Manchester United’s season went from bad to worse on Thursday, when they relinquished a two-goal lead but eventually tied 3-3 with Porto in Europa League action, extending their winless run in all competitions to four.
The Red Devils got off to a strong start with two goals in the opening 20 minutes courtesy of Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, who seemed intent on turning the page on their uninspiring starts to the season. That goodwill was undone by the 34th minute through Pepe and Samu Omorodion, who each scored to level the score. Omorodion scored a second in the 50th minute to begin to put the game out of reach, and matters became increasingly worse in the 81st minute when Bruno Fernandes picked up his second red card in four days. Harry Magurie’s stoppage-time equalizer salvaged things, but only so much.
Erik ten Hag’s side dominated in possession and created more than twice the number of shots Porto did, but those statistics feel more like a footnote considering Thursday’s eventful disaster. That dominance, though, is on trend for United – they looked the same in their underwhelming draws against Crystal Palace and Twente and were wasteful in attack. While United actually managed to score in abundance on Thursday, the Porto game also inspires concerns about their defense.
Coupled with United’s 3-0 loss to Tottenahm Hotspur on Sunday, the game raises questions about the progress they have made defensively. This time last week, they had conceded just five goals in the Premier League, reversing course after a porous back line caused chaos throughout last season. After a steady but uninspiring start to the season, the last week’s results have added newfound uncertainty around the direction the team is trending in.
Ten Hag and company will no doubt take positives from their ability to come back from behind despite being down to 10, but the result against Porto feels like the latest indication that the current process is not working. It refreshes pressure on ten Hag, who survived last season’s poor showing and seemingly got a vote of confidence from United’s higher-ups with a batch of new signings. The rumor mill is already acting in accordance, already delivering links to new managers as the Red Devils struggle to find wins.
Though a match against Porto should not be considered easy, their Europa League berth served as an opportunity to prove that they are amongst the top teams in the continent. They entered the competition as the second favorites to win the whole thing. Combined with the fact that no surprise teams missed out on a UEFA Champions League berth and none will drop down thanks to the new format, United were expected to demonstrate some stability in the early stages of the competition. That has not happened, and it’s not easy to envision that it will come any time soon.
Ten Hag may have lasted another few months at United, but the consensus is almost unanimous – the end feels near, and not unfairly so. Even without him in charge, though, there are just as many questions about the ability of the players to deliver steadiness. Their habit of unforced errors likely will not evaporate with a managerial change, which teases that the post-Sir Alex Ferguson rebuild will continue for a little while longer, more than a decade after he retired.
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