Manchester United drew 3-3 with Porto on Thursday night in the Europa League.
United appeared to have started perfectly. Marcus Rashford put them ahead after seven minutes before Rasmus Hojlund doubled the away side’s lead in the 20th minute.
However, the game soon turned. First, Pepe (no, not that one) put the ball past Andre Onana to cut the lead down to a single goal. Then, Samuel Omorodion equalised with 34 minutes on the clock.
Half-time came and went, but the flow of the game did not change. In the 50th minute, the ball was played to Omorodion in the box and he fired past Onana to put the hosts into the lead for the first time on the night and complete the comeback. A bad night seemed to have been rounded off by Bruno Fernandes’ sending off for a second bookable offence in the 80th minute.
But then Harry Maguire rose highest from a corner in added time to head home and rescue a point for United.
Here, The Athletic’s United experts analyse a dramatic game.
How bad was the defence?
Erik ten Hag’s future is under the microscope game by game, but he was saved from a hugely damaging defeat by Harry Maguire in stoppage time. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to attend United’s next match at Villa Park and he can at least expect plenty of entertainment.
It was a dreadful night defensively for United, though, and the issue for Ten Hag is that this was his first-choice centre-back pairing, featuring two players he signed. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt each had horror shows, as even Ten Hag acknowledged by taking off both with 12 minutes left. Martinez let Pepe run off him for Porto’s first and was sluggish to the same player for the winning goal. De Ligt cut a frantic figure with much of his defensive actions, nearly gifting Samu Omorodion a hat-trick by hoiking the ball skywards.
United’s fragility meant a 24th game under Ten Hag where his team have conceded three goals or more in a match. They also continued a theme of letting in goals in quick succession. Porto scored twice in seven minutes and three times in 23 minutes.
Ten Hag’s side has an undesirable record of conceding two goals in four minutes at Bayern Munich, two in 10 minutes against Galatasaray at home, two in four minutes at Copenhagen, and two in nine minutes at Galatasaray.
There was also two in eight minutes at Crystal Palace, two in eight minutes against Coventry, two in two minutes at Chelsea, three in 24 minutes at Wolves, two in 11 minutes at Newport, and two in five minutes at home to Aston Villa.
Maguire and Jonny Evans came on with 12 minutes left to shore things up. Maguire had an uneasy start, trying to play offside, allowing another one-on-one, but he came up with a huge goal at the other end.
Laurie Whitwell
Did the first half sum up Ten Hag at United?
“We have to improve in the final third and in the box game, be more killers there,” said Erik ten Hag to assembled media yesterday. “Our strikers are capable of this, I’m sure.”
Disappointing results against Crystal Palace, FC Twente and Tottenham Hotspur meant dark clouds had begun to form around Ten Hag. Something had to give at Estadio do Dragao; United needed a bit of luck when attacking.
Thankfully — or even fortuitously — that bit of luck came in Porto’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who let saveable efforts from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund wriggle past him in the game’s opening 20 minutes. Ten Hag’s side looked to have clicked. Tails were up. Passing angles were sharper. Dark clouds abated.
Then came the other side of Ten Hag’s United. The Mr Hyde that has routinely manifested in European competition since April 2023. A looping cross forced Andre Onana into action in the 27th minute, making a good save from an unintentional header from Noussair Mazraoui. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper and Lisandro Martinez couldn’t get to the second ball in time, allowing Pepe to sneak in and peg one back.
Ten Hag watches United in the first-half (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Seven minutes later, another cross into the box saw striker Omorodion head past Onana, evening things up.
31 – This is the 31st time since the beginning of last season that Manchester United have conceded 2+ goals in a match – the most any current Premier League club has done so in this time. Porous. pic.twitter.com/pP1QO07gkL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 3, 2024
United had let a two-goal lead slip. Their efforts to re-establish themselves in the game saw old habits creep in. The gaps between midfield and defence slowly increased and Porto attempted to try their luck again with more crosses into Onana’s penalty area. Both teams began to exchange attacking punches and an up-and-down basketball-style pace took over.
If the 1-1 draw with FC Twente had shades of United’s nervy 1-0 victory over Copenhagen last season, then this first half against Porto brought flashbacks of the chaotic 3-3 draw away to Galatasaray.
Ten Hag’s United keep finding new ways to step on rakes in European competition. What is fun to watch for the neutral is proving difficult for United fans.
Carl Anka
Did United’s throwback midfield work?
A midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes was the cornerstone of the best run of results in Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United tenure, winning six Premier League games in succession that culminated in beating Manchester City 2-1 in January 2023.
But that combination was rarely seen last season as Ten Hag tried to progress his team, the final occasion coming in the 4-3 defeat away to Bayern Munich in September. They did start three games at the end of the campaign, but Casemiro was at centre-back, with the last time the 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
It was a result that looked to have spelt the end for Casemiro, with Eriksen also appearing on the way out, but both stayed in the summer and here they were anchoring the midfield in a match of major significance for Ten Hag. Kobbie Mainoo’s muscle injury against Tottenham meant he was unavailable, while Ten Hag dropped Manuel Ugarte to the bench. Ugarte had been expected to start back in the country where he spent two years while a Sporting Lisbon player, but maybe Ten Hag was aware he lost his last match at Estadio do Dragao 3-0.
Casemiro and Eriksen, both aged 32, started well. It was a nice pass out by Casemiro from deep midfield to Eriksen, which then gave Rashford enough space to attack Porto’s defence and score. Eriksen seized the second ball from Onana’s long kick to again find Rashford, who set up Rasmus Hojlund.
But there was a glaring reminder why Ten Hag tried to rejuvenate that area of the pitch. United were unable to get to grips with Porto’s attacks as they rallied to equalise and after the break, their limitations showed. They trailed as Francisco Moura finished a Porto counter by drawing a good save from Onana. Casemiro let Nico Gonzalez escape round the back to trigger the move for Omorodion’s goal that made the score 3-2.
Laurie Whitwell
What happened to United’s trusted lieutenants?
The FA’s disciplinary commission may have overturned his sending-off against Spurs, but Fernandes found himself on the wrong side of the law again against Porto. The United captain picked up a second booking in the 81st minute after his high boot reaching for a cross was judged to be dangerous play. Did Fernandes’ boot connect with Nehuen Perez’s face? Perhaps not, but it was a rash piece of play from a player who is making them with uncomfortable frequency this season.
What is most concerning for United is the decline or absence of Ten Hag’s most trusted lieutenants from 2022-23.
Rashford was substituted at half time for reasons that will likely be explained in the coming hours. Porto got a lot of joy angling passes into the spaces behind Eriksen. Casemiro is not the defensive shield he used to be, exacerbating an already porous midfield. Martinez looks sluggish when going into his defensive duels and is finding it difficult to defend the larger areas of space his midfield is giving up.
Maguire’s injury-time header spared some blushes and gave United the draw, but this team are going backwards. It is up to Ten Hag to find a way to halt the side.
Fernandes receiving his red card in the 80th minute (Florencia Tan Jun — UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Carl Anka
What next for Man Utd?
Sunday, October 6: Aston Villa (A), Premier League, 2pm UK, 9am ET
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(Top photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
