Manchester United’s damaging defeat in the Champions League last night has left their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase of the competition hanging by a thread.

On a night of high drama in Denmark, United ended up on the losing side of controversial encounter, with FC Copenhagen eventually winning by four goals to three.

United took a commanding two goal lead in the opening exchanges and looked likely to add to their advantage before Marcus Rashford saw red on the 42nd minute.

Copenhagen equalised shortly after and were then awarded a debatable penalty kick deep into the 13 minutes of added on time in the first half.

As reported by Danish media, Alejandro Garnacho attempted to scuff the penalty spot before Diogo Gonçalves converted to restore parity in the game and swing the momentum toward the home side.

Copenhagen defender Dennis Vavro, who was lucky not to be sent off in the second half, told the written press he spotted the misdemeanour, labelling Garnacho “a clown”.

“I saw he was trying to do something about the penalty, but Kevin Diks was in front and blocked. This is the second time. And then on our trajectory? To me, he’s a clown,” said Vavro.

It was not the first time Garnacho has tampered with a penalty spot after dragging his studs over the Old Trafford turf before Copenhagen took their last gasp penalty in the reverse fixture, two weeks ago.

Andre Onana saved the kick in Manchester but unfortunately couldn’t do anything about Gonçalves cool finish this time around.

“He has the mentality of a kid when he tries something like that again. In an away game. One thing is at home in the 97th minute, but here in the first half. I do not understand why he is trying to do that.” Vavro added.

The United winger clearly irked the Copenhagen players throughout the encounter, with Lukas Lerager another to comment on Garancho’s attitude.

“Then there’s just a situation where I take the ball away from him inside the box, he throws himself, and then I tell him some things that aren’t so nice, but still with respect for him as a human being.”

Larager continued by saying he was happy to remind the young Argentine of the respect levels in the game, no matter who you play for.

“Sometimes people at the big clubs have to go down a little bit. Just know that they are human too. It just doesn’t suit a man like that. And then they need to be told,” he added.

Garnacho was a constant threat on the break for United and was enjoying a particularly good game before Rashford’s dismissal.

The combination of himself, Rashford and Hojlund was causing the hosts nightmares and would surely have put them to the sword had United not been reduced to 10.

However, defeat leaves United bottom of the group and needing to win both their final fixtures to qualify for the next round.

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The 19-year-old winger took to Instagram to post a reaction picture following the crucial win in the Champions League at Old Trafford to keep United’s hopes in the competition alive.

Andre Onana saved a penalty in the last minute to secure the victory, after enduring a number of tough games between the posts for his new club. It was a significant moment for the goalkeeper; one which saw him earn plaudits from across the footballing world.

FA have been investigating into Garnacho’s social media post in which he used gorilla emojis over a picture of Andre Onana's penalty save.

Onana replies: “People can’t choose what I should be offended by. Garnacho meant power and strenght. This should go no further”. pic.twitter.com/k6kea9Iwgz

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 26, 2023

The use of the gorilla emoji by Garnacho, in reference to Onana, created understandable controversy, however.

The goalkeeper was quick to publicly defend his team-mate, stating he knew “exactly what [Garnacho] meant: power and strength” and implored that the matter “should go no further.”

Evidently, it was an unintentional decision by Garnacho who was simply attempting to praise his goalkeeper, but used a problematic emoji to do so.

The FA announced they were investigating the matter given the serious nature of the incident, rather than the reality of it. And it appears this discrepancy led to the footballing authority’s decision today to take no further action against Garnacho.

A spokesperson from the FA released this statement about the matter:

“We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho’s social media. We sought the player’s observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his teammates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire – following the pivotal roles they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen. 

“We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho’s explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occassion. However, we have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular, which can be interpreted in different ways. 

“We also intend to liaise with Kick It Out and the PFA to discuss other potential issues around the use of emojis and similar forms of messaging, and education that can be provided about them.”

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Bruno Fernandes was the hero of the game with his late strike but youngster Alejandro Garnacho was a positive presence throughout in an ailing attack.

He regularly ran at defenders and tried to unsettle Fulham’s deep block with his enterprising play, being United’s main point of attack in the game.

However, that was not the case at half-time, when the game was scoreless and United were huffing and puffing their way to another case of dropped points.

In such a scenario, Garnacho’s actions at half-time baffled United fans.

When United were heading back into the dressing room at the midway point of the game, Garnacho took his shirt off and gave it to a Fulham fan.

While a player giving his shirt to a fan is common practice, two factors confused fans in this case.

Firstly, it was at the end of an average performance in just the first half, with the result far from being decided.

