Harry Maguire has sent a clear-cut message to Manchester United fans after he scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser against Porto in the Europa League.
Manchester United dropped important points in their trip to Portugal on Thursday evening after starting off strong in their second Europa League tie this season.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for Erik ten Hag’s men in the 7th minute at the Estadio do Dragao before Rasmus Hojlund put United 2-0 up in the 20th minute.
Despite Erik ten Hag’s side taking control of the Europa League tie, Vitor Bruno’s Porto came roaring back into the contest at the Estadio do Dragao.
Pepe pulled one back for Porto only seven minutes after Rasmus Hojlund’s strike before Samu Omorodion pulled Vitor Bruno’s men level in the 34th minute.
Samu Omorodion then completed his brace only five minutes into the second half and Erik ten Hag’s men were left trailing Porto 3-2 after initially leading 2-0.
United’s misery against Porto continued after Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 81st minute, with the Red Devils reduced to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Maguire’s message to Man Utd fans
Harry Maguire came off the bench in the second half and replaced Lisandro Martinez before the former Manchester United captain made his mark against Porto.
Christian Eriksen floated a ball in from the right in injury time and Maguire rose to the occasion and fired a header into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Erik ten Hag’s men have now secured two points from their opening two Europa League matches, following on from their 1-1 draw against FC Twente last week.
United will play eight matches – four at home and four away – as part of the new league format phase introduced in the 2024-25 Europa League season.
Maguire took to Instagram after the 3-3 draw against Porto and the 31-year-old United defender couldn’t be clearer with his message to Red Devils supporters.
“Keep the belief,” he simply wrote, adding a heart emoji.
Ten Hag on Man Utd result
Erik ten Hag has faced mounting speculation over his future at Old Trafford after United’s disappointing start to the season.
The Red Devils now face a tricky test on Sunday in the Premier League with their away trip to Villa Park for the Aston Villa clash.
Speaking after Thursday’s result in the Europa League, Ten Hag admitted that the poor United defence against Porto let his side down in their 3-3 draw.
“We started the game very good, we dominated, scored two good goals, but then we lost control,” he told TNT Sports, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“So, the start was good, the middle part was not good and then we finished very good.
“It’s a tough place to go, so coming back from 3-2 we get the equaliser, which is good for the spirit.
“You see again that the team has a really strong character, but the middle part, the defending, we have to improve.”
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