Manchester United ended up with a 1-1 draw against Twente with both goals coming from Eriksen at the 35th minute and Lammers equalising at the 68th. United’s offence displayed well-coordinated chaos whilst their defence maintained cohesion, evident from their four clean sheets this season. A potential fifth clean sheet was disrupted when Eriksen’s hesitation allowed Lammers to level the score.
In pursuit of victory, Erik ten Hag replaced Marcus Rashford with Rasmus Højlund, brought in Mason Mount for Joshua Zirkee, and exchanged Eriksen for Kobbie Mainoo. This final substitution, however, wasn’t successful despite a last-minute struggle that saw Harry Maguire aiming for the net, resulting in United beginning their Europa League campaign with a draw.
United’s harmonious team play carried over from Saturday’s nil-nil draw at Crystal Palace, even amidst continuing downpour and an energising rendition of Country Roads flowing from the speakers. This style of play, heavy on keeping control of the ball and deemed untenable by Ten Hag’s critics, was replicated with André Onana, Lisandro Martínez, Maguire, Manuel Ugarte, and Noussair Mazraoui passing the ball amongst them near the goal and into midfield.
Ugarte, in his full debut, disrupted possession from Youri Regeer, earning applause for playing the role he was signed for. Mazraoui too made his presence felt when he intercepted a challenge from Anass Salah-Eddine on the left boundary, leading to a corner from Michel Vlap. Twente’s player number 10, Lammers, found himself in open space but missed the target, sending the ball wide of the left post.
Zirkzee, again taking up United’s number 9 position, displayed the cunning of a maestro with a deceptive back-heel that left Twente’s defence perplexed, paving the way for Marcus Rashford. Although Rashford’s cross fell short, it triggered another promising attack from United.
A frantic sequence in the box of FC Twente had Diogo Dalot, Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, and Christian Eriksen scrambling, culminating in a thwarted attempt by Eriksen that enabled goal keeper, Lars Unnerstall to take possession. Following this, Unnerstall had to deflect a potentially disastrous kick from Mees Hilgers, which incidentally ricocheted off the centre-back while attempting to head to Zirkzee across the six-yard box.
Markus Rashford, filling the spot vacated by Alejandro Garnacho’s move to the bench, showed impressive strength, highlighted by his daring sprint down the left flank and an immediate pass to Zirkzee. His audacious nutmeg of Ricky van Wolfswinkel won enthusiastic approval from the Manchester United fans. Rashford notably participated in a three-man press along with Zirkzee and Fernandes when Unnerstall attempted to start from the back. He was also the first to congratulate Eriksen on a stunning first goal – a powerful shot that zoomed into the left corner.
This scoring opportunity arose from a subtly placed pass by the sharp-witted Fernandes to Dalot, who streaked through the box, and let Eriksen take the reins for a masterful finish. The first half concluded with two corner kicks for FC Twente, but the half decidedly belonged to the Red Devils.
The key question was whether Erik Ten Hag’s team could sustain the momentum. When Mitchell Van Bergen made a bold move down the left, Fernandes helmed the counter-attack to squelch any chance for Twente’s number 7. Rashford’s masterful manoeuvres that flummoxed two defenders was another promising sign that Manchester United had no intention of losing their grip on the game. Joseph Oosting’s team tried to rebound, but Rashford slipped past them towards the goal.
Overall, it looked like the Red Devils were sailing smoothly. Despite the need for continuous vigilance, Noussair Mazraoui’s deft control and nimble footwork exhibited their sheer class and superiority over Twente. In fact, the Moroccan’s venture even led to a corner opportunity and left Maguire admonishing himself for driving the ball directly into Unnerstall’s waiting hands.
Subsequently, Martínez, in his characteristic style, collided forcefully with Sem Steijn, earning a booking. The ensuing free-kick scripted by the same player was a sharp laser-like hit that made Onana sway to the left to deflect. A couple of corners followed, which were defensively handled, then United stormed towards their second potential goal, spearheaded by Rashford, to alleviate the tense final half-hour. In an attempt to actualise this, Eriksen planned to execute it with a corner but Twente would not waver.
The Dutch had their moment of victory then. Rooij slid 40 yards forward, spiralling past Maguire. Ugarte intercepted and passed the ball to Eriksen but his hesitation was penalised by Lammers who stole the ball from the Danish player, sprinted into United’s area and outwitted Onana to the right. Twente’s fans broke into celebrations, and even though Zirkzee, Mainoo, Garnacho – who swapped places with Diallo – Dalot and Hojlund all posed threats, United finished with a second successive draw. – Guardian