Manchester United are yet to win three games in the Europa League this season after being held to a 1-1 draw by Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday night.
It was a hostile atmosphere in the Turkish metropolis that threatened to make for a very tough night for the away Premier League side, but an early goal from Christian Eriksen broke the deadlock and things looked to be going well until Youssef En-Nesyri equalized just after half time
Fenerbahce did not create much after the equalizer and Jose Mourinho was sent off in his reunion with his former club, but United could not find the crucial second goal either.
How the game developed
With the booming soundtrack of the Sukru Sarakoglu Stadium behind them, Fenerbahce started brightly. The hosts controlled the ball and had an early shot as both Bright Osayi-Samuel and former United midfielder Fred missed the target with half-chances.
But Erik ten Hag’s men were clinical with a quick counter in the 15th minute. It started in their own half when Manuel Ugarte won the ball from Fred, with Eriksen quickly sending Alejandro Garnacho running into space left His cut-back was cushioned by Noussair Mazraoui in his ‘number 10’ role and then back into the path of the onrushing Eriksen to finish first time from 18 yards.
The pattern of play was that United were happy to let Fenerbahce have the ball in their own defensive third and midfield, before looking for counter-attacks and attacking in quick bursts. They almost had a second goal soon after when Marcus Rashford cut in from the front and just missed the bottom corner, perhaps even hitting the post as the shot went wide. But United also had Ugarte to thank for keeping them in front, pouncing on Dusan Tadic’s close-range shot into an open net.
En-Nesryri couldn’t believe Fenerbahce hadn’t equalized three times at the end of the first half. His first effort from a low cross from Allan Saint-Maximin was crucially blocked by Victor Lindelof. Andre Onana then pulled off a stunning save reminiscent of Peter Schmeichel against Rapid Vienna in 1996 (if you know it, you know it) to deny him again, before emerging and promptly decanting the Moroccan’s next attempt to over the bar
Having besieged United with Sevilla in the past, En-Nesyri had to wait just four minutes after the restart for his goal. The powerful forward ghosted behind Lindelof and planted a firm header from a Saint-Maximin cross that was too much for Onana to clear.
Mourinho received his marching orders from the penalty area an hour later when Osayi-Samuel went down spectacularly in the box amid Ugarte’s attention. The referees and VAR did not move, but the entire Fenerbahce bench was outraged and the protest was duly punished.
United looked to respond to the home side’s momentum and there were chances when Rashford came inches from connecting with a through ball in the middle of the box and Lisandro Martinez had a shot on goal blocked, while that Dominik Livakovic also stopped Mazraoui and Matthijs. from Ligt. The Croatian striker saved substitute Rasmus Hojlund as the game wore on, with the United front man disappointed not to fully connect with the effort.
Ten Hag’s side weren’t exactly banging on goal, but Livakovic continued to make saves and held out a low shot from Garnacho. Ultimately, any momentum in the closing stages was eaten away by a long layoff, while Antony, short on substitute time, was treated with what appeared to be a thigh injury and was soon sidelined with some anxiety and discomfort.
GK: Andre Onana – 7/10 – Two genuinely world-class saves just seconds apart showed what he is capable of at his best. Not really that busy otherwise.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 5/10 – He played as an extra winger when United had possession. Defensively, a little loose, leaving Saint-Maximin too much space to cross for the equaliser.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt – 7/10 – He defended quite well and was a set-piece threat at times.
CB: Victor Lindelof – 6/10 – First start since March. He made a great block to deny En-Nesyri towards the end of the first half, but it was the same player who parried him when Fenerbahce equalised.
LB: Lisandro Martinez (c) – 6/10 – Even as a left-back, the stand-in skipper often played more as a central third because of United’s form. He ended the match in the middle anyway.
CM: Manuel Ugarte – 8/10 – He needed a big performance after a tough start to life in a United shirt and he produced it. A tackle started the play that saw United open the scoring, with a block later in the first half denying Fenerbahce a certain goal. Added bite in a hostile environment.
CM: Christian Eriksen – 7/10 – He also claimed United’s best player of the season so far with the opening goal. He was looking to create and unpick the defense.
RM: Marcus Rashford – 7/10 – He offered a clear threat and came very close to making it 2-0 in the first half. He also had other looks at goal, although things didn’t quite happen.
AM: Noussair Mazraoui – 6/10 – He obviously lacks the incisive quality of a true ‘number 10’ because he isn’t, but he was in the right places and had a crucial touch when Eriksen opened the scoring. He returned to a more conventional role with the 55th minute reshuffle.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 6/10 – Involved in United’s opener but overall finesse and accuracy were just lacking after an outstanding performance against Brentford last weekend.
ST: Joshua Zirkzee – 6/10 – He had enough awareness to put the ball into Eriksen’s path, but he wasn’t really involved in any other way. On one occasion there was a chance to play Rashford into a dangerous position and the pass was horribly overpowered.
Substitutes
SUB: Casemiro (55′ for Lindelof) – 6/10
SUB: Rasmus Hojlund (55′ for Zirkzee) – 6/10
SUB: Antony (73′ for Rashford) – N/A
SUB: Amad Diallo (90′ for Antony) – N/A
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Tom Heaton (GK), Habeeb Ogunneye, Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley.
manager
Erik ten Hag – 7/10 – The first half went about as well as you’d expect, even with the somewhat unusual starting line-up. He will be very disappointed to have conceded just after the break.