It was a difficult night for Harry Maguire and Manchester United as they went crashing out of the Europa League following a 2-1 loss to Sevilla.
The result marks a third semi-final exit for United this season but captain Harry Maguire feels they deserved to win this one.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took the lead through yet another Bruno Fernandes penalty. However, goals from Suso and Luuk de Jong secured Sevilla’s place in Friday’s final.
Speaking to BT Sport following the game, Maguire admitted it was a difficult way to end their season.
“It’s difficult. The boys are devastated in there. The best team lost and they punished us for missing the chances.
“We conceded from two crosses which is not good enough.
“We worked our socks off and deserved to win and get through. We fell short in a semi-final for the third time this year.”
“Losing is not acceptable”.
United have made major improvements throughout the season. The form of their star trio Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford have carried them at stages. The addition of Fernandes proved to be a stroke of genius by Solskjaer.
But Maguire insists that a third-place finish in the Premier League and three semi-finals does not equate to a good season for the club.
"The boys in there are devastated."
"We need to get better. Losing is not acceptable."
A disappointed Harry Maguire reflects on Man Utd's third semi-final exit of the season.
🎙 @darrellcurrietv#Club2020 pic.twitter.com/chf6WoSN6x
— Football on BT Sport #Club2020 (@btsportfootball) August 16, 2020
“Losing is not acceptable. Getting to semi-finals isn’t acceptable.
“The improvement we’ve made is massive. We played a good Sevilla team and we dominated. But as I say, losing isn’t acceptable.
“We finished third in the Premier League. People will say it’s a good season. Do we want to finish third next season? No.”
However, the former Leicester player is confident that United will add to their silverware collection soon, despite the club going three seasons without a trophy.
“For sure, it’ll happen soon. Obviously, we want it to happen as soon as possible. You’ve seen the talent on the pitch, the way we’ve improved throughout the season. If we take another giant step next season, we’ll improve again.
“It’s disappointing. We’ve got to three semi-finals. In the Carabao Cup it was disappointing to lose the game, in the FA Cup we didn’t turn up. But tonight we turned up, we deserved to win the game and the best team lost.”
Read More About: europa league, Harry Maguire, Manchester United, ole gunnar solskjaer, sevilla