European football round-up – Man Utd secure vital point, Youthful Spurs shine & Chelsea dominates
The Europa League & Conference League were back in action last night – with drama of the highest order. Two of the English clubs in action – Tottenham and Chelsea won their matches, whilst Man United – despite having a 2-goal lead – only managed a draw by the final whistle.
Harry Maguire rescues a point for United
Porto 3 Manchester United 3
Manchester United narrowly avoided another defeat in a chaotic Europa League clash against Porto, with Harry Maguire scoring a last-minute header to secure a 3-3 draw. United had initially taken control with a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund in the first 20 minutes. Rashford’s clever footwork and Højlund’s sharp finish gave United an early advantage.
However, Porto responded quickly, with goals from Pepe and Samu Omorodion bringing them level before Omorodion completed the comeback shortly after halftime. United’s struggles worsened when captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card, leaving them with 10 men for the final minutes. Despite Porto’s pressure, Maguire rose to meet Christian Eriksen’s corner in injury time, heading in to rescue a point for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag.
United’s season continues to be turbulent, with only three wins in their first 10 games. This match marked their fourth consecutive European away game without victory, despite having scored three goals.
Youthful Spurs shine in Hungary
Ferencváros 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham secured their second Europa League victory with a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros in Hungary, thanks to goals from Pape Sarr and Brennan Johnson. Manager Ange Postecoglou fielded a youthful side, including four teenagers: Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Will Lankshear, who made his senior debut.
Moore played a key role in Spurs’ first goal, with his run leading to a loose ball that Sarr slotted home from close range. Ferencvaros thought they’d scored earlier, but Barnabas Varga’s header was ruled offside. Despite late pressure from the hosts, Brennan Johnson doubled Tottenham’s lead with a low shot off the post after another assist from Moore.
Varga pulled one back in the 90th minute, but it wasn’t enough as Tottenham held on for the win. They now have six points from two games, building on their earlier 3-0 victory over Qarabag.
Chelsea make major changes to starting lineup
Chelsea 4 Gent 2
Chelsea cruised to a 4-2 win over Gent in their opening Conference League match, despite making 11 changes to their starting lineup. The team displayed their squad depth with an entirely new XI from their weekend Premier League win over Brighton.
Defender Renato Veiga opened the scoring early, heading in Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross in the 12th minute. Pedro Neto doubled the lead just 49 seconds into the second half, firing in at the near post from an Axel Disasi long ball. Although Gent’s Tsuyoshi Watanabe pulled one back with a header shortly after, Christopher Nkunku restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion in the 63rd minute, slotting home his seventh goal of the season. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added a fourth after Watanabe’s defensive mistake, before Gent’s Omri Gandelman scored a consolation goal.
Chelsea’s dominant performance underlined the gap between the two sides and demonstrated their strength in depth. They are targeting automatic qualification for the knockout rounds in this season’s newly expanded 36-team league phase of the Conference League, with hopes of becoming the first club to win all three of Europe’s major competitions.
