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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Kyle Newbould

Real Betis captain makes 'difficult' Manchester United admission as Antony explains impact of Liverpool loss

Joaquin admission

Real Betis captain Joaquin admitted it will be difficult for the Spanish side to progress to the next round of the Europa League after losing heavily to Manchester United in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

United secured a convincing victory over the La Liga side at Old Trafford on Thursday night, with Erik ten Hag's men taking a commanding lead in the tie. Marcus Rashford, Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst were all on target for the Reds, with Leicester City loanee Ayoze Perez scoring the only goal for the away side.

READ MORE: Harry Kane earmarked as United's prime striker target by Erik ten Hag

Ten Hag's men will be confident about cementing their place in the last-eight when the two sides meet again at the Benito Villamarin Stadium next Thursday. With the away goals rule no longer in play in Europe, United must simply avoid a three-goal defeat in order to progress to the next round.

Joaquin, on the other hand, insisted that Betis would fight until the last minute, but admitted that Manuel Pellegrini's men had to be realistic about their chances in the second leg.

See what the Betis captain said here

Antony on Liverpool

Winger Antony has admitted that he found it "hard to sleep" following United's crushing 7-0 defeat by rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds, who made the trip to Merseyside targeting a famous league double over their rivals, suffered their biggest defeat in almost a century, capitulating in the second half in dramatic fashion, conceding six times without reply. However, they bounced back at the first available opportunity against Betis.

Although United quickly quashed any fears that they would struggle to get back on track after the weekend's events at Anfield, Antony admitted that the defeat by Jurgen Klopp's side took its toll on him.

See what the Brazilian had to say here

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