Harry Maguire and Andre Onana inspired Manchester United to their first three points in Group A of the Champions League as they secured a slender 1-0 victory over Copenhagen at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Following a lacklustre first-half display lacking any real quality from the hosts, centre-back Maguire broke the deadlock with a bullet header in the 72nd minute, before Onana saved a last-minute penalty from Jordan Larsson - the son of former United forward Henrik Larsson - to help the Red Devils secure a vital victory in dramatic fashion.
Erik ten Hag's side suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening two Group A games, but success over Copenhagen has restored belief in their quest to qualify for the knockout rounds and has helped them climb above their Danish counterparts into third place, just one point behind second-placed Galatasaray, who lost 3-1 to group leaders Bayern Munich earlier this evening.
Man United's remarkable victory took place in their first home fixture since the passing of club legend and footballing icon Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86 on Saturday.
Before kickoff, a lone piper led a wreath-carrying Ten Hag, former goalkeeper Alex Stepney and academy captain Dan Gore towards the centre circle, before a perfectly observed silence was held to commemorate the career and life of Charlton.
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It was Copenhagen who started the brighter of the two sides and the Danish champions were denied an early goal by the woodwork inside the first five minutes as Diogo Goncalves stuck an effort against the base of the post following a powerful driving run through United's defence from Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Copenhagen, who looked confident and comfortable in possession, were by far the better team in the first half, while the Red Devils were sloppy on the ball and struggling to adjust to the visitors' aggressive press.
The Red Devils lacked any form of invention in the final third, much to the frustration of the Old Trafford faithful, and even referee Marco Guida seemed to have had enough as he bizarrely blew the half-time whistle around 15 seconds before the 45-minute mark.
Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen replaced Sofyan Amrabat at half time in an attempt to provide a much-needed creative spark in midfield, and the Old Trafford crowd expected an immediate reaction from Man United, but it was Copenhagen who began the brightest once again.
Five minutes into the second half, Onana was called into action to make a superb one-handed save to prevent Lukas Lerager from finding the far corner with a fierce shot from the edge of the area.
Kamil Grabara then made an equally impressive one-handed stop at the other end just a few minutes later to prevent a low-driven strike from Eriksen creeping into the bottom corner.
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As frustrations continued to grow inside Old Trafford, substitute Alejandro Garnacho ran clean through on goal after meeting a perfectly-weighted delivery from Bruno Fernandes, but the Argentine took a heavy touch at the vital moment to allow Grabara to collect the ball.
Man United's attackers ultimately failed to deliver when it mattered on the night, but Maguire stepped up to the plate at a crucial moment to open the scoring 18 minutes from time, pouncing on a brilliant Eriksen cross from the right to power home a close-range header – his first Red Devils goal since February 2022.
Garnacho and McTominay both came close to doubling Man United's lead, and it looked as if their missed chances would prove costly as Copenhagen were awarded a penalty in the fifth and final minute of second-half stoppage time.
McTominay was penalised for a high boot towards the head of Elyounoussi inside the six-yard box, with VAR confirming the on-field decision, and it was substitute Larsson – who had only been on the pitch for around 10 minutes – who was tasked with restoring parity for Copenhagen with the last kick of the game.
However, Onana guessed correctly and dived to his left to push away Larsson's left-footed strike to help Man United hold on for an important victory on a memorable night at Old Trafford.
Man United have the small matter of a Manchester derby with rivals and reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to prepare for on Sunday afternoon, while Copenhagen play host to Danish Superliga basement club Hvidovre in their next match on Saturday.
Oliver Thomas
