Man Utd´s Liverpool humiliation ´an accident´ as Betis chief anticipates Europa League response

Manchester United’s humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool was “an accident”, believes Real Betis president Angel Haro, who expects a response when his side face the Red Devils on Thursday.

Betis travel to Old Trafford four days after United suffered the joint-heaviest competitive defeat in the club’s history at Anfield.

Only a week on from their EFL Cup triumph, Erik ten Hag’s men were ruthlessly dismantled by Jurgen Klopp’s hosts to hand them just their second loss of the calendar year.

But with a Europa League last-16 first leg next on the agenda, Haro says Betis must be ready to battle against a fiery response from the Red Devils.

“[Their loss] is an accident, in an important rivalry,” he told Marca. “You have to look at Manchester United in recent games, where they’ve won almost everything.

“They are the favourites, with both budget and potential. But we are going there to compete, we go there with the intention of progressing. These matches are important for our growth.

7 – Manchester United’s 7-0 defeat at Anfield was the heaviest of Erik ten Hag’s managerial career, with today being the 481st match he has taken charge of across all competitions. Rocked. pic.twitter.com/1laEgE2LOL

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 5, 2023

“We’re going to one of the best venues you can go to in Europe, to a mythical stadium in the Theatre of Dreams. We’re playing against a very difficult opponent.

“But we will compete and try to bring a good result home. When you go on these trips, anything that isn’t a loss can be a win. A tie will give us many options in the second leg.”

Haro insists Betis will not be intimidated by United or their history, and he expects their vocal travelling supporters to provide Manuel Pellegrini’s men with plenty of backing.

“We are never alone [when we travel],” he said. “We always have our infantry. We are going to have almost 4,000 fans cheering for us.”