Erik ten Hag pinpoints Manchester United’s collapse on four of his stars vs Porto

Erik ten Hag has laid the blame for Manchester United’s collapse against FC Porto on four of his stars following a 3-3 Europa League draw.

Manchester United salvaged a point against FC Porto in the Europa League thanks to a late header from Harry Maguire.

The match kicked off with great intensity, as Marcus Rashford scored the opener, followed by Rasmus Højlund doubling the lead after just 20 minutes, both goals aided by mistakes from Porto’s goalkeeper, Diogo Costa.

Read More: Erik ten Hag makes clear Ruud van Nistelrooy claim amid Man United succession reports

However, Porto swiftly responded, finding the net twice within seven minutes. Samu Omorodion and Pepe brought the score level before half-time, shifting the momentum dramatically.

In the second half, Porto took the lead when a cutback from their right side allowed Samu to score his second of the night. United’s defence struggled to cope with the mounting pressure.

Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card for the second match in a row with 15 minutes remaining. After some brilliant saves from André Onana, Maguire finally equalized with a header from a Christian Eriksen corner, securing a point for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Ten Hag pinpointed United’s collapse of United’s four defenders, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui, explaining that they must improve.

“We started the game very good, we dominated, scored two good goals, but then we lost control,” he told media following the result.

“So the start was good, the middle part was not good, and then we finished very good. It’s a tough place to go, so coming back from 3-2 we get the equaliser, which is good for the spirit.

“You see again that the team has a really strong character, but the middle part, the defending, we have to improve.”

Further, he commanded that his back line must move back to the habits they relied on when the sides kept clean sheets against Southampton, Barnsley, and Crystal Palace. earlier this season.

“We had three clean sheets not so long ago, so we can defend very good. But we have to go back to those habits. Only then can you win games. When you score three times in an away game in Europe, it must be enough.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.