Manchester United threw away a two-goal lead against Galatasaray in their crucial Champions League encounter as the match ended 3-3 in Istanbul on Wednesday.
United’s Champions League hopes now rest on other outcomes in the group. They will be hoping Bayern Munich can emerge victorious against Copenhagen in the game later tonight.
The Reds will then need to beat the Bavarian giants on the last matchday at Old Trafford while hoping for a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
Unlike in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s side do not seem to have any problems scoring in Europe but their defence or goalkeeper often lets the team down.
Onana disasterclass again
The biggest letdown for the three-time Champions League winners was the performance of Andre Onana, who was at fault for all three goals conceded on the night.
The Turkish fans wanted to provide a hellish experience to the United side and provided a raucous atmosphere at RAMS Park but it was the Red Devils who quietened the crowd first.
Alejandro Garnacho, fresh off a stunner against Everton, opened the scoring after some neat interplay up front to open the scoring for the visitors.
United added a second not long after with skipper Bruno Fernandes’ long-range screamer flying past Fernando Muslera in goal.
While it was the perfect start, the home side had plenty of space through the centre of the pitch with both the captain and Scott McTominay occupying advanced areas while Sofyan Amrabat was left alone to cover the space.
Hakim Ziyech halved the deficit from a free-kick with Onana not covering where the opposition players stood in the wall, which was a basic goalkeeping error.
It always seemed like United would need a third to end the match as a contest and Scott McTominay grabbed it in the second half and at that time, it seemed the game was done and dusted.
But Onana then let in a tame free-kick which he tried to parry but instead put into his own net before a curler caught tha goalie napping on his near post to send the home fans wild.
It was looking like the Cameroonian was turning a corner and was getting used to donning the mantle as United’s No 1. But Wednesday’s display will heap further pressure on him and the manager.
Time for ETH to hand minutes to Bayindir
With his international future also up in the air and an AFCON-enforced absence around the corner, Ten Hag will need to play Altay Bayindir to understand where his goalkeepers stand at the moment.
There will be further clamour for the manager to drop the former Inter Milan man and it will be interesting to see how the manager reacts, especially after repeated high-profile errors.
Ten Hag was ruthless in the summer when dealing with David de Gea but now it is time for him to own up to his own mistake and take a brave call.
The Dutchman will also be puzzled and will need to understand how his side cannot put in a team performance this season. Either the attack stutters or the defence fizzles out.