Suffering a stunning Champions League collapse at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Manchester United slumped to a remarkable 3-2 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray.
While Erik ten Hag’s side might have opened the scoring in the 17th minute as Rasmus Hojlund produced a clinical header from close range, the Old Trafford support was almost immediately silenced as ex-United star Wilfried Zaha bundled home just five minutes later.
Although the Reds might have felt that they were sat in pole position to claim a first Champions League victory as Hojlund grabbed his second strike of the night 12 minutes after the interval, United then suffered a woeful collapse on home soil.
With Kerem Akturkoglu once again levelling the scoreline just seconds later, Tuesday’s hosts went into a full implosion.
Watching Casemiro get shown a red card following another public error by Andre Onana, Mauro Icardi proved to be the Galatasaray hero and the former PSG star saved his own blushes following a penalty miss just minutes before his clever chip.
Cashing in on a United side the find themselves in the midst of a public nightmare, the Red Devils now face a real uphill battle in their bid to claim a knockout stage spot.
In what will long be remembered as an infamous Champions League showdown at Old Trafford, we have taken a look at the main talking points.
Manchester United are at the heart of a crisis
While Manchester United might have managed to claim a much-needed top-four return last season, it is no secret that the Premier League heavyweights have come crashing back down to earth since opening up the 2023/24 campaign.
Failing to pick up any kind of momentum last weekend as they suffered a 1-0 loss at home against Crystal Palace, ten Hag now finds the pressure on his shoulders reaching a boiling point.
Losing four of their first seven Premier League appearances and dealing with a string of mounting issues, the former Ajax boss has severe questions that need answering at Old Trafford.
Only opening their Champions League adventure with an action-packed 4-3 loss at the hands of Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, United now face a major uphill battle in their bid to find a route to the knockout stage.
Still yet to put a single point on the board and sat rock-bottom of the Group A standings, ten Hag knows that his struggling squad faces a public backlash following another infamous collapse at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Hojlund’s heroics not enough to save ten Hag
Although United might be bracing themselves for another huge backlash, some around Old Trafford will take some minor positive from Hojlund’s clinical performance in the red half of Manchester.
While many might have been surprised as United splashed out £72million on the 20-year-old this summer, ten Hag has made it clear that the former Atalanta star has the potential to become a real hit at Old Trafford.
Although the Danish marksman might still be waiting to open his Premier League account, Hojlund has really caught the eye while on the Champions League stage.
Notching what turned out to be a consolation strike out in Munich on September 20th, the eight-cap international was certainly the only positive in an infamous night in Manchester.
Finding the net on either side of the half-time break and now bagging a trio of European goals in his first two Group A appearances, Hojlund has a crucial role to play in United’s bid to save their sinking ship.
Galatasaray claim a famous scalp on foreign soil
While Galatasaray might have been disappointed after they could only open their Champions League adventure with a 2-2 stalemate at home agains Copenhagen a fortnight ago, the Turkish giants travelled to Manchester on Tuesday night with the mood in their camp at a red-hot high.
Flying out of the traps since opening the 2023/24 campaign and tipped as a standout contender to defend their domestic crown this time around, Okan Buruk’s men side are now unbeaten in each of their last 21 straight competitive appearances.
Really gaining a reputation for their free-scoring performances in the final third and certainly showing some heavyweight resolve at Old Trafford, the Turkish giants will now have their sights firmly set on punching their Champions League knockout stage ticket here.
Really breaking the bank this summer and impressing many from across the continent, there is no doubt that Tuesday’s performance on foreign soil would have been heard across Europe.
Picking up a first Champions League group stage victory outside of Istanbul for the first time since way back in March 2013, Galatasaray will be next seen on European duties when they welcome Bayern Munich to town on October 24th.
Match Report
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Majbri, Casemiro, Mount, Rashford, Hojlund, Fernadnes
Subs: Martial, Garnacho, Eriksen, Antony
Galatasaray: Muslera, Boey, Sanchez, Bardakci, Tasende, Torreira, Ayhan, Tete, Akturkoglu, Zaha, Icardi
Subs: Ndombele, Yilmaz, Oliveira, Nelsson, Mertins
Goals: Manchester United: Hojlund 17’, 67’) – Galatasaray: Zaha (23’), Akturkoglu (71’), Icardi (81’)
Yellow Cards: Manchester United: Dalot, Casemiro – Galatasaray: Boey, Torreria, Oliveira
Red Cards: Casemiro (77’)
Referee: Branislav Hancko
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