UEL: United held by Dutch side
Manchester United 1 - 1 Twente
Christian Eriksen experienced both triumph and disappointment for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s side faltered at the beginning of their Europa League journey, drawing with Twente, the Dutch manager’s boyhood club.
Eriksen put United ahead in the first half with a brilliant finish from inside the box.However, a determined Twente side capitalised on Eriksen's mistake when he was dispossessed by Sam Lammers just outside United’s penalty area. The former Rangers player wasted no time, unleashing a powerful shot that flew past Andre Onana.
Ten Hag's men had chances to secure a late win, but Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall was in fine form, denying Joshua Zirkzee’s left-footed attempt that seemed destined for the net.
Earlier, Unnerstall had also made a spectacular reflex save to stop Mees Hilgers from scoring an own goal.
Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain, came close as well, and substitute Kobbie Mainoo had a penalty shout waved away.
Following last season’s disappointing Champions League campaign, where they finished bottom of their group with just one win, this wasn’t the ideal start for United in Europe. They now face a challenging trip to Porto on 3 October.
With the new competition format, there’s still time for United to recover. On a brighter note, they remain unbeaten in four games, even though the last two have ended in draws.
Some of the best reaction
Across social media and various forums such as RedCafe.net, many fans have been criticising the team's inconsistency, especially coming off a similar goalless draw against Crystal Palace. There was praise for individual performances like Eriksen's strike and Amad Diallo's creativity, but overall, the sense was that United let the game slip from their grasp.
Liam, a Manchester United Season Ticket holder, supported this view. He said: "That was a disappointing start to our Europa League campaign, the pressure will be on us to bounce back quickly in the next match against Porto."
Olivia Taylor, a Manchester United fan from Chorlton, added: "Again, I thought we played ok. However, we lack quality in the final third of the match. Rashford was outstanding for an hour but nobody was making a run to get on the end of crosses. I do think, you also have to give credit to the opposition. They defended very well."
