Four days after their 3-0 home humiliation at the hands of Tottenham, the Red Devils put criticism of the players and their under-fire manager to the side with an impressive start in Portugal.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund had United in control, only for Ten Hag’s men to lose their way and their defensive faculties as Pepe scored before Samu Omorodion’s brilliant brace put the homes side 3-2 in front.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second straight match as Ten Hag squirmed, only for Maguire to head home a Christian Eriksen corner in stoppage time to seal a point.
The Dutchman will be grateful to the towering centre-back after he came to the rescue in what always looked to be the toughest assignment in the new-look Europa League.
The defender told TNT Sports: “When you get 2-0 up away from home at a place like this, you have to be a bit more solid and secure. There were far too many gaps, too many crosses coming into the box and they ultimately punished us for it.”
“We played really well with the ball in the first half, we just have to do more without it.”
The manner of the performance in Porto does little to help Ten Hag ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa, then the October international break.
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin October 04, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin October 04, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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