- Man United looked destined for defeat, but Harry Maguire saved a late point
- The 3-3 draw was the 24th time United have conceded three or more under Ten Hag
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Harry Maguire dismissed a question about Erik ten Hag’s future after his last-minute header secured a point for the Red Devils in Porto.
United’s embattled boss came into the match knowing anything short of a win could spell the end of his tenure, and his team responded with a scintillating 20 minutes at the Estadio do Dragao.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put the visitors in a dominant position, but the sides leveled at half-time before Porto took the lead just minutes after play resumed.
United’s blushes were spared by their former player – after their current captain was shown a red card for the second time in as many games – who rose highest to nod in the equalizer in the 91st minute.
And after the thrilling clash, Maguire was not interested in entertaining conversations about his manager’s precarious position in the United dugout.
Harry Maguire scored a late header to save a draw for Manchester United against Porto
The defender’s equalizer came after the Red Devils had given up a two-goal lead and dropped to ten men
Erik ten Hag was able to avoid a flood of unwanted headlines thanks to the draw on Thursday evening
‘To be honest, I’ve been playing for this club for six years, so I know how it works.’ He told TNT Sport. ‘The manager is so experienced that he has learned to deal with it.’
Despite their postponement, there will still be some concern about the way United collapsed in the first half and their start in the second. Thursday evening’s result marked the 24th time that the Red Devils conceded three or more goals in a match under Ten Hag.
Moreover, Porto’s quick shot reflected double quick concessions against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen in the Champions League last season.
Maguire added: “After every game you analyze. We talked about things that could be improved. When you’re 2-0 up, you need to be a little safer. There were too many holes. They punished us for it. In the first half we played very well with the ball, but without the ball we were poor.
‘It’s more of a mental issue. It’s something we have to overcome. If you are 2-0 up and concede, does the conviction disappear a bit? We need to make sure that when we give in, we regroup and stick together.
The Red Devils travel to Villa Park on Sunday to take on Aston Villa in the Premier League
‘You can talk about leadership, it’s an easy word to throw away. “If we want to be successful, we can’t concede two goals in as many minutes as we have.”
The second match in Ten Hag’s do-or-die double takes them to Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, where they face the unenviable task of trying to topple Unai Emery’s side, buoyed by their famous win over Bayern.