Suffering a second-half collapse in Istanbul on Thursday night, Manchester United were forced to settle for a 1-1 stalemate away at Fenerbahce.
Soaking up a tremendous amount of early pressure, Christian Eriksen handed Erik ten Hag’s side the lead on the 15th minute mark as the Danish veteran produced a powerful finish.
However, while Andre Onana might have produced a miraculous double save to deny Youssef En-Nesyri prior to the interval, it was the Moroccan marksman who got the final laugh.
With United’s slender lead lasting just four minutes, En-Nesyri headed home from close range and handed Fenerbahce a deserved equaliser.
Tempers quickly flared midway through the second-half as former QPR youngster Bright Osayi-Samuel was denied a penalty following an altercation with Manuel Ugarte. Following an outburst on the touchlines, former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was shown a red card and forced to watch the final half hour sat in the stands.
Although both of the European giants might have created their own chances late on, United failed to collect a maiden Europa League victory and have now collected just three points from as many Europa League appearances.
On a night when ten Hag’s side suffered a European collapse in Istanbul, we have taken a look at the key talking points from Thursday’s showdown.
United’s Europa League drought continues
Mounting what was an essential second-half comeback at home against Brentford last weekend as they marked their return from October’s international break with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, Manchester United were desperate to use that late flurry as a platform to build on.
However, suffering a Europa League collapse on Thursday night and only collecting a trio of points from any of their first three appearances, the pressure on ten Hag’s shoulders still remains at a boiling point.
Getting their European adventure underway with a downbeat 1-1 stalemate at home against Dutch outfit Twente last month, the Red Devils have drastically failed to make any kind of early statement.
With the former Ajax boss shockingly electing to play summer recruit and former Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui in a number 10 role here, it does feel that ten Hag is almost clutching at straws now.
Now mustering just a single victory from any of their previous seven appearances across all competitions – a run that stems back to September 17th – Thursday’s guests are desperately seeking some kind of stability.
Mourinho misses out on the chance to get one over on his former club
While Thursday’s showdown in Istanbul might have proven to be another Europa League affair, it was ‘The Special One’ who once again stole all of the headlines here.
Suffering a messy divorce from Manchester United back in the winter of 2018 following a two and a half year stint at Old Trafford, Mourinho has been more than vocal about his time in the red half of Manchester.
Guiding the Premier League giants to Europa League success six years ago, many were left surprised over the summer as the Portuguese genius arrived in Istanbul.
However, suffering real Champions League qualifying heartbreak back in August 18th as they fell to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Lille, Mourinho has struggled to find much stability.
Forced to settle for an action-packed 2-2 stalemate against Samsunspor last weekend following their return from October’s international break, Fenerbahce have now played out a draw in all of their previous three appearances across al fronts.
Issues at both ends for United
Coming under a huge amount of scrutiny last month as they signed off September with an infamous 3-0 drumming at home against Tottenham, United have certainly gained a reputation for their extended struggles at the back.
Despite heading into October’s international break with a gritty 0-0 stalemate away at Aston Villa, that is the only clean sheet that ten Hag’s struggling squad have registered over the past five weeks.
Along with shipping five goals in their first three Europa League appearances so far this season, the Dutch tactician should also have a headache over his side’s inconsistencies in the final third.
While United might have bagged a pair of second-half goals against Brentford last weekend, they have registered just seven Premier League strikes and only the quartet of Southampton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich have recorded fewer top-flight goals.
Failing to collect back-to-back victories across any format since the middle of September, United will be next seen on Sunday afternoon when they travel to West Ham.
Match Report
Fenerbahce: Livakovic, Osayi-Samuel, Soyuncu, Dijku, Muldur, Fred, Amrabat, Tadic, Szymanski, Saint-Maximin, En-Nesyri
Subs: Yuksek, Yandas, Dzako, Kahveci, Becao
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, de Ligt, Lindelof, Martinez, Ugarte, Eriksen, Rashford, Mazraoui, Garnacho, Zirkzee
Subs: Antony, Casemiro, Diallo, Hojlund
Goals: Fenerbahce: En-Nesyri (49’) – Manchester United: Eriksen (15’)
Yellow Cards: Fenerbahce: Osayi-Samuel, Muldur – Manchester United: Rashford
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Clement Turpin
