It was another case of one step forward, two steps back for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United as they were held by FC Twente in the Europa League on Thursday night.
After hitting 10 past Barnsley and Southampton, the Red Devils returned to type as they produced a performance reminiscent of the dark days of 2023/24 at Old Trafford.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admitted his adoration for Twente pre-match. A former captain and youth team coach at the Enschede outfit, Ten Hag admitted that he felt a sense of unease about potentially hurting ‘something you love’.
In the end, as Manchester United served up a dismal second-half display, the only thing Ten Hag ‘hurt’ was his own job prospects.
Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves criticised Christian Eriksen for a rare blunder, the veteran playmaker gifting an equaliser to Twente after he himself had fired the home side ahead with a thumping first-half strike.
Hargreaves had concerns about the role Andre Onana played in Sam Lammers’ leveller too.
Twente star stunned Andre Onana in Manchester United collapse
The goalkeeper has been in outstanding form of late – Onana pulled off an ‘unbelievable’ save to frustrate Crystal Palace seven days after keeping out a Southampton spot kick at St Mary’s – but the manner in which he was left bamboozled by Lammers’ near-post strike may raise questions once again over his shot-stopping prowess.
Speaking to reporters at full-time, former Rangers flop Lammers opened up on how his famous Twente strike came about, fooling Onana as he shaped up as if to fire the ball into the far corner before whipping it in at the front post.
“I’m actually turning my body open around the ball [to make Onana think] I’m going to shoot in the far corner,” Lammers smiles. “The goalkeeper guesses and I shoot into the near corner.”
Ten Hag’s team were in complete control until arguably their most in-form player – the legendary Paul Scholes labelled Eriksen a transformative addition to United’s midfield following a three successive starts – switched off and allowed Lammers to nick the ball off him just outside the Red Devils’ own penalty area.
At full-time, Eriksen worryingly suggested that Twente simply ‘wanted it more’.
The side who finished third in last season’s Eredivisie table certainly threatened a remarkable winner as United heads dropped. Though, it should be said, Twente still needed a remarkable Lars Unnerstall save and some heroic blocks to keep their opponents out at the other end.
“I think it was a fairly equal match,” adds Lammers, formerly of PSV Eindhoven and Atalanta. “We were pushed back at the end.
“But we played with guts and played football in their half. It’s a great point. “This is great. There are few stadiums where it’s nicer to score.
“So, we’re going to cherish this one.”
Erik ten Hag bemoans lack of United ruthlessness
Ten Hag, under pressure again after Man United threw away yet another win they really should have had wrapped up, blamed his charges for their failure to press home the advantage.
“We kept them alive. We are 1-0 up, controlling the game and you have to be consistent. You have to keep going,” Ten Hag sighed, particularly disappointed about the way Twente’s rampaging right-back Bart van Rooij carved United open in transition seconds before Lammers struck.
“In the second-half, we dropped a level and we gave a goal away. We didn’t finish it off. We had to go for the second goal so they stay alive and then we get punished with a mistake from ourselves.
“If a player of Twente can dribble over the whole pitch without anyone stopping him… We can’t give a goal away like this. We had some good structures but you have to have consistency and keep going for the whole game.
“You have to go for the second.”
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