Match report
Time to sign off. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s match report. Thanks for joining me, that was a wild ride.
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No immediate reaction from Ten Hag – I did think Eriksen’s description of the dressing room as “very quiet” was telling. It really shouldn’t be quiet after a night like that; you’d expect the hairdryer to be in play.
Back in my preamble, I mentioned that United’s next three games are Brentford (H), Sheffield Utd (A) and Copenhagen (H), before the Manchester derby. That run doesn’t look so straightforward after tonight.
Christian Eriksen: “It’s a big disappointment. It was very quiet in the dressing room. We had some good spells, but when we go ahead, we concede, and that has to change very quickly. The chances they had are from our mistakes. We’ve played two games, there are four left [but] we need to win every game going forward.”
I also feel bad for Højlund, who looked really good and took his two goals brilliantly. I was going to say after his second that it reminded me of peak Wayne Rooney, but United imploded before I could type it out.
I’m not sure Paul Scholes is capable of actually saying Manchester United played badly, but he is right to point out that they had some good moments in attack. The trouble is, United this season are a bit like a mullet – decent up front, chaos at the back.
Here’s Wilfried Zaha: “Happy to be playing in this competition and scoring goals, so a great night for me. We had enough to hurt [United], players who can do something.” The away fans are still roaring away in the background.
On his goal: “I’m trying to change my game a bit, [make] runs off the ball. I made a run inside, Sánchez saw me, it was all about waiting for the ball to drop.” He adds that playing in the Champions League is “a dream” and the team played the pre-game anthem on the coach.
Here’s Nick Ames on Arsenal’s defeat in Lens:
By my reckoning, Davinson Sánchez was responsible for four of the five goals; two clearances that turned into assists (the second one a header), played Rashford onside for United’s first goal, fell over to let Højlund in for the second. An all-action display.
Elsewhere, it finished Lens 2-1 Arsenal, while Bayern won 2-1 in Copenhagen to go top of Group A with six points. United are bottom, and host Copenhagen next.
Other scores from the 8pm games: Inter 1-0 Benfica, Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid, PSV 2-2 Sevilla.
Full time: Manchester United 2-3 Galatasaray
They led twice through Rasmus Højlund, but defensive disasters – and an outrageous André Onana howler – mean a second straight Champions League defeat for United, as their dismal run of form goes on.
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97 mins: No, he couldn’t – it’s cleared away and although United push forward again, Dalot is penalised for handball. And that’s that!
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96 mins: Højlund draws a foul from Nelsson and United have a free kick. Onana is coming up for it! He couldn’t, could he?
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95 mins: Not quite – Martial’s deflected shot forces Muslera to spring to his left and save, but the flag belatedly goes up.
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94 mins: Højlund’s backheel towards Garnacho runs through to Muslera. Are United out of steam?
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93 mins: Galatasaray haven’t won away in the Champions League for 17 matches – they’re four minutes away now.
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Lads, it's United @niallmcveigh
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) October 3, 2023
90 mins: Icardi almost gets his second, getting in front of Varane from Boey’s cross and bending his shot just beyond the post! There are seven minutes of injury time.
89 mins: Anthony Martial is on for Amrabat, and United have a free kick in a promising spot – but Fernandes fires into the wall.
88 mins: What a strange second half. Højlund’s second goal felt like the kind of moment that could reignite their season – instead, within 15 minutes, United were a goal and a man down, despite Icardi missing a penalty.
“A penny for David De Gea’s thoughts right now!” writes Paul Keane. Speaking of which, a penny for Roy Keane’s thoughts right now.
84 mins: Antony is on, replacing Mason Mount – there’s no real reaction either way from the fans, shellshocked by events on the pitch. For Galatasaray, Tanguy Ndombele replaces Kaan Ayhanand Victor Nelsson is on for Angelino.
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Bayern have turned it around to lead in Copenhagen, but that’s the least of United’s worries right now. This time, the otherwise very solid Amrabat is playing two players offside as Sánchez’s header just bounces through the United defence. Onana doesn’t cover himself in glory either, I’ll be honest.
GOAL! Man Utd 2-3 Galatasaray (Icardi 81')
What on earth is happening? Moments after missing the penalty, Icardi pounces on more bad defending and this time, he chips Onana – and Galatasaray lead!
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79 mins: Garnacho twists into space, the goal opens up in front of him – but his shot is blocked brilliantly by Bardakci! This game is wide open now …
Icardi misses the penalty!
Mauro Icardi hits it low, towards the bottom corner – but he puts it wide! André Onana, you lucky man.
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Penalty to Galatasaray and red card for Casemiro!
Oh my word. Casemiro is off for a second booking, but this is all André Onana’s doing. The keeper’s pass out is awful, straight to Mertens, and Casemiro bundles the striker over to prevent him shooting.
