Turkish premier division side, Fenerbache in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round of matches maneuvered to claim an enviable point from English top-flight side, Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbache from the inception of the game were displaying clear signs of a side, who had prepped countless on means to neutral the attacks of the opposing side. However, after fifteen minutes, Manchester United through a very good hold up play by Joshua Zirkzee in the penalty box, moves the ball to his right foot, attempts to shoot but with a very good defensive line cover from Fenerbache, links up play with Christian Erikson who was in and around the penalty spot kick and he decides to shoot at goal in a first time kick upon the arrival of the ball, and that gave Manchester United the lead in the early stages of the game.
After Manchester United going up by a goal, series of half chances were created which could have provided them a comfortable lead yet, time and time and again, they squandered those chances while the home side who had few chances also could not make the best out of it hence, the first half ended in a one goal lead to the travelling side.
Immediately the referee blasted the whistle for the second half, the home team uplifted their intensity in the game, they showed signs of wanting to have a stake with regards to the points available therefore, after four minutes into the game, the found an equalizer through the kind courtesy of their center forward, Y. En-Nesyri.
Following the equalizer, nothing fruitful in terms of goals found it way into the game. It was just an end-to-end action of passing the ball around by both team with no purposefulness and lack of efficiency by the attackers of both teams.
In effect, it has been just three points in three Europa League games for Manchester United after they failed to clutch all the three maximum points even after they took the lead in the early stages; and five goals scored, five goals conceded by the English club.
In the post match interview, arguably Manchester United’s best player on the field last night, Andre Onana fumed out his thought on the results, “it’s disappointing for me, for the club. We have an obligation to win at Man United, which we didn’t do. We take our responsibilities and move on.”
Further, the manager for Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag during his post-match press conference failed to admit that, his team was suppose to win but rather said, “two points away vs Fenerbache and Porto, it’s a result. But of course we want to win these games. We want to win every game.”