Has Erik ten Hag lost the dressing room? BBC man weighs in after dramatic 3-3 draw vs Porto
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were involved in a six-goal thriller against Porto in the second matchday of the Europa League.
They made the perfect start, scoring two goals early in the half to take a comfortable 2-0 lead.
However, Porto responded almost immediately, with former Real Madrid defender Pepe scoring a header to pull one back for the home side just 7 minutes later.
And not long after, Samu Omorodion finished off a brilliant move with a header from close range past the Manchester United goalkeeper to bring the match level at 2-2.
Porto completed the turnaround 5 minutes into the second half with Omorodion scoring his second of the night to make it 3-2.
Both sides continued to create chances on either ends but the things got from bad to worse for United when captain Bruno Fernandes picked up a second yellow card and a subsequent red and was shown marching orders.
With the team down to ten men and with just less than 10 minutes plus stoppage time left to go, it looked like a certain defeat for United.
However, Harry Maguire, who had come off the bench in the 78th minute, had other plans. In the 91st minute, the centre-back scored a thumping head from a corner to save two crucial points for the Red Devils.
Paul Robinson praises Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United after late fight
Former Premier League goalkeeper and BBC pundit Paul Robinson praised Manchester United for showing character and determination to come out of the game with a point, after having been reduced to 10 men.
He added that the fighting spirit the players displayed showed that Erik ten Hag has not lost the dressing room.
Commentating on the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, he said (via BBC Live):
“We said, ‘why was he bringing on Maguire and Evans?’ That’s why. Corner in from Eriksen and Maguire rises with a powerful header – Porto have no-one on the posts and they pay for it. Powerful strong header.”
“That shows spirit and a team where a manager has not lost the dressing room. Yes, they have been outplayed at parts but they have shown a lot of character and a lot of determination.”
“With 10 men they have pressed and it looks like they will walk away with a point.”
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