Porto 3-3 Man United: Maguire’s late equaliser rescues a point for the Reds

Porto 3-3 Man United: Maguire’s late equaliser rescues a point for the Reds. Manchester United managed to rescue a point in the dramatic 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League, thanks to a late Harry Maguire equaliser.

Marcus Rashford had given Erik ten Hag’s side a dream start early on, before Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal of the season doubled that advantage. But they allowed Porto back into the game, with Pepe and Samu Omorodion both on the score-sheet to make it 2-2 by half-time.

Samu, who nearly joined Chelsea in the summer, then put Porto into the lead as United conceded three goals for the third time in just ten games this season.

Things looked to go from bad to worse when Bruno Fernandes, playing in his home city, was sent off for the second game running. But Maguire’s late header ensured United remain unbeaten in Europe after two matchdays and slightly suppressed the enormous pressure building on Ten Hag.

How the game unfolded;

This was United’s first meeting with Porto in more than 15 years, since Cristiano Ronaldo scored a thunderbolt in a 1-0 win in 2009, and they started on the front foot, dictating possession as Porto sat deep looking to absorb pressure and spring counter attacks.

Rashford’s early opener wasn’t quite Ronaldo-esque, but it showed the often criticised star at his best as he drove at Porto defenders off the left flank. A piece of skill created the space to shoot and, although Euro 2024 hero Diogo Costa was weak in letting the ball creep in, it rounded off a fine team move after United had moved the ball well from deep, and then from right to left.

Porto threatened when Samu had a shot well blocked by Lisandro Martinez and Joao Mario wildly blazed the loose ball off target. But United responded by closing to doubled the lead as Rashford’s cross in the direction of Hojlund only narrowly bounced wide of the far post.

If Costa had been poor for the opening goal, the second was just as bad. Hojlund did incredibly well, winning a header in midfield to knock the ball down to Christian Eriksen and then sprinting towards the box. His run wasn’t in vain, played in by Rashford and thrashing a left-footed shot to the near post. Costa got a hand on the ball, but it just crossed the line as a defender hooked it away.

But just when it looked like things were going well for Erik ten Hag, two Porto goals in the space of seven minutes wiped out the lead. Both were the result of crosses from the right.

The first saw Andre Onana pull off a great save to stop Noussair Mazraoui from accidentally heading into his own when battling with Samu, with a stooping Pepe reacting to the rebound faster than Martinez to nod it in. The second saw Samu get the better of Matthijs de Ligt in the six-yard box, connecting powerfully with Mario’s curved cross to give Onana no chance.

United regained some control in the closing stages of the first half but Porto had their third within a few minutes of the restart. Pepe beat Martinez for pace and cut the ball back for Samu, whose movement allowed him to get across the front of De Ligt to finish clinically.

Half-time substitute Alejandro Garnacho got a glimpse of goal with an hour gone, with the surprisingly dreadful Costa weakly parrying the ball into his path from Mazraoui’s low shot. But the United winger was at a narrow angle and off balance so couldn’t find the target. It so nearly got worse, though, and Onana was sharp to turn a Samu shot behind for a corner.

United played the final ten minutes with ten players when Fernandes was dismissed in slightly controversial circumstances. The captain was adjudged to have endangered Porto defender Nehuen Perez with a high boot whilst already on a yellow card. There didn’t appear to be contact, which Fernandes vehemently pointed out, but Perez clutching his face didn’t help matters.

Moments later, Porto were through on goal when a botched offside trap let Wenderson Galeno in, but Onana won the one-on-one battle by sticking out his right leg for the save. Garnacho forced an important stop from Costa at the other end as United searched for the equaliser, but a corner right at the death gave the visitors what they wanted when Maguire powerfully met Eriksen’s out-swinging delivery to keep the wolves from the door at least a little bit longer.

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