What on Earth is going on with Manchester United?! When Hojlund netted the second in the 20th minute of the clash with Porto – following Rashford’s sixth-minute opener – it seemed that Erik ten Hag finally succeeded in lifting his boys and boosting their self-esteem. It seemed that United would at last beat a renowned rival and begin the “resurrection process.” Still, thirty minutes later, Porto were in front 3-2!What happened in the meantime? The Dutch strategist and his team may now. Or perhaps even they don’t. Otherwise, the outcome would have probably been different. What we know is that Pepe and Samu Omorodion (with a brace) brought Porto back to life and spread the Dragons’ wings. Yet, Harry Maguire’s 91st-minute header annulled Porto’s lead and brought United a point – 3-3!24 – Since Erik ten Hag joined the club in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded 3 or more goals in a match more times in all competitions than Manchester United (24). Open. pic.twitter.com/WRvic7vpss— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 3, 2024 Everything was ready for clash between the first and sixth favourites for the UEFA Europa League trophy, between the two teams whose recent form was not good as expected, and the two teams who had not faced each other since April 2009 – between Porto and Man United.Sir Alex has a surprising proposition if Ten Hag gets the bootAfter the disappointing draw with Twente, Erik ten Hag had no room for error, sending the strongest starting lineup to the pitch. Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund, and Andre Onana, among others, were all there. On the other hand, Porto were surprisingly defeated by the Norweigan side Bodo 3-2 in the first UEL round, although being a man up for almost the entire second half. The Dragons mainly relied on the attacking trio of Pepe, Galeno, and the Spanish wonder of Nigerian descent, Samu Omorodion.Porto immediately took control of the game, with Galeno making Onana intervene two minutes into the game. The Portuguese did not use their first chance, but the Premier League side did in the sixth minute! Rashford made a terrific solo effort, went past Joao Mario and Stephen Eustaquio, and sent the ball under Diogo Costa’s foot into the net – 1-0! The open game continued despite United’s early lead as Porto’s defenders could have clumsily scored two own goals in only a few minutes.Yet, what they failed to do, Hojlund did not, making it 2-0 after only twenty minutes! Rashford this time perfectly set the chance to the Dane whose powerful effort was deflected by Porto’s custodian Costa but still crossed the line to double the Red Devils’ lead! However, the Dragons showed signs of life in the 27th minute, reducing the gap – 2-1! Onana terrifically stopped Noussair Mazraoui from netting an own goal, but the ball rebounded straight to Pepe’s head, unfortunately for the away team. Carried by Pepe’s goal, Porto continued pressuring, and it took them only seven minutes to return entirely and level the score! Joao Mario crossed in ideally, and Omorodion showed why Chelsea wanted to bring him at all costs, setting the half-time score – 2-2!For some reason, known only to Ten Hag, the Dutch tactician left Rashford – arguably the best player on the pitch – on the bench at the break, replacing him with Alejandro Garnacho. As in the first period, Porto had the first chance, but Onana stopped Francisco Moura’s attempt. Nevertheless, it was only the introduction to Porto’s complete comeback! Pepe escaped on the right flank and found Omorodion with a low cross. The 20-year-old sneaked up behind Matthijs De Ligt’s back and smashed the ball behind Onana’s back for 3-2!But Omorodion refused to stop, as he threatened once more in the 65th minute, but was outsmarted by, tonight very good, Cameroonian custodian, and perhaps the only bright spot in the red jerseys alongside early-subbed Rashford. Ten Hag tried to wake his team up with Joshua Zirkzee and Antony, who replaced Hojlund and Amad Diallo. Truth be said, those changes gave a new energy to the away team, which took over the possession, although it might have been Porto boss, Vitor Bruno’s deliberate tactical approach.##NAJAVA_MECA_8380291##During that period Garnacho was the most active United player, trying to do something with numerous solo efforts, but the Argentinian did not seem to have enough support from his teammates. Nine minutes before the end, the Red Devils captain, Fernandes was sent off in the second consecutive game after his second booking! Porto’s sub Deniz Gul could have resolved everything, but magnificent Onana saved another one-on-one strike. And when Porto already started celebrating a triumph, Harry Maguire appeared in the box after Christian Eriksen’s corner kick and secure a point to his team. A point as valuable as the victory, considering the circumstances.Harry Maguire’s goal vs Porto #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Gl3dh9Lknx— MUFC Scoop (@MUFCScoop) October 3, 2024 All in all, the Red Devils fell short again and disappointed their fans one more time. The dreamy beginning turned into a nightmare and only thanks to magnificent Onana and the saviour Maguire, the Premier League side avoided the defeat. Still, the look on the UEFA Europa League table won’t be pleasant as United currently sit in the 21st spot with two points. In three days, soaring Aston Villa awaits United, and there’s probably no Red Devils’ fan who’s not afraid.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 2ThursdayLazio – Nice 4-1 (2-1)/Pedro 20, Castellanos 35, 55, Zaccagni 65 pen – Boga 41/Maccabi T.A. – Midtjylland 0-2 (0-1)/Franculino 39, Chilufya 89/Slavia Praha – Ajax 1-1 (0-1)/Chory 67 – Van den Boomen 18 pen/Olympiakos – Braga 3-0 (1-0)/El Kaabi 45, 59, Hezze 53/Sociedad – Anderlecht 1-2 (1-2)/Marin 5 – Vazquez 28, Leoni 40/Rigas – Galatasaray 2-2 (1-2)/Ikaunieks 40, Odisharia 55 – Mertens 12, Akgun 38/Qarabag – Malmo 1-2 (1-1)/Juninho 15 – Botheim 19, 47/Hoffenheim – Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 (1-0)/Hlozek 22, 60/Ferencvaros – Tottenham 1-2 (0-1)/Varga B. 90 – Sarr 23, Johnson 86/Twente – Fenerbahce 1-1 (1-0)/Vlap 29 – Tadic 71/Rangers – Olympique Lyon 1-4 (1-3)/Lawrence 14 – Fofana 10, 55, Lacazette 19, 45+1/Plzen – Ludogorets 0-0Elfsborg – Roma 1-0 (1-0)/Baidoo 44 pen/Besiktas – Eintr.Frankfurt 1-3 (0-2)/Masuaku 90+3 – Marmoush 19 pen, Dina Ebimbe 22, Knauff 82/Ath.Bilbao – AZ Alkmaar 2-0 (0-0)/Williams I. 72, Sancet 86/Porto – Man.Utd. 3-3 (2-2)/Pepe 27, Omorodion 34, 50 – Rashford 7, Hojlund 20, Maguire 90+1/PAOK – FCSB 0-1 (0-1)/Birligea 45+8/St.Gilloise – Bodo 0-0
