcus Rashford, the draw, which will have felt like a defeat, could have come at an even greater cost, with centre-back Raphael Varane forced off injured at half-time and Lisandro Martinez carried from the field on a stretcher in the second half.
It means United’s Europa League aspirations hinge on producing a positive result in next Thursday’s return at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan without their leading scorer and, potentially, their first-choice centre-back partnership.
Manchester United were only the second English side to score two own goals in a single match in a major European competition, after Chelsea against Erik ten Hag’s Ajax in November 2019.
Sevilla on the other hand scored a 90th-minute equalising goal in a match in a major European competition for the first time since March 2021 against Borussia Dortmund.
