Manchester United are winless in Europe for the third time in as many matches in the UEFA Europa League after capitulating their lead in another stalemate against Fernabahçe in Turkey, leaving them with just one win in their last eleven matches in Europe.
Back in 2017, this was a fixture where Jose Mourinho led his Red Devils side to triumph and came close to winning again on Thursday, given the way he set up his team to play.
The Portuguese coach was determined to suffocate United by pressing very well, and the visitors equally played into the hands of their Turkish hosts.
Erik Ten Hag’s men soaked up the pressure until they found a breakthrough after fifteen minutes when they broke free to grab the lead with their first shot on goal.
The move was started in Manchester United’s midfield after Manuel Ugarte won possession, and the ball found its way to Alejandro Garnacho on the left flank. The Argentine’s cutback found Mazraoui, then Zirkzee, who played the pass to Christian Eriksen to send an effort into the top corner.
Marcus Rashford came agonizingly close to adding United’s second goal after cutting in from the right but saw his attempt blocked by Fernabahçe’s defense. On the other end of the pitch, Ugarte helped United protect their lead when he made an iconic save to deny Dusan Tadic from scoring an equalizer.
Manchester United’s goalkeeper was called to action shortly after, and the Cameroonian goalkeeper’s double save from Youssef En-Nesyri’s header made his side impregnable during the break.
Four minutes after the restart, Onana couldn’t deny Youssef En-Nesyri any longer as he nodded home from a pinpoint Allan Saint-Maximin’s cross to score Fernabahçe’s equalizer.
The two sides chased a winner in the game as the final whistle approached, but neither side was able to snatch a winner in an entertaining fixture. This means that Manchester United has now played for 12 months without winning any game in Europe.
