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It’s a storyline that's becoming increasingly familiar - Manchester United get a penalty and Bruno Fernandes converts it. This time, it was in the one-legged quarter-final of the UEFA Europa League against FC Copenhagen. And it was enough to see the Red Devils through to the semi-final stage with a 1-0 win over their Danish opponents.
The game started with the English side dominating possession without troubling Copenhagen's well-drilled opposition unduly. Both sides created promising openings but did not come close to breaking the deadlock. This remained the case until Mason Greenwood had the ball in the back of the net at the stroke of half-time, only for VAR to disallow it for offside.
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As the heat took a toll on both sets of players, who huffed and puffed without creating any major chances in the second half either, Copenhagen seemed to retreat into their own half as United attempted to turn the screws. However, having had another goal ruled out for offside and hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men could not settle the game in normal time.
Their efforts finally paid off early in the first half of extra time as they were awarded a penalty in the 94th minute after Andreas Bjelland brought Anthony Martial down in the box. Up stepped Bruno Fernandes, minus his trademark skip, to smash the ball into the net to send United into the lead.
The goal prompted a role reversal as it was United that sat back while Copenhagen went on the offensive. Although they did give a tiring Machester United defence a few nervy moments, Sergio Romero crucially remained untested in the Manchester United goal as Solskjaer’s men saw out the win.
With a semi-final match-up against Wolves or Sevilla in the semi-final being Manchester United’s reward for their win, here are 5 talking points from the match that saw them progress through to the semis.
#1 Manchester United’s ‘First XI’ makes a return
Although Solskjaer had the luxury of fielding a largely weakened side in the second leg of their Round of 16 encounter against LASK, the Norwegian reverted to his ‘tried and tested’ players for this crunch tie. The likes of Martial, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all made a return to the starting lineup, giving the Manchester United team a much more familiar look.
#2 Copenhagen’s gameplan proves to be effective
Having claimed the underdog status for his side in the buildup to this game, Copenhagen manager Ståle Solbakken put in place a clear gameplan from the first whistle. The Danish side formed a resolute defensive unit, preventing Manchester United from settling into a passing rhythm while causing some problems of their own at the other end.
Their defensive setup, combined with the heat, was successful in frustrating Manchester United’s attackers. Solskjaer's forwards seemed to run out of ideas and resorted to taking hopeful pot shots from long distance, some of which were more threatening than others.
#3 Heat plays a huge part
The inclusion of water breaks midway through each half in football post-lockdown has not been received very well in the community. There have been claims that they disrupt the flow of the game.
While coaches usually utilise that time to pass on a few key instructions, the water breaks in this match came as welcome respite to both sets of players. Their energy was visibly being sapped by the oppressive heat in Germany.
The effects of the heat became more and more visible as the game wore on as play became more stretched. But tired legs were unable to pick out incisive passes in the final third. The number of players going down with cramps also increased as the game went into extra time after a goalless 90 minutes.
#4 One-legged knockout stages add a new dimension
There have been a number of major changes in the way football has been played worldwide since it returned from its lengthy absence. Increased substitutions, water breaks, and the absence of fans are just some of the new additions that players and fans have had to become accustomed to.
However, the knockout nature of European football has thrown a new tweak into the mix, with the advent of one-legged knockout rounds. With away goals and second legs out of the window, the footballing world got its first taste of extra time after just one leg for the first time in Europa League history.
#5 Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson's inspired performance frustrated Manchester United
It would be unfair to a spirited Copenhagen side to say that Manchester United dominated proceedings. But one major reason that the match went all the way to extra time was the performance of Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson.
Manchester United struck the woodwork twice and were denied a penalty and two goals due to offside calls. But it was due to Johnsson that the scoreline remained 1-0, or else Manchester United would've definitely scored more.
To put Johnsson’s showing into perspective, Manchester United registered 14 shots on target, and Johnsson made 13 saves, the joint-most by a goalkeeper in a single Europa League game since the start of the competition in 2009.
It took a penalty for Manchester United to finally find a way past the Swede. He seemed unbeatable by any other means throughout the match, pulling off a variety of stunning saves to keep his side in the game.
