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Premier League giants Manchester United welcomed Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia to Old Trafford for their UEFA Europa League Group E clash on Thursday night (October 13).
United boss Erik ten Hag fielded a strong XI, but the hosts had a surprisingly hard time finding their way past the visitors. The matchday four clash was ultimately settled by an injury-time winner from substitute Scott McTominay.
The win left the Red Devils in second place in the Group E standings, three points behind group leaders Real Sociedad, who beat Sheriff Tiraspol in their latest outing.
Manchester United came flying out of the gates and lodged their first shot on target inside the opening two minutes. Bruno Fernandes played a short pass to Marcus Rashford from a corner, who tried to curl the ball into the far corner. Omonia keeper Francis Uzoho anticipated his shot and made an excellent diving save.
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Rashford lodged two more attempts on target in the 22nd and 28th minutes, respectively, but was brilliantly denied by Omonia's savior Uzoho. Just past the half-hour mark, Casemiro rattled the bar from an outside box effort before Fred squandered an excellent opportunity to score from point-blank range.
Omonia striker Bruno Felipe led a counter-attack in the 42nd minute and found himself in the perfect position to set up a tap-in for fellow forward Andronikos Kakoullis. Unfortunately, for the visitors, he went for goal himself and missed the mark.
Two minutes into the second half, Antony and Rashford tried their luck, but Uzoho heroically denied them with a huge double save. A couple of minutes later, Uzoho produced another double save, this time denying Tyrell Malacia and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Substitute McTominay went for goal from outside the box in the 83rd minute, but could not beat an in-form Uzoho. The deadlock was finally broken by McTominay in injury time, who converted from close range to break the hearts of traveling fans.
Below, we will take a look at three Manchester United players who came good for the Red Devils and two who were below their best against Omonia on Thursday.
Performed: Marcus Rashford
Although he squandered a few chances, Marcus Rashford was easily Manchester United’s best forward on the Old Trafford pitch on Thursday. His movement was sharp, link-up play neat, and he did well to get on the end of those chances. Had it not been for Uzoho’s brilliant saves (five), the Englishman would have commemorated his performance with a goal or two.
On Thursday night, Rashford played four key passes, delivered two accurate long balls, completed three dribbles, and won eight ground duels. He also drew five fouls and played 36 accurate passes (83.7% accuracy).
Underperformed: Cristiano Ronaldo
Having scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win over Everton on October 9, Cristiano Ronaldo deservedly started at the top of Manchester United’s attack on Thursday. Unfortunately, he could not quite have the same impact. Omonia did well to mark him, keeping him from making a tangible impact. Ronaldo had two shots on target on the night but neither caused Uzoho too much of a problem.
Ronaldo, who struggled to get involved in the game, played only 18 accurate passes, misplaced his only attempted long ball and conceded possession four times.
Performed: Scott McTominay
Coming off the bench in the 81st minute, Scott McTominay made the most of his cameo, saving United’s blushes. He lodged his first shot on target from outside the box in the 83rd minute, before finding the back of the net with his next one in injury time. Sancho’s deflected shot fell into his path, and the Scottish midfielder coolly slotted it home from eight yards out.
It will be interesting to see whether or not his decisive cameo wins him a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI for Sunday’s (October 16) league clash against Newcastle United.
Underperformed: Fred
With Christian Eriksen rested, Fred started alongside Casemiro in the middle of the park. The Brazilian midfielder failed to create clear-cut openings and seemed content playing short horizontal passes.
He was also guilty of missing a gilt-edged goalscoring opportunity in the 39th minute when Antony set him up with a delicious cross. From a mere six yards out, Fred comically mistimed his jump and directed his header over the bar.
In addition to missing a sitter, Fred lost two ground duels and ceded possession five times before being taken off for Eriksen in the 70th minute.
Performed: Casemiro
Former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro played his best game for United on Thursday night. He hit the post from 25 yards out in the first half, dominated Omonia’s midfielders, and was always on the lookout for clever forward balls.
On Europa League matchday four, Casemiro made two key passes, delivered five accurate long balls, and completed 66 passes (82.5% accuracy). He also won a whopping seven of 11 aerial duels, attempted four tackles, and made two smart interceptions.
