AP, Manchester :
A stunning solo goal by Philippe Coutinho helped Liverpool eliminate great rival Manchester United from the Europa League, while titleholder Sevilla and tournament favorite Borussia Dortmund also reached the quarterfinals with ease on Thursday.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with United at Old Trafford to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory, with Coutinho scoring the equalizer – and crucial away goal – on the stroke of halftime by dribbling into the box and applying a deft chipped finish from an acute angle.
“Phil had a genius moment, wonderful,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said, “and it decided the game.”
United’s only possible route to next season’s Champions League rests solely through a top-four finish in the Premier League, which is currently looking unlikely with the team in sixth place with nine games left. Sunday’s derby against Manchester City, which is in fourth place and four points ahead of United, takes on even greater significance for United and its under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal.
Sevilla – seeking a third straight Europa League title – beat Basel 3-0 to advance by the same score on aggregate, and the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Dortmund’s goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham for 5-1 overall.
Sparta Prague eliminated Lazio by winning 3-0 away in the round’s big upset, while Athletic Bilbao lost to Valencia 2-1 to tie the aggregate score at 2-2 but advanced on away goals from the all-Spanish match. Other teams to go through to Friday’s draw for the quarterfinals were Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga.
Van Gaal’s future is on even more shaky ground with a potential route to the Champions League closed off, but progress in the Europa League was always in doubt after the first leg last week that Liverpool dominated and won 2-0 at Anfield. It meant United had to come out and attack at Old Trafford, leaving the home side susceptible to counterattacks from Liverpool’s lively forwards.
From one of those breaks, Coutinho collected the ball on the left wing, drifted past right back Guillermo Varela, closed in on goal and executed an extravagant chip that beat the stranded David de Gea at his near post.
It punctured an atmosphere that had gone up a notch inside Old Trafford when Anthony Martial gave United the lead from the penalty spot, after he was tripped by Nathaniel Clyne.
A stunning solo goal by Philippe Coutinho helped Liverpool eliminate great rival Manchester United from the Europa League, while titleholder Sevilla and tournament favorite Borussia Dortmund also reached the quarterfinals with ease on Thursday.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with United at Old Trafford to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory, with Coutinho scoring the equalizer – and crucial away goal – on the stroke of halftime by dribbling into the box and applying a deft chipped finish from an acute angle.
“Phil had a genius moment, wonderful,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said, “and it decided the game.”
United’s only possible route to next season’s Champions League rests solely through a top-four finish in the Premier League, which is currently looking unlikely with the team in sixth place with nine games left. Sunday’s derby against Manchester City, which is in fourth place and four points ahead of United, takes on even greater significance for United and its under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal.
Sevilla – seeking a third straight Europa League title – beat Basel 3-0 to advance by the same score on aggregate, and the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Dortmund’s goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham for 5-1 overall.
Sparta Prague eliminated Lazio by winning 3-0 away in the round’s big upset, while Athletic Bilbao lost to Valencia 2-1 to tie the aggregate score at 2-2 but advanced on away goals from the all-Spanish match. Other teams to go through to Friday’s draw for the quarterfinals were Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga.
Van Gaal’s future is on even more shaky ground with a potential route to the Champions League closed off, but progress in the Europa League was always in doubt after the first leg last week that Liverpool dominated and won 2-0 at Anfield. It meant United had to come out and attack at Old Trafford, leaving the home side susceptible to counterattacks from Liverpool’s lively forwards.
From one of those breaks, Coutinho collected the ball on the left wing, drifted past right back Guillermo Varela, closed in on goal and executed an extravagant chip that beat the stranded David de Gea at his near post.
It punctured an atmosphere that had gone up a notch inside Old Trafford when Anthony Martial gave United the lead from the penalty spot, after he was tripped by Nathaniel Clyne.