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74 mins: The corner, swung in to the far post, is heading on to the roof of the net by Casemiro. In northern France, Lens have turned it around –they lead Arsenal 2-1.
73 mins: Mertens, having watched two goals while standing on the halfway line, is now on for Zaha. United have to go again, again, and from Bruno’s free kick, Garnacho’s cut back is nicked off Hojlund’s feet by Icardi …
GOAL! Man Utd 2-2 Galatasaray (Akturkoglu 71')
Manchester United have been pegged back again because they will not learn. Having just received a let-off after switching off, they do it again – and this time, Kerem Akturkoglu makes no mistake from Yilmaz’s low cross, sweeping into the far corner!
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69 mins: Eek! André Onana spills the ball from a deep, swirling cross and it lands at the feet of Akturkoglu, who lifts his shot just beyond the far corner! Garnacho is on now, replacing Rashford.
The chance was presented to him by a slapstick Sánchez slip, but Højlund had plenty to do – in a two-on-two alongside Rashford, he steamed straight at goal and rolled the ball past Muslera. Unstoppable.
GOAL! Man Utd 2-1 Galatasaray (Højlund 65')
United regain the lead – and United might have found a new Champions League hero, as Rasmus Højlund scores a remarkable second goal!
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64 mins: As drizzle descends, the ball richochets nicely for Bruno Fernandes, who fires a volley straight at Muslera. Galatasaray prepare to bring on Dries Mertens, while Alejandro Garnacho is coming on for United …
62 mins: Another half-chance for United sees Mount fire a low shot wide. Elsewhere in Group A, Bayern Munich are 1-0 down in Copenhagen!
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61 mins: Sacha Boey goes into the book for a foul on Amrabat. Galatasaray are starting to get pegged back now, and Buruk makes two changes –Baris Alper Yilmaz and Oliveira replace Tete and Torreira.
NO GOAL! Alas, not – it was a fine, clinical finish from Højlund, set up by Mount after Casemiro crept forward, but he is flagged offside. The VAR is able to confirm the decision without stepping on a rake, or falling into a paddling pool full of trifle.
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58 mins: The noise levels rise around Old Trafford, the home fans uniting to match the black-clad away end. And has it made an immediate impact?
57 mins: As Torreira gets treatment, we get a couple of replays of the Rashford chance. He’s been really good tonight, but the player we saw last season would surely bury that rather than pass.
56 mins: Another quick attacking move sees Bruno’s cutback just evade Mount, to both players’ visible frustration.
54 mins: Mason Mount, who has looked better going forward than when shielding the defence, almost catches Muslera out with a shot from 25 yards which is tipped over the bar.
53 mins: And from a lightning breakaway, United really should score! Eriksen’s through ball is perfect for Rashford, breaking clear down the right. He’s one-on-one with Muslera, but tries to play it across goal to Fernandes, and Boey clears away!
52 mins: Boey plays a long-range one-two with Tete, whose return pass is overhit – but a crafty backheel wins a corner off Amrabat. The cross loops over everyone bar Zaha, who goes over far too easily …
50 mins: Eriksen sweeps the ball to Bruno Fernandes, who cuts inside, ignores the overlap and fires over the bar. He then gesticulates wildly at his teammates – I’m not sure why.
48 mins: The referee, Ivan Kruzliak of Slovakia, appears happy to let some heavy 50-50 challenges go – which is benefiting Galatasaray’s physical approach.
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47 mins: Mount is dispossessed by Kaan Ayhan and Kerem Akturkoglu – who we can file under “lively” – sees his shot well-blocked by Lindelof.
46 mins: Rashford’s backheel fools three Gala defenders, finding Amrabat, who is short of support.
Peep!
The second half is under way; Christian Eriksen is on for United, replacing Hannibal.
This new TNT/Eurosport era means that we get to see Alan “Angles” McManus promoting snooker’s English Open in the half-time break. Now, back to another awkward pack of reds …
And here’s David Squires on the state of things:
“Re: 29 mins. Lucas Torreira’s not a spaniel. He’s Uruguayan!” honks Peter Oh.
Read-it-and-weep half-time content:
Half-time in all six 8pm Champions League games, and it’s also 1-1 between Lens and Arsenal, while Real Madrid now lead 2-1 in Naples – Jude Bellingham on target to put the visitors in front. The other games – Inter v Benfica, Copenhagen v Bayern and PSV v Sevilla – are all goalless.
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Half time: Manchester United 1-1 Galatasaray
The good for United – Højlund strikes again, and they’ve been the better side going forward. The bad – Zaha’s equaliser, and the fear that more of the same could follow from a shaky defence. More soon.
47 mins: A United free-kick out wide on the left, punted in by Bruno Fernandes, cleared away by Torreira. Mason Mount then clips Sacha Boey after losing the ball, United’s frustration in microcosm.
