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After the first leg fixtures, the UEL round of 16 is starting to take shape.
After the first leg matches of the UEFA Europa League, a few teams already know where they stand. There were some incredibly good and incredibly bad performances, leaving us with the biggest winners and losers from the round of 16 first-leg fixtures.
Biggest winners
Manchester United
Manchester United showed the perfect response to a tough week for the club with a convincing win over Real Betis at Old Trafford. The Red Devils braved bad weather, bad memories from the weekend, and a first half of poor finishing to come out with a well-earned 4-1 win over Beticos.
Manchester United were back to their outstanding best against Real Betis, creating nine big chances and threatening a blowout of their own against their Spanish visitors.
The 4-1 first-leg win means that Manchester United are now overwhelming favourites to make it to the quarterfinals of the Europa League and will be in the last eight barring a total disaster in Seville. The Red Devils celebrated goals from Marcus Rashford, Antony, Bruno Fernandes, and Wout Weghorst, and also had a fantastic cameo from youngster Facundo Pellistri to enjoy.
Victor Okoh Boniface
Victor Okoh Boniface was one of the most outstanding players of the Europa League round of 16 first-leg fixtures as he helped his Royale Union Saint-Gilloise side to a credible draw against Bundesliga title hopefuls Union Berlin on German soil.
Boniface scored a crucial brace in the 3-3 draw and wowed pundits and spectators alike with a sublime strike to open the scoring on the night for Saint-Gilloise.
His two goals put him at the top of the Europa League scorers’ chart, level with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford on five goals this season.
Lega Serie A
Serie A has suffered a great deal in recent times, and the league has had its reputation dragged through the mud for several reasons.
However, the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg fixtures served as a reprieve for the league, as they were the only country to have all their representatives secure victories.
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Roma and Juventus did Serie A proud with wins over Real Sociedad and Freiburg, respectively, ensuring the Italian top division was the only league to produce two winning teams on the night.
Biggest losers
Real Betis
Real Betis had not suffered a single defeat in Europe this season before facing Manchester United, but their Old Trafford collapse means that they are as good as out of the UEL.
Real Betis were unable to cope with Manchester United and were tactically and physically outclassed by their hosts in the 4-1 drubbing. In the process, they suffered the largest loss of any team in the first-leg matches.
It will take a monumental effort for Real Betis to get back into the tie when they host the return leg, and it does not seem like they will have it in them to overturn the deficit.
Jakub Kiwior
Arsenal fans were excited at the prospect of seeing their January acquisition, Jakub Kiwior, make his long-awaited debut against Sporting CP after spending two months with the first team without getting any action.
Instead of getting a performance worth waiting for, the Gunners quickly realised why it took Kiwior this long to make his debut, as the Polish defender had a nightmare debut for the Gunners.
Despite playing for 71 minutes against Sporting CP, Kiwior did not manage a single defensive action and lost all the duels he contested during the match as Arsenal went on to draw 2-2 in Lisbon.
It was far from the start Arsenal would have hoped for from Kiwior, but it is only early days, and the Gunners will be confident he can show his better qualities in the future, especially with more games under his belt.
Bruno Fernandes’ haters
After the 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool, there was no place for Bruno Fernandes to hide as he suffered criticism from the Thames to Timbuktu.
Almost every pundit, critic, and ex-Manchester United player wanted a piece of him, and there were even calls for him to be immediately stripped of the captain’s armband after a truly listless display.
However, Bruno rolled with the punches and took the criticism on the chin, choosing to answer his critics with a sensational display against Real Betis in the UEL.
A goal, an assist, and no flailing arms or referee-ushing incidents. It must have been a difficult watch for the naysayers.
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