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The poor run continues for Manchester United as they again dropped points in the Europa League. They were 2-0 up against FC Porto last night but bottled the two-goal lead and tied the match against the Portuguese side at Estádio do Dragão.
This match was very crucial for Erik Ten Hag as he has been under tremendous pressure. A defeat against Porto might see him getting sacked, but Harry Maguire provided a lifeline to the manager by scoring a very late goal in the injury time, which earned a much-needed point for the Red Devils.
Match Report
Manchester United were winless in their previous three games in a row across all competitions. Therefore, the Red Devils were desperate to back on the winning track when they played against FC Porto away from home.
The hunger was there, and Manchester United went on an all-out attack against the home side from the beginning. The Red Devils also got an early lead when Marcus Rashford brilliantly cut out two defenders and beat Diogo Costa to find the net in just 7 minutes.
Rasmus Hojlund, who didn’t start for Man United for a long time due to his injury, made his mark and made the scoreline 2-0 when he scored in the 20th minute.
Manchester United were in a comfort zone after having a two-goal lead, but they eventually lost control in the middle of the match. The comeback for FC Porto started when Pepe tapped in with a header in the 27th minute.
This was a major boost for the home team, which lit up the entire stadium. As a result, Porto created a lot of pressure on Man United and earned the equalizer within a few minutes. It was Samu Omorodion who leveled the scoreline with a brilliant header in the 34th minute.
After the break, the home side got an early goal, destroying Man United’s defense. Samu Omorodion once again hit the back of the net, beating Matthjis de Ligt in the 50th minute.
Man United became frustrated after the goal and became a 10-men team when Bruno Fernandes received the second yellow card in the last ten minutes. It seemed Porto would win the match against the 10-men’s Man United. But Harry Maguire, coming off the bench in the 80th minute, saved a crucial point when he found the back of the net in injury time with a brilliant header. After that, there was no time left for the two teams to score more. As a result, the match ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw at Estádio do Dragão.
Don’t Judge Us Now
Man United boss Erik Ten Hag is under tremendous pressure and can be sacked at any time. However, the manager repeatedly said that he is confident and judge his progression at the end of the season. Ten Hag said, “We will get there. Don’t judge us in this moment. Judge us at the end of the season. We are in the process and we will improve. We are now two seasons where we achieved finals. We have to develop and progress this team.”
