UEFA Europa League 2022/23: do away goals count? What Man United fans needs to know ahead of quarter-final

Manchester United head to Spain to fight for a place in Europa final four
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Manchester United hosted Sevilla in the first leg of their quarter-final last week and, despite going two goals up within the first 22 minutes, mistakes from the Red Devils defence meant the match ended 2-2. They will now prepare to travel to the south of Spain following a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Antony and Diogo Dalot found the back of the net. United are now the final EFL team in the competition following Arsenal’s disappointing exit in the round of 16 when they lost to Sporting on penalties.

As the Red Devils prepare for what is set to be a fraught second-leg, they will be forced to play without Bruno Fernandes who picked up his third booking of the competition last week and is now serving a one-match ban.

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With both teams at two goals apiece heading into the second leg, there would have been a time when Sevilla would see the advantage having scored in the opposition’s ground. However, with that rule no longer in place, here is all you need to know about what the away goal rule was and what’s in its place...

What was the away goal rule?

The rule was implemented in order to determine the winner of a two-legged tie in cases where the two sides had scored the same number of goals on aggregate over the two matches.I f one team had scored more goals in away matches, then they would qualify for the next round.

It was a rule first introduced in 1965 and has been a crucial part of UEFA competitions since, but current UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin released a statement in June 2021 stating that it would no longer be used.

It read: “The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965. However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.

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“The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams - especially in first legs - from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.

“There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.

“It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was. Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is now longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.”

When are the next Europa League fixtures?

Thursday 20 April:

  • Roma vs Feyenoord (0-1) 8pm
  • Union Saint-Gilloise vs Leverkusen (1-1) 8pm
  • Sevilla vs Man United (2-2)8pm
  • Sporting vs Juventus (0-1) 8pm

Thursday 11 May: Semi-finals

Manchester United’s match against Sevilla will be available to watch on BT Sport with radio coverage available on BBC Radio 5 Live. Fans can stream the fixture through the BT Sport website and app and it will set you back £29.99 for a monthly pass.

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