Manchester United scored with virtually the final kick of their pre-season campaign as Facundo Pellistri rescued a draw against Athletic Club.
Nico Williams’ goal looked to have secured the win for the Basque outfit, until Pellistri latched onto Harry Maguire’s knockdown to equalise deep into added time.
Maguire made amends for his earlier error that had gifted Williams the opener, while the goal was just desserts for the effervescent Uruguay international Pellistri.
United flew out of the blocks and ought to have been ahead inside three minutes, but Jadon Sancho steered his shot too close to Athletic keeper Unai Simon after being played clean through.
Their early promise faded into very little, however, as brothers Nico and Inaki Williams began to cause havoc for Athletic. And it was the former who finished beyond Tom Heaton to open the scoring on 30 minutes, with the Basque side capitalising on an error in possession by Maguire.
Their high-pressing disrupted United’s passing on several occasions in a chaotic first half that ended with Ten Hag donning a dark hood, amid the teeming Dublin rain, watching as his team went in 1-0 down at half-time.
Chances were few and far between after the break, before Aitor Paredes’ red card – for a cynical rugby-style tackle on Hannibal Mejbri – prompted an attack versus defence finish to the game, with United pushing to score.
Hannibal ought to have done better with a cushioned volley following Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s good cross; he could only find goalkeeper Unai Simon.
And after waves of late pressure, United finally found a way through, with Pellistri finishing calmly beyond Simon in the dying moments.
Man United: Heaton; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Fernandez (Evans, 64); Van de Beek (Hannibal, 46), Eriksen; Pellistri, Gore (Emeran, 80), Forson; Sancho (Hugill, 64).
