S Poddar
Try as he might, the return to Old Trafford was not enough to keep José Mourinho in the good books. It ended in red as Manchester United were held to a hard-fought 1-1 draw by Fenerbahce, the last 15 minutes being played with 10 men after the furious Mourinho was dismissed after a protest at a perceived penalty decision.
Erik ten Hag’s team, already behind in Europe, failed to bridge the gap further before the draw. The Dutch coach had started Noussair Mazraoui surprisingly in a rather odd attacking role in that formation – much to the dismay of Mazraoui himself, it eventually ended with nothing being reaped from this risky move.
It was a hard-fought game, with enough chances created at both ends of the pitch to convert. For Manchester United, Marcus Rashford got a great opportunity to make it 1-0 for his team, but the Fenerbahce defender successfully blocked the shot. Then, En-Nesyri made an excellent shot on the goal from the Fenerbahce end, only for United keeper André Onana to catch the header.
The turning point of the match was when Mourinho was sent off, where the Portuguese manager was extremely upset at the decision taken by the referee and had to be escorted out of the pitch. After that, his absence in the dugout was deeply noticed, as his team seemed to lose their rhythm of play.
In the end, Fenerbahce banking a precious point, but this draw leaves both teams squarely in an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
