Man United 1-1 FC Twente: More questions about just how much Erik ten Hag’s side are improving with three wins from seven despite a £200m spend
Under different circumstances, Erik ten Hag would have celebrated with his youth club last night. FC Twente acted as if they had won the Europa League. Some players dropped to their knees at the final whistle, others hugged each other. They posed for photos in the corner of Old Trafford where 3,000 cheering fans were in tears.
After 23 years at Twente, Ten Hag knows what this result means to him, even though he will not have been happy about it for a moment.
The United manager came into the game saying he would take no pleasure in hurting the club he loved, but it was Twente that did him the damage.
Because although a draw is not the worst result, especially not in this new, extended competition, the difference in mood between the two camps could not have been greater.
Remember that Twente coach Joseph Oosting was asked by the travelling Dutch media before this match if it felt like he was on a school trip, so low were the expectations for achieving a result.
Manchester United drew 1-1 against FC Twente in the opening match of the Europa League
Sam Lammers neatly shot the ball in at the near post, which caused Erik ten Hag even more pain
United took the lead in the first half after Christian Eriksen fired into the top corner
It will raise more questions about how much United will improve under Ten Hag after another £200m spent in the transfer market this summer, which has now seen them win three games in seven this season.
Despite taking the lead before half-time with a fantastic strike from Christian Eriksen, United again failed to capitalise on their chances and Sam Lammers seized on an Eriksen error to equalise. After Ten Hag had urged his players to ‘kill in the penalty area’, 19 attempts here yielded just one goal.
More worryingly, he agreed with Eriksen that United did not show the same hunger or mentality as their opponents.
“You could see it was the game of their lives,” said the United manager. “They fought for every yard and we didn’t – 99 per cent is not enough, you have to kill the game.
‘You saw how they celebrated and what it meant to them, but we as a team have to be ready for that.
“It’s not about underestimating them. We’re 1-0 up, destroy the game. It’s not just about the team looking in the mirror, I’m part of it too.”
The Dutchman will now play against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday, followed by an away match against FC Porto and Aston Villa next week. The pressure then threatens to increase again.
Ten Hag had some plus points, but they will be lost because of the disappointment of another missed victory.
He brought Marcus Rashford back into the starting line-up after the outcry over his absence at Crystal Palace on Saturday and was rewarded with another confident performance.
Rashford beat Ricky van Wolfswinkel with a stunning nutmeg in the first half and linked up well with Joshua Zirkzee. Amad Diallo continues to impress on the other flank and United look more stable with the return of Lisandro Martinez in central defence and the addition of Manuel Ugarte, making his second start in central midfield.
Ten Hag was hit hard after admitting he would have preferred to play against another team
Eriksen jumped on a loose ball and fired an unstoppable shot past the goalkeeper
The visitors created the best early chance, but Lammers was unable to finish a shot on target
Sem Steijn (right) forced Andre Onana to tip his curved free kick around the post
But the positives are quickly forgotten if you don’t discount teams like FC Twente, who are in fourth place in the Eredivisie.
The visitors could have taken an early lead when Lammers fired in a low cross from Bart Van Rooij via the outside of the far post.
But United came into the game and Zirkzee was just adrift of meeting a pass from Rashford on the edge of the penalty area, before goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall headed the ball into the top corner after Mees Hilgers and Van Wolfswinkel had squeezed the ball towards their own goal.
United’s dominance deserved a goal and they got one in the 35th minute. Eriksen found Bruno Fernandes on the left and he played a reverse pass to Diogo Dalot.
His poor first touch gave Hilgers the chance to challenge, but the ball came loose to Eriksen and he wasted no time in firing the ball into the top corner for the Dane’s third goal in three games following last week’s Carabao Cup double against Barnsley.
United were unable to build on this, however, with Andre Onana stopping a Sem Steijn free-kick from 25 yards out before being beaten in the 68th minute.
Much of the credit goes to Van Rooij, who destroyed United’s heart with a magnificent run, sending off four players, including Maguire, who was embarrassed at being awarded a panna.
“We can’t allow the right back to dribble across the entire midfield unhindered,” Ten Hag complained.
FC Twente celebrated the equalizer with an ecstatic away team of 3,000 supporters
Bruno Fernandes couldn’t inspire United to a second goal before they were punished
Marcus Rashford put in a great performance on the left but was later substituted
Joshua Zirkzee came close to adding his United goal but a shot near the post was well saved
Eriksen was guilty of giving the ball away in the run-up to FC Twente’s goal at Old Trafford
Ugarte slid inside to stop the defender in his tracks and the danger seemed averted when the ball ran to Eriksen. He hesitated, however, and Lammers stole the ball from him and raced clear to beat Onana, who had left his near post unguarded.
“They seemed to want it more than we did and that can’t be right,” Eriksen said. “You score a goal and you think it’s going to be a match winner, but it’s the other way around. We didn’t lose, but it feels like a loss.”