Jose sees red as Fenerbahçe secure draw with United

RED: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Fenerbahce SK, reacts towards Referee Clement Turpin during the UEFA Europa League. Picture: Burak Kara/Getty Images

Europa League: Fenerbahçe 1 (En-Nesyri 49') Manchester Utd 1 (Eriksen 15')

YOUSSEF En-Nesyri returned to haunt Manchester United, and cancel out Christian Eriksen’s opener, as the meeting between the club’s two most successful post-Fergie managers ended all-square.

True to form, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho hogged the headlines against the current United boss Erik ten Hag, earning a second half red card, although by that stage his team was deservedly level.

Mourinho watched the final half-hour from the stand behind the dug-out after being sent off for protesting a failed penalty appeal after the slightest of contact by Manuel Ugarte on Bright Osayi-Samuel.

But he had seen En-Nesyri, who scored twice for Sevilla to knock United out of the Europa League in 2023, guarantee a draw that means the Premier League side have opened their Europa League campaign with three draws and have not won a European game for nearly a year.

United raced into the lead after 15 minutes, with virtually their first attack of the game and Alejandro Garnacho’s first foray into enemy territory, but more impressive was the way ten Hag’s side had weathered a predictably stormy opening from Mourinho’s men.

A febrile atmosphere, generated by 45,000 baying home fans, had United under severe pressure from the off, as they attempted to follow then Hag’s play-it-from-the-back mantra.

There were some anxious moments but Andre Onana, in particular, maintained his poise, timing his passes out of the area to perfection as United lived dangerously, but deserved to come out of that opening spell intact.

And when Ugarte won the ball in midfield, starting a move which eventually sent Garnacho racing away for the first time in the tie, the young Argentine pulled the ball back for touches from Noussair Mazarouai and Joshua Zirkzee to set up Eriksen.

The veteran Dane did the rest with a superb finish from just inside the area that soared into the net for his fourth goal of the season and few would have had him down to be one of the goalscoring heroes of this campaign.

It was a superb start from a United side that had lost their last five away European fixtures - some of them in fairly traumatic fashion, having twice surrendered two-goal leads.

It might even have improved, six minutes later, when Marcus Rashford rolled a shot agonisingly wide of the post after the England man had made room for himself with a skilful run.

But, as could have been predicted, Fenerbahce would not take defeat lying down and should have been level by the time the interval arrived.

First, on 23 minutes, Ugarte made an incredible block to keep out a Dusan Tadic effort that looked a certain goal after connecting with a cross from the dangerous Sebastian Szymanski.

That was a solid piece of defensive work but what was to follow from Onana, on 36 minutes, was even better as he produced a double save from En-Nesyri that virtually defied belief.

It started with a cross from Szymanski that was met by En-Nesyri whose expert downward header was somehow kept out low down by the United keeper palming the ball off his line. Tadic skilfully hooked the rebound back into area for En-Nesyri to produce another near-perfect header and Onana recover quickly enough to make a similar breathtaking stop.

It was such an astonishing passage that even Mourinho had no option but to wave his arms on the sideline with a disbelieving smile splashed across his face.

It was a triumphant moment from the United keeper but, given the way the first half had finished, it was imperative that the visitors stood firm on the restart. Not for the first time in Europe under ten Hag, they failed.

The increasingly unstoppable Szymanski swung over a left-wing cross that allowed En-Nesyri to run - far too easily it should be said - between Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez to head firmly past Onana from six yards on 49 minutes.

Mourinho’s dismissal had the re-energised home fans even more agitated although United, to their credit, remained positive, with Diogo Dalot making the wrong decision on a fast-break when he tried to play in Rashford.

Dominik Livakovic was also finally forced into action in the Fenerbahce goal, showing solid form to keep out a shot from Noussair Mazarouai and header from Matthijs de Ligt.

Fenerbahce (4-2-3-1): Livakovic 6; Samuel 6 (Becao 62, 5), Soyuncu 7, Djiku, 6, Muldur 6; Fred 5, Amrabat 6; Tadic 7 (Dzeko 79, 5), Szymanski 9 (Yandas 90), Saint-Maximin 7 (Yuksek 79, 5); En Nesyri 8 (Kahveci 79, 5).

Substitutes (not used): Egribayat, Cetin, Akaydin, Yuksek, Tosun, Dursun, Rodrigo Akcicek, Tograk.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana 9; Dalot 5, Lindelof 5 (Casemiro 55, 5), de Ligt 6, Martinez 5; Eriksen 7, Ugarte 8; Garnacho 7, Mazraoui 6, Rashford 6 (Antony 73, Diallo 88); Zirkzee 6 (Hojlund 55, 6).

Substitutes (not used): Bayindir, Heaton, Wheatley, Amass, Ogunneye.

Referee: C Turpin (France) 8