In a gripping 3-3 draw in the Europa League, Harry Maguire’s last-minute header rescued Manchester United and possibly Erik ten Hag’s position. This result came just four days after a disheartening 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at home, and despite initial criticism, the Red Devils showed resilience on the field in Portugal.
United initially had the upper hand with early goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund. However, Ten Hag’s squad lost focus, giving Pepe the opportunity to strike and Samu Omorodion to deliver an exceptional double.
For the second consecutive match, team leader Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card, leaving Ten Hag uneasy. However, the day was saved when Maguire, in injury time, found the net from a corner taken by Christian Eriksen, thereby securing a point for United.
On a separate note, Tottenham Hotspur clinched a hard-earned victory of 2-1 against Ferencvaros in the Europa League, with young player Brennan Johnson netting for his fifth straight game.
Spurs’ manager, Ange Postecoglou, delegated responsibility to four of his teenagers in Budapest, with Mikey Moore, only 17, impressively setting up Pape Sarr’s opening goal at 23 minutes. Sarr’s second goal in the league helped Spurs resist the Hungarian champions’ late surge. With only four minutes remaining, Johnson secured their win with a left-footed strike, which was almost jeopardised by a last-minute volley from Barnabas Varga. However, Tottenham managed to hold the fort, marking their fifth consecutive victory.
Other noteworthy results include Athletic Club’s 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar.
The scores of the latest matches in the Europa Conference League are as follows:
The match between Rangers and Lyon ended with Lyon bagging four goals to Rangers’ one. Similarly, Roma suffered a defeat from IF Elfsborg, conceding a goal.
Chelsea celebrated a victory over Gent with a 4-2 score, while Hearts triumphed over Dinamo Minsk by 2 to 1. Lastly, Molde did not concede any goals and claimed victory against Larne with three goals to nil.