Champions League: Man Utd edged out in seven-goal thriller against Copenhagen
Manchester United were dealt a major blow to their UEFA Champions League hopes as they fell to an agonising 3-4 defeat against Copenhagen.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea almost-singlehandedly kept Sevilla at bay as the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan ended in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night.
The big news in the build-up to the clash in Seville was that Paul Pogba had been dropped to the bench in favour of Scott McTominay, adding fuel to the fire that the Frenchman and his manager—Jose Mourinho—have had a spectacular falling-out.
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And United got off to a far from ideal start in Spain as they lost Ander Herrera to injury eatrly on, with Pogba replacing the stricken Spaniard in the 17th minute.
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The visitors were struggling to find their rhythm in the match and Sevilla were by far the stronger of the sides on the night.
However, their wastefulness in front of goal let them down as they failed to beat de Gea from close-range on a number of occasions.
The Spaniard custodian showcased his lightning-fast reflexes to deny Stephen Nzonzi and Luis Muriel as the first-half drew to a close.
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United put up a better show in the second-half, but they failed to properly test Sevilla custodian Sergio Rico over the course of 90 minutes, with Sevilla having a strong penalty shout waved away by French official Clement Turpin.
Mourinho sent on Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as he sought to deliver a sucker blow to the La Liga side, but the pacey duo was unable to stretch the home defence as the game petered out into a bore draw.
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In the other tie on the night, Shaktar Donetsk came from behind to edge AS Roma 2-1 at the Metalist Stadium.
Mourinho will be the happier of the two managers, despite not having the away goal in the bag, for the second leg on March 13 takes place at Old Trafford.
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