FC Porto vs Manchester United Review
Although Manchester United initially led by two goals, they had to depend on a late equalizer from Harry Maguire to secure a 3-3 draw against Porto, who couldn’t maintain their advantage after a remarkable comeback. Porto started strong, but their momentum was halted just before the seven-minute mark when Marcus Rashford skillfully cut in from the left and entered the box, evading challenges from Stephen Eustáquio and João Mário before sliding the ball past Diogo Costa at the near post.
The hosts enjoyed another dominant phase, but Rashford struck again, moving inside to assist Rasmus Højlund on the overlap, and the Dane managed to score against a struggling Costa at his near post for the second time in the match.
The two-goal deficit seemed unfair to Porto, but they quickly equalized in an exciting seven-minute period. João Mário delivered quality crosses that led to both goals, the first was accidentally headed towards the goal by Noussair Mazraoui while being pressured by Samu, and Pepê was quick to react to a great save from André Onana, scoring from close range. His next cross was sent into the six-yard box, where Samu outjumped Matthijs de Ligt to power a header into the top of the net.
Marcus Rashford’s substitution at halftime was a significant setback for United, and they soon faced another blow as Porto completed their comeback. Nico González set Pepê free on the right, and he passed it back to Samu, who made a run to the near post and struck it into the top corner. United needed their leaders to respond, but instead, captain Bruno Fernandes received a second yellow card for a high boot, resulting in his dismissal for the second consecutive match.
Deniz Gül missed a crucial chance, which ended up being detrimental for the home team, as substitute Maguire leaped above everyone else to deliver a remarkable headed equalizer from a corner during stoppage time. For the fourth consecutive European away match, United could not secure a victory despite netting three goals, and a favorable outcome against Aston Villa on Sunday could be crucial in evaluating Erik ten Hag’s future in Manchester.