46 mins: Dalot’s attempted clearance is charged down by Akturkoglu, who slices his shot over the bar before play is stopped for handball.
45 mins: Three minutes of added time.
44 mins: United’s best chance since the opening goal as Rashford creates more trouble down the left, and Mount has space to shoot – but his effort is blocked by his own player, Hannibal, standing three yards out.
42 mins: Dalot scoots upfield and flicks the ball beyond Bardakci, who brings the United full-back down. The referee says no foul, which is a strange decision.
40 mins: Mauro Icardi, very quiet so far, drops back and picks out Akturkoglu, whose cross is turned behind by Lindelof. From the corner, Tete sees a shot blocked before Kaan Ayhan sends an awkward speculator high and wide.
39 mins: Some more nice work from Rashford in the Galatasaray area before his cross is blocked, and Amrabat’s shot on the rebound rolls through to Muslera. United look quite good in the final third – it’s the other two thirds they need to worry about.
37 mins: Dalot’s difficult night against Zaha continues as he clips the winger’s ankles to stop him breaking away. Okan Buruk, the Gala coach, waves an imaginary yellow card* around and gets to see two – one for Dalot, and one for him after his ostentatious protests.
*I’m assuming it was supposed to be yellow
35 mins: Rashford’s attempted pass to Amrabat, who had pushed up into a left-wing position, is intercepted. Mount then concedes a needless foul, adding to the sense of drift in recent minutes.
33 mins: Casemiro, perhaps still irked by that heavy Torreira challenge, goes in the book for a high boot.
31 mins: The free kick is played short, but play is stopped for a foul on Sánchez, much to the chagrin of the home supporters.
29 mins: Lucas Torreira, less a footballer and more a snarling, hyperactive spaniel, goes in the book for a clumsy foul on Casemiro.
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28 mins: Højlund does well to hold the ball up and find Rashford, who pokes the ball through to Amrabat. His cut-back finds Mount, the angle against him, and his shot is blocked behind. The corner, played short again, doesn’t come to anything – but United have got back in their attacking groove after that Zaha equaliser.
Another setback for a Premier League side – Lens have levelled against Arsenal. It’s also 1-1 between Napoli and Real Madrid in Italy.
25 mins: Casemiro looks for Fernandes with another long, raking diagonal pass but Angeliño is on hand to tidy up. United get a corner after Rashford’s shot is deflected behind, but concede a foul from it.
A long ball upfield from Sánchez to nobody in particular wasn’t dealt with by either centre-back leaving Dalot in a tussle with Zaha, who managed to get a boot to it, sending a shot into the ground that loops over Onana and into the corner!
He runs to the corner and cups his ears to the Old Trafford crowd. So much for not being bothered. There was a bit of grappling in the buildup to the goal, but not enough to call a foul – Dalot had to be stronger there.
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GOAL! Man Utd 1-1 Galatasaray (Zaha 22')
From pretty much nowhere, Galatasaray are level! It’s Wilfried Zaha, and it’s a bit of a defensive disaster for Manchester United.
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20 mins: Oof! Close to a second for Højlund, who continues to impress early in his United career. A simple through-ball from Mount cuts through the defence and Højlund just fails to flick the ball beyond Muslera, who raced out smartly to clear the danger.
There’s a VAR check to see if Rashford was offside, but Davinson Sánchez was playing him on – news that may not come as a surprise to Tottenham fans.
What a cross... and what a finish 💥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund combine to give Manchester United the lead at Old Trafford 🤝#UCL pic.twitter.com/SyKLLAp9Lw
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GOAL! Man Utd 1-0 Galatasaray (Højlund 16')
Marcus Rashford pops up on the right, picks up Casemiro’s pass and whips in a cross that looks too high – but Rasmus Højlund takes flight to head emphatically beyond Muslera! United lead, and deservedly so.
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15 mins: Amrabat wins the ball back to set up a United attack, which ends with a foul on Zaha. Not to worry …
Arsenal lead 1-0 in Lens through Gabriel Jesus. You can follow that one with John Brewin here:
13 mins: After a spell of United probing and passing, Casemiro plays Hannibal in with a lovely lofted ball – but he fails to bring it down, winning only a corner which is punched clear by Muslera.
10 mins: Fernandes’ long diagonal ball towards Rashford, pushing up to support Højlund, is undercooked.
“I would have thought the bigger worry about having Amrabat at left-back is for the player’s own health,” notes David Wall. “The position seems to be cursed. The two left-backs in their squad both get injured, then the guy they bring in as cover the position only lasts a couple of games himself.”
8 mins: The corner is cleared and with both United centre-backs upfield, Galatasaray have a chance to break. Kerem Akturkoglu charges downfield but, with Zaha and Icardi on either side, he overruns the ball.
