Porto 3–3. Manchester United: Harry Maguire saves Europa League point for Erik ten Hag after startling collapse

Manchester United falters in Europe once more as Porto rallies from a two-goal deficit following goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund in the first half. Goals from Samu Omorordion and Pepe put Porto ahead before Harry Maguire scored in stoppage time to temporarily rescue his manager.

Harry Maguire's stoppage-time header saved a point for Manchester United in Porto as they recovered from a shocking collapse to draw 3-3 in the Europa League despite Bruno Fernandes being sent off for the second game straight.

Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave United an early two-goal lead, but after Fernandes was sent off against Tottenham for a high foot nine minutes into the match, United appeared destined for a dreadful evening.

Once again, United looked weak in Europe as Porto scored twice in a span of seven minutes to tie the game at halftime. Pepe poked in at the back post before Samu Omorodion, who nearly joined Chelsea in the summer, outmuscled Matthijs De Ligt to smash in a header.

Ten Hag claimed afterwards that Rashford's substitution at halftime for "rotation" was the reason why United was lacking in attack, even though he later suggested it was due to his defensive shortcomings. Rashford was United's best player in the first half.

Five minutes after the break, Porto took the lead thanks to a decisive goal from Omorodion, who defeated De Ligt once more and found the roof of the net. Maguire nodded in Christian Eriksen's corner, giving United a point at the very end.

After two draws, United, who has lost its last four games, is still in the elimination play-off spots on the 21st. Following their first point in the new Europa League format, Porto is also in the same bracket in 24th place.
 
After the game, Ten Hag pleaded with the crowd to be patient once more, telling TNT Sports, "We will get there." Judge us at the conclusion of the season, not right now. We will get better; we are in the process."

Ten Hag's choice to go with Rashford backfires

Ten Hag lost in Porto when he rested Rashford against Crystal Palace for the draw last month, despite the fact that it was a mistake.

Alejandro Garnacho came on ahead of Marcus Rashford, who had been United's main man in the first half, having both scored and assisted.

When asked about the choice, Ten Hag responded, "We have to rotate," to TNT Sports. "Garnacho had a fantastic season, not just on Sunday when we didn't start him.

"We go quickly with a turnaround to Villa and they have had a day longer to recover and we have an away game."

Despite playing just 45 minutes, Rashford finished with a game-high eight touches in the opposing box, having been the provider of United's greatest attacking moments in the first half.

The right-back for Porto, Joao Mario, was a tough opponent for Garnacho in the second half, even though Rashford appeared to have the upper hand.

Conversely, the 26-year-old's argument was less compelling. Joao Mario, with Rashford observing from a few yards behind, provided the cross that resulted in Porto's first goal. Ten Hag subsequently hypothesised that this was the cause of the modification.

When asked if Rashford's contribution to Porto's opening goal had anything to do with the decision, Ten Hag responded, "As I say, I have to watch it back and I think over the left side definitely we didn't defend well tonight."

"Marcus also played a part in this but, as I say, it had to do with Garnacho and nothing against Rashy."

It seems like a strange choice to take out your greatest attacking player with the game level for a manager who is currently under a lot of pressure. It seems to have gone wrong. That makes Villa on Sunday an even more important game.

Man United falters in Europe once more

The seven-minute collapse that led to Porto overturning the early two-goal deficit felt familiar for United in Europe. It was a common occurrence in last season's disastrous Champions League campaign that ended in them finishing bottom of their group.

Ten Hag's side conceded two goals in four minutes at Bayern Munich and Copenhagen, and then twice within 10 minutes home and away against Galatasaray. A year has passed, with five signings made for more than £200m, but the same chaotic team remains.

Once Pepe scored Porto's first, on the rebound after Andre Onana kept out Noussair Mazraoui's inadvertent header, it only felt a matter of time before the equaliser followed.

Regardless of his trophy return or the result of the game, Ten Hag cannot avoid the troubling traits of this club. This kind of football cannot be sustained.

Even in a two-goal lead, this is a squad that never seems to be safe.

Ten Hag: Now, please don't judge us.

Following the match, Ten Hag spoke with TNT Sports, saying, "We started very well, we dominated, we scored two goals then we lost control."

"We had a great finale, but the middle wasn't as strong as the beginning. It's a challenging location; we're recovering from a 3-2 deficit and winning the equaliser. The team is strong inside, but we still need to work on our middle.

"We must continue to switch and get better with the ball. We had a solid plan and talented players. We must improve our defence. We can defend very well because we recently had three clean sheets, but we need to revert to those practices."

"We will get there," he continued. Judge us at the conclusion of the season, not right now. We will get better; we are in the process. We've made it to the finals in two of our seasons; we'll keep fighting.

"You can see the team's camaraderie and the staff's spirit. The players are united, possess a strong sense of purpose, and are driven to succeed. We have a positive mindset, but we need to improve in certain defensive situations."

What would have been if Omorodion had been a star for Chelsea.

It appeared that Maguire was only on the pitch for his goal because De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez had had such a rough time managing Omorodion that evening. They were disoriented.

This was a performance that announced the 20-year-old on the European stage. With seven goals in his past five games, Porto seemed to have found a treasure.

Fresh off a challenging performance against Spurs, Omorodion was a threat all game long and tormented De Ligt, with both of his goals coming when he faced the Netherlands defender.

Due to contractual difficulties, Chelsea was unable to sign Omorodion from Atletico Madrid during the summer transfer window. Instead, they looked to Joao Felix as the key to enable Conor Gallagher's relocation to the capital of Spain.

There could be some nostalgic bystanders at Stamford Bridge right now.