Smalling Rues Concession Of Crucial Goal

Chris Smalling rued the timing of Liverpool’s equaliser as Manchester United bowed out of the Europa League after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg at Anfield a week ago, United flew out of the blocks in the return fixture and looked to be on their way to reversing the damage that had been done, as they halved the arrears on aggregate through Anthony Martial’s penalty after 32 minutes.

But the Reds were dealt a cruel sucker punch just before the interval, as Philippe Coutinho’s dinked finish drew Liverpool level on the night and reasserted their two-goal advantage overall. Hence, Smalling could only bemoan the timing of the equaliser after such a strong start from the team.

"We believed that, if we started well, we could put them under pressure," he told MUTV. "You could see that they started to crumble but it was unfortunate we conceded just before half-time because we had a real battle on our hands."

Smalling also expressed his disappointment at the size of the task United had been given in the first instance, insisting that the tie would be difficult to win following that loss against Jurgen Klopp’s men last Thursday.

"The damage was done in the first leg," the England international accepted. "We all knew we gave ourselves far too much to do and we paid the price for that tonight."

The aim is now simple - to win at Manchester City on Sunday to close the gap on the Blues in the table to a single point.

"We're going to want to make sure we go into that international break on a high and the only way we can close the gap on the top four is by beating somebody who's already in there," he added. "It's our time to step up.

"There's still a lot to play for. We need to show that consistency in our performances and, if we can build on that first half, we give ourselves a chance in the league and in the FA Cup."