Manchester United were held to their third draw in three UEFA Europa League games on Thursday evening by Jose Mourinho’s dogged Fenerbahce.
The Red Devils took the lead in the first half thanks to Christian Eriksen inside a hostile Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, before a 49th minute strike from Youssef En-Nesyri secured a point for the Turkish giants.
It’s a result that leaves Man Utd precariously in 21st place after three gameweeks of the new Europa League format, and just inside the play-off qualification spots ahead of the likes of Malmo and Braga on goal difference.
Here’s United’s best and worst performers on the night.
Manuel Ugarte
So this is the Manuel Ugarte that Manchester United fans were so excited about signing?
We get why you were all so excited now.
The Uruguayan was exceptional acting as the destroyer in the middle of the park on Thursday evening, making 14 defensive actions and winning five duels throughout an exceptionally busy 90 minutes of action.
His highlight of the game was undoubtedly his last ditch sliding block to deny Fenerbahce what looked like a certain goal in the first half.
A top performance.
Rating: 8/10
Honourable mention – Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen continued to roll back the years with another quality outing in a United shirt.
The Dane’s first-time thumping finish from the edge of the box proved to be a key goal at an important time in the game for his club, eventually being enough to secure a point despite Fenerbahce’s barrage of attacks.
Eriksen’s contract is up at the end of the season – this performance would suggest he’s pushing hard for an extension to those terms.
Rating: 7/10
Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot is one of those players who rarely drops a stinker for United.
In fact, the Portuguese is regarded as one of the club’s more important players, largely because of his ability to play full-back on both sides. However, Dalot is known for the odd lapse in concentration and has occasionally been on toast for direct, quick wingers.
Enter, Allan Saint-Maximin. Yes, the former Newcastle United winger was Dalot’s opponent on Thursday night and it’s fair to say he came out on top of their individual battle.
Lax defending from Dalot allowed the Frenchman to set up En-Nesyri’s equaliser and there were plenty of other occasions where Saint-Maximin looked dangerous.
Rating: 5/10
