Manchester United back in control of Champions League destiny after scrappy Copenhagen win
Manchester United have rarely played well this season but, weirdly enough, the Reds have now won three games on the spin. They secured a hard-fought victory over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday, October 24.
Erik Ten Hag’s side went into the game desperately in need of three points after disappointing defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in their opening two group games.
The team once again failed to put up a convincing performance and struggled for large spells. But they ultimately got the job done by recording a 1-0 victory.
As poetic as a story can ever be, Harry Maguire turned out to be the match-winner. Moreover, Andre Onana saved a last-minute penalty to prevent Copenhagen from marring Sir Bobby Charlton’s tribute at Old Trafford.
Having been vilified, criticised, and scapegoated for Manchester United’s poor start to the season, Maguire and Onana probably deserved this redemption arc more than anyone else.
Narrow escape for Manchester United
Getting the three points remains the most important thing, especially with Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying from the group stages in the balance ahead of Tuesday’s game.
However, nothing else on the night was good enough. The Red Devils were boring for much of the game and failed to create any clear-cut chances, especially in the first half.
Manchester United’s whole game was dominated by indecisiveness, lethargy, and a lack of character. Even the few chances that came their way were squandered by Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Their heavy touches let them down when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
On another day, Maguire’s header would not have been enough to win the game. Onana was called on to make several saves, including a last-minute penalty after Scott McTominay’s rather careless foul with just seconds left on the clock.
Ten Hag spoke at length about having his players step up when it matters most. But only Onana and Maguire really distinguished themselves against Copenhagen, as it was once again a narrow escape for the Reds.
Red Devils back in control of destiny
Bayern’s victory over Galatasaray earlier on Tuesday blew Group A of the Champions League wide open. While the German giants look to be running away with the top spot, second place is up for grabs.
By beating Copenhagen, Manchester United played themselves back into contention. They seized back control of their destiny despite collecting zero points from their first two group games.
The Red Devils are now third in the group, just a point behind Galatasaray. They in a good position to progress to the knockout stages should they manage to win their next two games.
“Players are stepping up and getting their markers into the season,” Ten Hag told Manutd.com in his post-match press conference.
“From there, they get the belief, as you have seen with Harry Maguire and Andre Onana. I think there are others with good performances. If we produce that and go from game to game, we can create something.”
Manchester United have not been playing well but wins like this only help to build the team’s momentum and boost confidence. Perhaps, this is the type of result needed for them to finally kick on in the season.