Bayern Munich 4-3 Manchester United: 5 talking points as Bavarians prevail in crazy European tie | UEFA Champions League 2023-24
Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 4-3 in the Champions League on Wednesday on a goal-crazy evening at Allianz Arena.
Leroy Sane opened the scoring in the 28th minute as Andre Onana couldn't get his hand on the shot, allowing the ball to bounce off him and into the net.
Just four minutes later, Serge Gnabry doubled their advantage with a clinical finish from inside the box after Jamal Musiala tore United's defense to shreds with an eye-catching burst of pace.
Manchester United pulled one back early into the second half after Rasmus Hojlmund struck beyond Sven Ulreich. However, just four minutes later, Harry Kane restored Bayern's two-goal lead from the penalty spot.
Casemiro made it 3-2 in the 88th minute but Mathys Tel struck a powerful shot from inside the box to restore their two-goal lead once again. The frantic game brought more twist towards the end as Casemiro powered home a header from Bruno Fernandes' free-kick for the seventh goal of the evening.
Bayern held out the last few seconds to win the game as Manchester United were beaten for the third game in a row across all competitions. Here are the five talking points from the match.
#5 Rasmus Hojlmund opens his account with Manchester United
Manchester United looked to strengthen their strike department with the signing of Rasmus Hojlmund from Atlanta this summer. In his third appearance last night, he finally opened his account for the club.
Bruno Fernandes squared the ball to Marcus Rashford, who then played on Hojlmund. The Dane then made a first-time effort from a tight angle that evaded Sven Ulreich to find the bottom corner.
He was a consistent threat to Bayern with his position and movements between the lines, and early signs suggest he could become a talismanic presence up front for United.
#4 Bayern's dominant opening day record continues
Bayern Munich certainly love playing in the Champions League, a fact exemplified by their terrific record on the opening days.
With a 4-3 win over Manchester United, the Bavarians have won their first game of the season in the competition for the last 20 years in a row now. For context, no other side have won more than 12 consecutive opening-day matches in the Champions League.
It wasn't their best performance, but the Bundesliga champions were the better side for most part of the game, and ran out victors, nonetheless.
#3 Andre Onana makes a big howler
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana hasn't enjoyed the best of starts with his new club, but last night was certainly the nadir of his short spell so far.
The Cameroonian made a howler that allowed Bayern to take the 1-0 lead, and he clearly couldn't recover from that.
Leroy Sane arrowed an effort straight at him, and Onana turned the ball into his own net. It was a tame effort and should've been saved, but the former Inter Milan custodian was left ashen-faced by his own actions.
His night only turned worse thereafter, with Bayern putting three more past him, as Onana endured a forgetful outing at the Allianz Arena.
#2 Harry Kane comes back to haunt Manchester United
Manchester United came up against an old foe last night in Harry Kane, who's caused them plenty of trouble in the past. With Tottenham Hotspur, he scored five goals against them in 19 games, with all coming in domestic games.
For the first time on Wednesday, Kane faced the Red Devils in Europe, and he left a mark on the game with a well-taken penalty. The English striker sent a powerful effort into the bottom-left corner beyond the despairing dive of Andre Onana.
His return to Old Trafford in December will be all the more interesting.
#1 Manchester United cannot stop leaking goals
For the third consecutive game, Manchester United have conceded at least three goals against their opponents. First, Arsenal put three past them in a 3-1 win in the Premier League, before Brighton & Hove Albion repeated the trick at Old Trafford.
Now, Bayern struck four times against them as United's defense was fragile once again. This is now becoming a worrying trend for head coach Erik ten Hag, who needs to beef up his backline or risk losing more games.