Onana's late, late penalty save rescues United
MANCHESTER UNITED 1 COPENHAGEN 0
A DRAMATIC 97th-minute penalty save by Andre Onana to deny Jordan Larsson, capped an emotional night at Old Trafford and ensured Harry Maguire’s second-half header secured the victory that revived Manchester United’s Champions League campaign.
After tributes had been paid to Sir Bobby Charlton, Maguire, retained following his man-of-the-match display at Sheffield United on Saturday, continued his recent renaissance with what proved to be the crucial goal.
But it was Onana’s superb save from Larsson, the son of former United forward Henrik Larsson, after Scott McTominay had been penalised for a high challenge, that ensured Erik Ten Hag’s side secured their first points in Group A.
If the occasion weighed heavily on Ten Hag’s side, there was little doubt Copenhagen would not be overawed as they immediately set about troubling the United defence.
It took less than two minutes for the Danish side to force a corner and they were soon given further encouragement when Maguire, retained after his performance in the victory over Sheffield United on Saturday, missed a tackle near the halfway line, allowing Mohammed Elyounoussi to break and find Viktor Claessen who was unfortunate to see his effort come back off the post.
United was strangely lethargic and Rasmus Hojlund’s determined effort to close down Kamil Grabara, the Copenhagen goalkeeper, provided an all too rare injection of energy in a ponderous first-half performance.
Confronted by well-organised opponents who were happy to sit deep and threaten on the counter-attack, there was a notable lack of urgency in United’s play and they rarely looked capable of creating a clear opportunity.
An exception came midway through the half when the
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