Man Utd 2 Galatasaray 3: Champions League hopes hang by a thread despite Hojlund double after Onana horror show
MANCHESTER UNITED BLUNDERED their way to defeat on another sorry occasion at Old Trafford.
They are becoming too frequent.
This was pure negligence as they twice threw away a lead to go down 3-2 at home and suffer their second defeat in Group A.
It should have been a night we were talking about Rasmus Hojlund who twice put the Red Devils ahead in the 17th and 67th minutes.
Former Red Wilfried Zaha had got one back on 23 minutes.
In the final 20 minutes though United completely lost their heads with Andre Onana all over the shop.
Kerem Arturkoglu plundered a 71st minute equaliser.
Then Mauro Icardi, having just missed a penalty made amends with the 81st minute winner.
What a mess.
Loose passes, terrible goalkeeping, a complete lack of control having taken the lead for the second time.
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It was Galatasaray’s first ever win in England in 11 attempts and their first away win anywhere in the competition, apart from a qualifier, in a decade.
United had begun on the front foot and taken the lead with a fine move and finish.
Deep in his own half Casemiro nudged a bouncing ball into his own path, turned and fired an incredible volleyed pass forward.
It bounded up of the Old Trafford surface but Marcus Rashford expertly headed it forward and looped a cross into the area which Hojlund headed home.
Advantage United. Could they now go on and build a lead.
Unfortunately nothing like that is so straight forward here nowadays.
Confidence can quickly be replaced by nerves at a ground that had been rebuilt into a fortress last season where they lost only twice.
That is one less than they have lost here already this season.
There is an accident always waiting to happen and this time it was Diogo Dalot providing it for the visitors first.
Former Spurs centre-back Davinson Sanchez launched a ball forward and Dalot was all in a panic.
It was as if he was trying to control a balloon as the ball bounced around him allowing Zaha to get a boot on it.
Not the cleanest of strikes, but he got it on target sending a volley up off the surface and over Andre Onana.
The boisterous away following who had been chanting non stop from the word go were in raptures.
For Zaha it was some moment.
He had always dreamed of scoring at The Stretford End in the Champions League but just four appearances following his move to Old Trafford a decade ago did not afford him that chance.
The United fans were happy to remind of that and he responded by cupping his ears to the crowd and smiling after finding the back of the net.
Ten Hag made a change at the break bringing Christian Eriksen on to help Casemiro with the creation in exchange for Hannibal.
It was his quick thinking that set up a golden chance for the Red Devils to retake the lead.
Turning on halfway he sent Rashford flying through on goal.
He slowed his run so Fernandes to catch up to receive a square ball but that also allowed time for Boey to get back and intercept it.
After the defeat to Crystal Palace Ten Hag bemoaned the lack of cutting edge when chances presented themselves.
Here was another example of the wrong decision.
Hojlund thought he had a second just before the hour mark but replays showed the assistant referee was right to raise his flag with the Danish frontman just offside when Mount found him.
Great strikers don’t let their heads go down, they just go again and so did Hojlund who was alert to any chance all night.
So when Sergio Oliveira’s loose pass evaded Sanchez, Hojlund picked it up and raced half the length of the field.
Abdulkerim Bardaki desperately tried to keep pace but he wasn’t catching the 20-year who flicked the ball over the advancing Fernando Muslera.
It was a lead that lasted four minutes as United switched off again.
Mauro Icardi was sharper to the ball than Eriksen and fed Baris Alper Yilmaz who evaded Amrabat with some ease and crossed for Akturkoglu to turn in.
Then in the 78th minute Galatasaray had a penalty.
Onana’s sloppy ball out from his area was intercepted by Dries Mertens and Casemiro took one for the team in bringing him down.
It was his second yellow and so a red, his third since joining United at the start of last season.
Up stepped Mauro Icardi hoping to make up for his embarrassment from the week before when he missed an open goal after a penalty kick had been touched off to him against Istanbulspor.
He missed the target again, this time directly from the spot firing it wide of the left-hand upright.
Icardi made up for that just three minutes later.
Sanchez powerfully headed Amrabat’s loose ball forward back into the path of Icardi who sprinted away and chipped it over Onana as he went to ground.
The now familiar sound of boos greeted the final whistle.
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