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    Thursday, March 17, 2016

    Liverpool kick Manchester United out of the Europa League



    Liverpool ended arch-rival Manchester United's participation in the Europa League, with a 1-1 draw in the return leg of their last 16 tie at Old Trafford.
    The Reds advanced 3-1 on aggregate after their 2-0 first leg win at Anfield.
    United's exit leaves embattled manager Louis Van Gaal with only the English FA Cup to concentrate on for silverware this season.
    The Red Devils' are currently sixth in the Premier League and will have to make up a four-point margin to overhaul neighbours Manchester City to claim the final Champions League berth for next season.
    United played their way into the tie when Anthony Martial converted from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, but all hopes evaporated when Brazilian Philippe Coutinho equalised with a crucial away goal late in the first half to effectively kill the tie.
    Tottenham Hotspur's run in the competition also came to an end when they were beaten 2-1 by Borussia Dortmund.
    Dortmund, who were previously coached by current Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, went through 5-1 on aggregate.
    Spurs' defeat will allow the London outfit to concentrate on their EPL title assault where they are second behind Leicester City and in prime position to secure one of the four Champions League spots on offer.
    Meanwhile Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal and Sparta Prague reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League at the expense of Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen and Lazio.
    Bilbao lost 2-1 to Valencia, who started with Socceroo Mat Ryan in goal, but squeaked through on the away goals rule, with a 2-2 aggregate.
    Valencia's exit from Europe's second-tier competition heaps more pressure on under-fire English manager Gary Neville, who was sent off for vehemently protesting against Bilbao's controversial killer goal.
    Valencia swept into a promising 2-0 lead but conceded the vital away goal to Bilbao's ageless striker Aritz Aduriz.
    Santi Mina opened the scoring for Valencia in the 13th minute after good work down the left by the impressive Jose Gaya.
    Defender Aderlan Santos made it 2-0 eight minutes before half time by heading in an excellent centre from Gaya.
    Bilbao dominated the second half and tournament top scorer Aduriz, 35, saved the Basques from elimination by beating Ryan 15 minutes from time, despite what seemed to be a handball by Markel Susaeta earlier in the move.
    "I never like to put the blame on the referee, but when he sees (on television) what occurred, he will be disappointed with himself," Neville said.
    "I didn't insult him at all. I just said that it was handball. This was a very unfair match. We should have won by four or five goals. You need a bit of luck in football, and we didn't have that tonight."
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    Item Reviewed: Liverpool kick Manchester United out of the Europa League Rating: 5 Reviewed By: billsports
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