Harry Maguire and Andre Onana inspire Manchester United to their first Champions League win of the season

Old Trafford was still shrouded in grief after the passing of their greatest player. Sir Bobby Charlton one of the last few survivors of the 1958 Munich Tragedy had passed away on Saturday. Beleaguered stars Harry Maguire and Andre Onana saved Erik Ten Hag the blushes on Tuesday to give their first win of their European campaign.

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Manchester United had won 2-1 versus Sheffield United thanks to Diego Dalot’s curling effort. In their previous two games, Manchester United had lost to Bayern Munich and drew with Galatasaray.

Erik Ten Hag knew he needed a win considering the uncertainty the club was facing off the field. The Dutch manager’s future has been questioned after his public spat with Jadon Sancho. There were also talks of Graham Potter being looked at as the manager by the possible Jim Ratcliffe-led team.

Manchester United win thanks to Andre Onana’s last-minute penalty save –

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Sergio Reguilon was back in the playing XI after his short few weeks of injury lay-off. Antony was given yet another start as the fans had started to get impatient with the Brazilian’s performance.

The first half of the game was a very slow affair with chances rarely being created. FC Copenhagen was the brighter of the teams as they went after the Manchester United backline. French defender Raphael Varane was his assured self as was Harry Maguire who was slotted in the left-center back role.

It was a different Manchester United in the second half with the introduction of Christian Eriksen. The midfield looked even more vibrant and quick just like it did at the Bramall Lane on Saturday.

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In the 72^nd minute, it was Christian Eriksen who opened the Copenhagen defence with a cross inside the box. Harry Maguire the former Manchester United skipper beat the opposition defenders to slot in the header to give the home team the lead.

The next 25 minutes were frenetic as there were chances at both ends of the pitch. FC Copenhagen upped the ante when they threw the numbers behind in the United penalty area. Scott McTominay’s handball had conceded a penalty on Saturday.

The Scotland international’s poorly timed attempt to clear the ball away saw his foot hit the face of FC Copenhagen’s player. The referee gave the penalty in the dying moments of the game. Just when it seemed as if points were squandered Andre Onana dove to his left to palm the penalty away to give United its first win of the campaign.

After the game, the Cameroon international said “I’m just doing my job, the most important thing is to win against a tough team. I am happy for the victory, we are Manchester United, big team, big club, and big players. It’s just a matter of time, now we have to continue like this. I have no doubt we will make it”

Harry Maguire also praised the atmosphere in Old Trafford when he said “It is amazing, when you are not on your game it gets picked up. But I am really proud and pleased with how I have acted over these 6 to 12 months. I have been given an opportunity and I want to help the team and get the club back to where it should be”