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Manchester United's 2023–24 UEFA Champions League campaign has begun with a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, September 20.
Erik ten Hag made one change to the team that started in the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, with Scott McTominay being replaced by Facundo Pellistri. The visiting side started on the front foot, with Christian Eriksen bringing a terrific save out of Sven Ulreich at the near post in the fourth minute.
Despite having better attacking play in the opening minutes, the Red Devils found themselves a goal down after Andre Onana's howler let Leroy Sane's shot creep below him and into the goal.
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They soon found themselves two goals down as Jamal Musiala ran in from the left and found Serge Gnabry, who placed the ball into the far corner well beyond Onana's reach.
The visitors pulled one back minutes into the second half when Rasmus Hojlund’s deflected shot from 12 yards beat Sven Ulreich, who was initially wrong-footed.
The good work was undone almost immediately, as Christian Eriksen gave away a penalty after being adjudged to have handled the ball. Harry Kane made no mistakes from the spot to restore the home side's two-goal advantage.
The final few minutes turned out to be a goal fest as Casemiro hooked the ball into the back of the net in a scramble to give Erik ten Hag's men hopes of stealing a point.
After substitute Mathys Tel restored Bayern's two-goal cushion, Casemiro got his second of the game in the dying minutes to make for a frantic end to the match. The home side managed to hold off Manchester United and seal the win.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Manchester United:
Andre Onana - 3/10
Andre Onana's howler undid Manchester United's positive start to the match. While the Senegalese made some fine saves later, it did not change the outcome of the match.
He has now conceded 14 goals in six games for Manchester United, a statistic that does not make for good reading.
Diogo Dalot - 5/10
Diogo Dalot had a tough time defensively, which was on display when he was easily outpaced by Jamal Musiala for Bayern Munich's second goal.
He failed to make any meaningful contributions on the other end of the pitch either.
Victor Lindelof - 5/10
Victor Lindelof started the match as Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire were unavailable. He did not look out of place, nor did he stand out.
Lisandro Martinez - 5/10
Lisandro Martinez's slump doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. He had a tough time in Munich and picked a booking for a hot-headed shove on Harry Kane.
Sergio Reguilon - 6.5/10
Sergio Reguilon was his team's best player on the night, without doing anything noteworthy, which tells the story of the match.
He did decently on the defensive front and tried his best to make an impact while going forward.
Casemiro - 6/10
Casemiro's two goals in the closing minutes should not overshadow the fact that he was chasing shadows for most of the match.
It does not help his cause that he was the lone defensive-minded midfielder while facing a star-studded Bayern team.
Christian Eriksen - 5/10
Christian Eriksen started strong and almost put his team in the lead with less than five minutes on the clock. After that, however, he failed to make any significant impact on the contest.
Facundo Pellistri - 5/10
Facundo Pellistri also started bright and faded soon after. He did give Alphonso Davies some headaches initially, which is something not a lot of players can manage to do.
Bruno Fernandes - 4/10
Bruno Fernandes was wasteful with the ball and is looking like a shadow of his dominant self. He needs to find his magic again if Manchester United are to come out of this slump.
Marcus Rashford - 5/10
Marcus Rashford did not have a chance to show his attacking prowess as his team was on the backfoot for the majority of the contest.
Rasmus Hojlund - 6/10
Rasmus Hojlund had a quiet night against a resolute Bayern defense, though he did manage to score his first goal for Manchester United thanks to a fortunate deflection.
Player ratings for Manchester United substitutes
Scott McTominay - 6/10
Scott McTominay replaced Christian Eriksen just past the hour mark and provided a physical presence in the middle of the pitch.
Anthony Martial - NA/10
Anthony Martial replaced Rasmus Hojlund with less than 10 minutes on the clock and did not have to make any real impact.
Alejandro Garnacho - NA/10
Alejandro Garnacho replaced Facundo Pellistri with less than 10 minutes on the clock and did not have to make any real impact.
