Two out of the three English sides remaining in the last 32 of the Europa league progressed into the last 16. Fulham and Liverpool progressed, while Everton crashed out.
Fulham gained passage into the next round with a superb 1-1 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Liverpool got through with an unconvincing 3-1 victory away at Romanian side Unirea Urziceni. Which meant the Reds won the clash 4-1 on aggregate.
Everton were the last English side to play and crashed out of the competition with a 3-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese side winning the tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Shrewd
Fulham’s 3-2 aggregate defeat of UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk was a master class in how to play European football. The victory was a typical example of Fulham boss Roy Hodgson’s shrewdness and man management.
It also shows just how far experience can get you. Hodgson has managed all over Europe and is respected by his peers on the continent, thanks to his work for UEFA. Hodgson knows the European game inside out and despite his tiny squad has performed admirably in the competition.
Shakhtar Donetsk are no pushovers and were expected to triumph over the Cottagers and were also one of the favourites for the trophy but two very good performances put the Londoner’s into the next round. They will now face Italian giants Juventus, who defeated Ajax to progress.
Naive
Despite the superb job David Moyes has done at Everton he still seems tactically naive when it comes to European football. His negative tactics cost Everton last night. For most of the game Sporting dominated possession and Everton were pinned back in their own half. The defence were sitting far too deep and it was an invitation for the home side to have wave after wave of attacks.
It was a stark contrast to the Blues recent showing in the Premier League. A typical Everton performance is full of life and energy. However their display against Sporting seemed lethargic and they simply couldn’t keep hold of the ball. They did the basics poorly and were punished.
The distribution from the back was awful. The likes of Joseph Yobo, Philippe Senderos and Phil Neville all wasted possession far too often. Whenever Everton did get the ball forward Louis Saha was far too isolated.
The Blues missed the presence of Tim Cahill, who is the key to the way Everton play with just one up front. Everton also missed defenders Sylvain Distin and Johnny Heitinga. The pair has forged a good partnership in recent weeks. Their replacements Yobo and Philippe Senderos were simply awful.
However there was one bright spot for Everton, the return of defender Phil Jagielka. The England international had been out injured for the last 10 months and his return will hopefully mean the likes of Senderos and Yobo will be dropped from the starting line-up.
Apathy
Liverpool’s victory over Romanian minnows Unirea was greeted with a strange apathy by the Liverpool fans. A lot of Liverpool fans still reeling from their Champions League exit see the Europa League as useless.
However it’s the only trophy that they can win this season. Their performance last night wasn’t spectacular but it got them through to the next round and Liverpool also had the added bonus of Fernando Torres getting some time on the pitch.
Last night’s game was the first since September that Liverpool have scored more than two goals in a game. Surely that is something positive to gain from this clash. Liverpool fans last night, despite their victory, seemed unimpressed by their side’s efforts.
I believe that’s because they felt that their side should have beaten the Romanians by more than just the one goal in the first leg at Anfield. Liverpool will now face French side Lille in the next round after their victory against Fenerbahce. Maybe as the competition progresses the Anfield faithful will gain a greater liking for the competition. However knowing Liverpool fans I doubt it.
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