6 mins: Dalot holds off Zaha in their first tussle down the United right – and then gets forward to win a corner as Angeliño, once of Manchester City, deflects his cross behind.
4 mins: Davinson Sánchez (formerly of Spurs), plays a weak through ball that’s picked up by Lindelöf. Amrabat, filling in at left-back, has made a couple of runs in to central midfield to support Casemiro and Mason Mount.
2 mins: Bruno then finds space on the right side of the area – his first cross is blocked, and then a rabona on the rebound is intercepted by Lucas Torreira.
1 min: Early chance for United! Højlund finds space down the left and produces a fine pull-back into Bruno Fernandes’ path – but he scuffs his shot wide.
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Peep!
We’re under way at Old Trafford, United in red shirts and black shorts, Galatasaray in all white.
In Tuesday’s early matches, Braga came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Union Berlin with Andre Castro’s late winner shaking things up in Group C. Elsewhere, Real Sociedad won 2-0 at Salzburg to go top of Group D.
Ten Hag on Antony: “Our minds were with him, and the allegations – you think about it, it’s serious. He had a leave of absence, and he was very cooperative with police in Brazil and in Manchester, and he’s not accused, so he is available.” This is similar to what he said yesterday, although he previously said “not charged” which is more accurate.
As for the game, he wants improvement in “both boxes” – he is unhappy Palace were able to win on Saturday despite hardly creating any chances, in his opinion. “You have to win here – [results] are delaying the process, and I’m very impatient. We have to be creative, make compromises, but we have to win games.”
Some pre-match, on-pitch thoughts from Erik ten Hag.
"It's delaying the process... and I'm very impatient!"
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag catches up with @laura_woodsy, @rioferdy5 and Paul Scholes ahead of an important evening at Old Trafford 🌟#UCL pic.twitter.com/kpSqcqa8GC
These two sides’ first-ever European meeting came in the 1993-94 Champions League, when United let a two-goal lead slip in a 3-3 first-leg draw in Turkey.
In the second leg, “Welcome to Hell” and all that, Gala went through after a goalless draw in Istanbul. They moved on to the eight-team group stage – where they failed to win any of their six games.
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“Not optimistic,” mutters Niall O’Keefe. “Amrabat at left-back again when he is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. The excellent Garnacho and Pellistri again on the bench. Rashford off form. Oh dear.”
I know they have injuries, particularly in that left-back position, but it does feel like a waste of Amrabat’s abilities to be filling in there. That team looks a bit underwhelming to me – so you can expect United to be three up by half-time.
Wilfried Zaha starts for Galatasaray at his old club tonight – yes, he did play for Manchester United, but you could be forgiven if it slipped your mind. Here’s Michael Butler on why he is the danger man tonight.
Antony is on the bench tonight, after Erik ten Hag confirmed the player was available for selection on Monday. If he is brought on, this will be Antony’s first appearance for Manchester United since allegations of assault first came to light.
The Brazil winger returned to training on Sunday, following a leave of absence granted by the club after the accusations of violence were made by three different women. Antony has denied all allegations against him in an interview with Brazilian TV.
The teams
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Lindelöf, Amrabat; Casemiro, Mount; Mejbri, Bruno Fernandes (c), Rashford; Højlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Vitek, Maguire, McTominay, Eriksen, Martial, Garnacho, Antony.
Galatasaray (4-2-3-1): Muslera (c); Boey, Sánchez, Bardakci, Angeliño; Torreira, Ayhan; Tetê, Akturkoglu, Zaha; Icardi.
Substitutes: Guvenc, Demirbay, Nelsson, Oliveira, Alper Yilmaz, Ndombélé, Bakambu, Mertens.
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Preamble
Amid Manchester United’s many off-field issues, their problems on the pitch have almost gone under the radar. Where results like Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace would once have been the weekend’s big story, events at Molineux and Stockley Park meant that particular shock was not seismic.
Erik ten Hag will be happy to keep a relatively low profile (and this is United, so it is relative) before what could be a crunch game in Europe. After being held at arm’s length by Bayern, a home win over Galatasaray is a must to stop Champions League progress becoming a battle United could really do without.
Galatasaray, who ended a four-year wait for a Turkish title last season, pose a threat to United’s fragile disposition. They rallied to scrape a 2-2 draw at home to Copenhagen in their first game but are flying in the league, bolstered by eye-catching recruits including Mauro Icardi and former United winger Wilfried Zaha.
Injuries and a tricky fixture list are factors in United’s historically bad start to the season – but a kinder run of games is coming, with Brentford (H), Sheffield United (A) and Copenhagen (H) before the Manchester derby at the end of October. A chance to release the pressure this evening, but one they have to take.
