Manchester United’s disastrous season continued as Galatasaray took advantage of some shoddy defence to earn a dramatic Champions League victory at Old Trafford.
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice for ten-man United, the second a magnificent effort in which the 20-year-old took advantage of Davinson Sanchez’s error to gallop 50 yards and beat Fernando Muslera with a clever finish.
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However, the hosts’ lead lasted only 10 minutes, as old-boy Wilfried Zaha and then Kerem Akturkoglu equalized.
After Mauro Icardi failed to score the penalty that followed a dreadful Andre Onana error that resulted in Casemiro’s red card, the Argentine made amends nine minutes from time when he sprinted clear of the hosts’ defense and scored
It is the first time United have started a Champions League group stage with successive defeats, and piles the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, whose side are bottom of the table, four points behind their visitors who are second, behind Bayern Munich.
United have now lost two on the trot following Saturday’s Premier League home defeat by Crystal Palace, five of their past seven games and six out of 10 in all competitions this season.
This was a truly awful night for Ten Hag, who stood in the pouring rain before the final whistle hoping his side could snatch something to give them hope in a campaign that has been as bleak as the weather.
Marcus Rashford set up Hojlund’s opening goal with a lofted pass into the six-yard box, where he beat Sanchez with a header.
Then, after Rashford had sprinted clear only to misplace a straightforward square pass that should have given Bruno Fernandes a tap-in, Hojlund launched his own run from halfway, this time with far more success, to make it three goals in two games in the Champions League.
United, on the other hand, were awful defensively from that point on. After Sofyan Amrabat was turned too easily by the touchline, Casemiro failed to track Akturkoglu’s run into the box, and the Turkey forward leveled for the second time.
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Onana’s £47 million price tag came with the assurance that he is quick on his feet. However, when the Cameroonian goalkeeper threw a pass from the edge of his six-yard box straight to Dries Mertens, his goal was saved only because Casemiro fouled the Belgian and Icardi missed the penalty.
When Icardi won it four minutes later, there was no escape, and the joyous celebrations of visiting fans strewn all over Old Trafford only made a bad night worse for United.
