09 March 2023 , 22:28
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It was a trademark move that has become so familiar, it is occasionally comical.
Here comes Antony - £82million Antony - flying down the right flank, let’s guess what he is going to do. Cut inside and try to curl one with his left peg? You would not often be wrong. But here’s the thing. When he gets the move right, he’s unstoppable.
And the Brazilian’s stunning finish to settle any worries early in the second half was the showpiece of this mainly rousing Manchester United response to the weekend humiliation. From moment one, the desperation to make even the slightest atonement for Sunday’s shame was clear.
Ahead of the game, Marcus Rashford spoke at length about the importance of Manchester United’s immediate reaction to the embarrassment at Anfield. Rashford and his teammates had been pilloried and demeaned, commonly described as gutless, spineless quitters. Whatever he said, Rashford knew it would be irrelevant if he did not back it up at the first opportunity.
And his 26th goal of the season was worth a thousand words. In a split-second, it was a strike powered by four days of anger, hurt and humiliation.
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Rashford’s composure when capitalising on a defensive mistake by Luiz Felipe was typical of his season’s form, his finish laced with the venom produced by the poisonous reaction to the capitulation on Merseyside.
And Rashford’s fiercely beautiful finish should have been the catalyst for the perfect response to the weekend fiasco, it should have been the inspiration for a completely scare-free European night.
Rashford grabbed his 26th goal of the campaign to open the scoring (Michael Regan/Getty Images)It probably would have been if Wout Weghorst had not finished so lamentably - but so predictably - on a couple of occasions and had United rediscovered their defensive solidity.
Erik ten Hag had pulled the old managerial stunt of telling the players that had made fools of themselves to go and redeem themselves. The only trouble with that ploy is that a defence that has just conceded seven is not going to become watertight just because they have a point to prove.
In fact, despite their general superiority in the first half, United were lucky to go into the break on level terms.
Even though there was a suspicion of handball in the build-up to his sweet equalising strike, Ayoze Perez should have been closed down more effectively and David de Gea’s rancid distribution should have been punished more severely on two occasions.
The hesitancy and uncertainty of early season appeared to have been resuscitated by the calamity along the M62. And that is why Antony’s stunning strike seven minutes into the second half was so crucial.
The nerves evaporated, the chances flowed and a distinctly average Real Betis folded tamely.
Antony celebrates with Rashford after the Brazilian restored United's lead (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
A nice lift for the ex-Ajax man (Dave Thompson/AP)The Spaniards were so mediocre, they gave Bruno Fernandes a free header from a bog-standard Luke Shaw corner and the captain accepted the chance of partially making up for his meltdown by the Mersey.
To be fair, he deserved it for working more than he whinged, although he did collect a yellow for leaving something on goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
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But that did not detract from his captain’s performance.
It was not quite redemption for Bruno, it was not quite redemption for anyone who was in a United shirt at Anfield last Sunday, not even for Weghorst, who finally converted a sitter late on.
But it was a decent start.