Manchester United narrowly escaped another embarrassing loss as substitute Harry Maguire scored a last-minute equalizer to make it 3-3 against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday. This came after Erik ten Hag’s team gave up an early 2-0 lead and saw Bruno Fernandes sent off for the second game in a row.
Fernandes received a second yellow card in the 81st minute for a high boot that hit defender Nehuen Perez while trying to connect with a cross.
“We started the game very good, we dominated, we scored two good goals but then we lost control,” Ten Hag said. “The middle part was no good and then we finished very good. … We got the equalizer so it is good for the spirit.”
Fernandes had been shown a straight red card in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, which increased the pressure on Ten Hag. The situation looked worse when United gave up their 2-0 lead to fall behind 3-2 after Pepê crossed from the right for his teammate Samu, who scored high into the net five minutes into the second half.
However, Maguire scored with a header from a corner in the first minute of injury time, earning United a point. They now have two draws in the league phase and have not won any of their last four matches across all competitions.
United couldn’t have asked for a better start in Portugal. Christian Eriksen set up Marcus Rashford, who used impressive footwork to get into the area and beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa with a low shot into the bottom left corner in the seventh minute.
Eriksen was also involved in the second goal 13 minutes later. He began the play in the middle and passed to Rashford, who then assisted Rasmus Højlund, allowing him to score with a powerful shot inside the near post for his first goal of the season.
But Porto quickly responded as Pepê and Samu each scored goals within seven minutes of each other to tie the game before halftime.
Earlier, a young Tottenham team kept their perfect record with a 2-1 win against Ferencváros, while Lazio also won their second match in a row, defeating Nice 4-1 at home.
Pape Sarr gave Tottenham the lead midway through the first half when he reacted quickly to a loose ball in the box and slotted it into the net with a right-foot shot, marking his second goal in two games in the second-tier European competition.
Brennan Johnson came on as a substitute in the second half and scored the second goal four minutes before the end with a left-footed shot that hit the far post. This was his fifth goal in five games across all competitions.
Parnabas Varga scored for Ferencváros in the last minute.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to the team that beat United at Old Trafford. Four teenagers started for Spurs, including 19-year-old Will Lankshear, who made his senior debut, and 17-year-old Mikey Moore, who made his first start.
In heavy rain at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Taty Castellano scored twice for Lazio. He first made it 2-0 in the first half by lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Marcin Bulka in a one-on-one chance, and then he scored again in the second half to make it 3-1 with a shot into the roof of the net.
Lyon also has two wins after beating Rangers 4-1 in Glasgow, with Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana each scoring two goals.
Dutch team Twente, who drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, held José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce to another 1-1 draw at home.
Captain Michael Baidoo scored from the penalty spot, and Swedish club Elfsborg surprised Roma with a 1-0 win. New Roma coach Ivan Jurić still looks for his first win in the competition.
Substitute Tomáš Chorý scored a second-half equalizer for Slavia, earning a 1-1 draw against Ajax in Prague. Ajax took the lead when Branco van den Boomen tricked the Slavia goalkeeper from the penalty spot in the 18th minute. The visitors were down to 10 men in the 75th minute after defender Youri Baas received a second yellow card.
