THE SILVER LINING of being at a club as rich in adversity and dysfunction as Manchester United means there are plenty of nominees for the redemption story.
Step forward Harry Maguire and Andre Onana: Maguire scored the game’s first goal and then Onana ensured it would be the game’s only goal.
Are we watching the Maguiressance?
For tonight was the latest step in the Restoration of Harry, as his stooping header was enough to break United’s toil in front of goal. They then butchered a series of counter-attacks to seal the game before Scott McTominay was dramatically pinged in the penalty area for a high foot.
Onana, who has emboldened his many sceptics by making a poor start to life at United, dived left to keep out Jordan Larsson’s penalty with a rigid, unbending right arm. It was a fabulous save: the spot kick was resolutely not a good height for the goalkeeper. Mobbed by team-mates, Onana tried to divert their attention to defending another corner until he was told that the referee had blown for full-time, at which a mingling of joy and relief flooded around Old Trafford.
This victory jumpstarts United’s campaign, and leaves them only a point from second-placed Galatasaray. It should kindle hope they can recover and make the knockout stages: if Harry Maguire can bounce back from being the world’s punchline, then surely Manchester United can qualify for the last-16 of the Champions League.
But while Maguire has been rejuvenated and Onana redeemed, this game was no argument to say their team-mates have been too. United’s first-half performance was diffident to the point of being morose: they had one shot on target and the referee did everyone a favour by blowing for half-time 16 seconds early.
It was another half to wonder who, exactly, has custody of this Manchester United team, as it bore no visible imprint of Erik ten Hag. Denied space into which to counter, United toiled in attack, just as they have under previous managers. Mason Mount, meanwhile, one of ten Hag’s signature signings, sat on the bench in place of goalador Scott McTominay, whom ten Hag was trying to bomb out of the club less than two months ago. That’s not to say McTominay deserves his place: he went through the redemption swing before the international break.
Watching on TNT Sports, Paul Scholes sounded like a man on the edge of an existential crisis at half-time, pleading with the universe simply to feel something. “Give us something! If it’s a shot on goal, a tackle! The only thing that will get this team going is conceding a goal.”
The half-time introduction of Eriksen for Sofyan Amrabat was a means of impetus without the need to be provoked by disaster. Eriksen dropped to the back of midfield, raised the the game from its grave tempo, while allowing Bruno Fernandes to play further forward.
Diligently cautious in the first-hale, Copenhagen grew curiously emboldened after the break, leaving space into which United could attack.
United then proceeded to waste a series of glorious chances, with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho each taking a heavy touch to squander one-on-one opportunities. Rashford currently looks unrecognisable from the guy who played a chunk of last season as if blessed by a kind of divine fire, and was given a pretty ambiguous reception by United fans throughout the game. He looks to be the next contender for redemption.
Maguire was the man for the role tonight, onside by a small margin to head in Eriksen’s sumptuous cross. He rightly took time to fully celebrate his goal, though did have to endure the brief panic of a VAR review. Garnacho and McTominay had further chances to seal the game before United needed recourse to Onana.
It feels slightly joyless to riff for too long on the principle that unhappy is the land that needs a hero, but the reality for United is the night’s exclamation points haven’t fully scrubbed away the question marks.