- Manchester United have now lost home games in a row in all competitions
- The hosts led twice through Rasmus Hojlund before Galatasaray fought back
- click here to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
Richard Keys wasted little time in blasting Manchester United’s shock 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night, criticizing manager Erik ten Hag as well as a number of players.
United suffered a second consecutive defeat to the Turkish champions at Old Trafford, after losing 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
They had taken the lead twice against Galatasaray through Rasmus Hojlund, who is now the youngest player to score in both of his first Champions League appearances since Erling Haaland.
However, the Turkish team fought back three times and even had a penalty missed by Mauro Icardi before the Argentinian put the finishing touches on the Red Devils to an embarrassing defeat.
With pressure mounting on Ten Hag following a poor start to the 2023/24 season, this latest defeat has left critics claiming there is a lack of leadership at the club, with many also questioning the quality of the defence.
Manchester United lost at home for the second consecutive match in all competitions
After taking the lead twice through Rasmus Hojlund (third right), they eventually lost 3-2 at Old Trafford
Richard Keys selected six players in total and claimed one United star was a ‘liability’
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Keys took to That can be repaired.
‘The inability of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane and Sofyan Amrabat to run is not and the goalkeeper is a risk.
‘Bruno Fernandes will not run, that is a big problem. He’s not a captain.’
Hojlund had put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes, while former striker Wilfried Zaha needed just six minutes to get Galatasaray back on level terms after beating Diogo Dalot.
The parity was maintained until half-time, before the Danish forward scored his second of the match beautifully with a deft chip, but once again the Turkish champions came back and Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu equalized less than four minutes later.
But the home side quickly ran away, with a shocking error at the back from Andre Onana leaving Casemiro short and receiving a second yellow, which prevented a third goal, and giving away a penalty.
Although Icardi missed the penalty – his second in a week, albeit in slightly less spectacular fashion – he would eventually score the winning goal with Galatasaray a man ahead of United.
Keys wasn’t the only one to notice Varane’s poor performances at the back. Club legend Paul Scholes also pointed the finger at the Frenchman and criticized the overall defensive performance at Old Trafford.
Andre Onana received bad reviews again on Tuesday after another mistake at the back
Bruno Fernandes was criticized for his lack of running, with Keys also saying: ‘He’s not a captain’
‘Very disappointed. I actually don’t think they played that bad. All the talk before the game was that they couldn’t really score goals and there was a lack of goals in the team.
“It’s almost like we left out the defensive side of the game and the defensive side of the team wasn’t good enough, they were wide open at times.”
After acknowledging the goals, he added: The rest, especially the center halves. Amrabat, look, he’s not a left back, he’s getting ready for the third goal.
“But it was so wide open (the defense). Victor Lindelof and Varane were so soft and weak and we all know what the goalkeeper did.’
Raphael Varane also struggled in defense and was singled out by both Keys and Paul Scholes