PORTO, Portugal — Harry Maguire threw Erik ten Hag a lifeline as Manchester United manager with an equaliser in stoppage time that secured a 3-3 draw in the UEFA Europa League against FC Porto. This happened after the Premier League side had surrendered a two-goal lead and had captain Bruno Fernandes sent off for a second successive game.
Despite going 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes with goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund, United gave away their advantage by allowing Porto to drag themselves level before half-time through Pepê and Samu Omorodion.
When Omorodion put Porto ahead early in the second half, it looked as though United and Ten Hag were heading for another humiliating defeat that would put the manager on the brink of losing his job.
However, substitute Maguire, who had been told he had been dropped from the England squad earlier in the day, saved the day — and maybe Ten Hag’s job — by heading in an equaliser in the final seconds. — Ogden
United conceded goals in bursts
United have developed a horrible habit of conceding goals in short bursts, particularly in Europe.
Last season they conceded two goals in four minutes at Bayern Munich, two in 10 minutes against Galatasaray at home, two in four minutes away to Copenhagen and two in nine minutes away to Galatasaray as they were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Against Porto, Ten Hag’s team conceded two goals in seven minutes to see their two-goal lead evaporate during a frantic first half. There’s a pattern under Ten Hag of United struggling to deal with setbacks during games and this was another example. It suggests there’s a mentality issue among the players, but there are also structural problems.
Old-school wingers prove their worth for Porto
Football is always evolving and the game has seen a big swing towards inverted wingers in recent years, with coaches opting for wide players who cut inside and shoot rather than traditional wingers who go around the full-backs to cross the ball.
But United had no answer to the quality of crosses that were being delivered by Vitor Bruno’s team in this game. It helps, of course, when you have a centre-forward as good in the air as Omorodion because he won virtually every ball that was sent his way.
But with wingers Pepê and Galeno constantly whipping in penetrating crosses, Porto were always a threat and they put United under severe pressure. United forward Højlund must have been watching at the other end, wishing he could rely on such pinpoint service as Omorodion.
Inverted wingers have made a big difference to many teams — Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for one — but perhaps the Porto example is a signpost of another change with coaches now looking at how dangerous a good cross can be.
United show some sort of desire
Manchester United are at least showing some fight. Losing 3-2 and down to 10 men after Fernandes’ second yellow card, it would have been easy for the players to throw in the towel.
They didn’t and were rewarded with a stoppage-time equaliser from Maguire. There are clearly a lot of problems that need to be solved, but at least Ten Hag can point to some flickers of spirit within the camp. Now four games without a win, he will need it when he takes his team to Aston Villa on Sunday — coming off one of their most memorable European nights after beating Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
It was telling that, under pressure coming into the game against Porto, Ten Hag turned to a midfield of Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Fernandes — the one which served him so well during his successful first season in charge. If he’s looking for fighters in his time of need, it would be no surprise to Maguire in the starting XI at Villa Park.
Judgement day for Ten Hag at Villa on Sunday
The stakes are now incredibly high for Erik ten Hag when Manchester United travel to Aston Villa on Sunday. Despite salvaging a point in Porto with Maguire’s stoppage-time equaliser, it was another game that they failed to win.
United have won just three games this season — against Fulham, Southampton and League One side Barnsley in the Carabao Cup. Plus, the FA Cup triumph against Manchester City at Wembley in last May is nothing but a distant memory.
Ten Hag’s team have been humiliated in two 3-0 home defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League, but Maguire’s goal in Portugal at least spared them from another painful loss.
But their problems remain. They concede way too many goals and have a bunch of players who play as if they don’t know what the plan is.
That is all on Ten Hag and he must somehow stop the rot before facing a very good Villa side this weekend. If he doesn’t, United will have gone five games without a win going into the international break and that would put his job on the line.