Secondly, it was inexplicably given to a Fulham fan instead of a United one, something practically unheard of nowadays.

Situated in an affluent West London area, Fulham’s Craven Cottage has a bit of a reputation for being majorly filled by casual fans instead of the working-class hardcore supporters.

While the fairness of that reputation is not something that anybody can comment on, actions like these hardly do anything to put it to rest.

As for Garnacho, this is a case of a well-meaning action being looked at in another light and despite not having any ill intentions, he would do well to repeat this in the future.

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The United captain’s goal brought a much-needed end to a two-game losing streak across all competitions.

Erik ten Hag’s men had 55% possession to Fulham’s 45% share of the ball.

United managed a total of 12 shots, with five of these being on target. In comparison, the Cottagers had a total of 18 shots, but only two challenged Andre Onana.

The Red Devils put together 450 passes with a pass accuracy of 78%.

Fulham strung 360 passes with a success rate of 71%.

One of United’s most impactful players was Alejandro Garnacho. With Marcus Rashford out due to an injury, Garnacho was given a start. He did not disappoint.

During the time he was on the pitch, the 19-year-old managed a pass accuracy of 81% from the 36 total passes he attempted.

He had 57 touches of the ball to his name.

Garnacho won five ground duels and came out on top in three of the five challenges he was required to contest aerially.

The Argentina international was also fouled three times – evidence of just how direct he was. Garnacho gave Fulham’s Timothy Castagne a hard time as he constantly took the defender on whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The United winger completed two dribbles and made as many key passes.

Alejandro Garnacho’s game by numbers vs. Fulham:

81% pass accuracy
57 touches
29/36 passes completed
5 ground duels won
3/5 aerial duels won
3 fouls won
2 dribbles completed
2 key passes

Bright second half. pic.twitter.com/IXYmQgu6VP

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 4, 2023

While Fernandes will rightfully receive most of the plaudits, Garnacho also deserves a share of the praise for coming up with the goods when United desperately needed someone to step up and relieve some of the pressure that was mounting on Ten Hag and the team.

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Manchester United host Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, in a repeat of last year’s Carabao Cup final.

The two teams meet in the fourth round of this season’s competition and United will be hoping for the same outcome as the one in the showpiece occasion earlier this year.

However, United have struggled for form so far this campaign and Newcastle have recovered from a slow start to reassert themselves as serious top four contenders.

Erik ten Hag is expected to ring in the changes tonight after the diabolical Derby display against City at the weekend.

Raphael Varane is in need of minutes and likely to return and will be charged with keeping Callum Wilson quiet after his weekend brace at Wolves.

Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron will look to provide the service for Newcastle’s front man and United will need to be on their toes in the wide areas.

Should Diogo Dalot and Sergio Reguilon get the better of the dangerous wingers, United are expected to have a solid enough base to secure a passage to the quarter-finals.

Given Newcastle’s injury list, United should take control of proceedings and Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount are more than capable of dictating the game with Casemiro providing back-up.

United’s frontline has been misfiring of late but the injection of Alejandro Garnacho’s youthful exuberance on the left flank will be the way forward tonight.

Feeding the Argentinian as quickly as possible will allow the 19-year-old to get one-on-one with the Newcastle full-back and his quality could win the game for United.

Anthony Martial has a good track record against Newcastle, scoring four times previously and his wildcard inclusion could also catch Eddie Howe’s men napping.

Should Bruno Fernandes start from the right, he will have the licence to drift into pockets when United attack and the captain’s ability to pick locks should provide the attackers with chances.

Newcastle are likely to play on the counter so concentration will be key during transitions and that will be something Ten Hag will have drilled into his players, particularly with the team looking less than water-tight in those scenarios this season.

Should United find their rhythm with quick and accurate passing in the middle of the park, they should have enough to get past a dangerous but depleted Newcastle side.

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It is a little ironic therefore that they chose superhero costumes as their Halloween fancy dress theme.

Some players have posted pictures of their costumes on Instagram.

Alejandro Garnacho and his wife Eva Garcia dressed up as the Incredibles, from the Pixar movie of the same name.

Meanwhile Facundo Pellistri joined in the fun with a brilliant Spiderman costume.

Casemiro donned a Batman outfit, while his wife Anna Mariana became a Red Devil, perhaps in a nod to the star’s loyalty to United despite recent reports claiming he had expressed regret at joining the club.

Life goes on and players are entitled to celebrate special events with their families.

However, fans will be keen to see the same players act like superheroes on the pitch rather than just in costume.

United’s worst start to a season since 1986/87 has turned the atmosphere sour at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag’s men being booed off the pitch after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

For the first time, Ten Hag has come under scrutiny following some bizarre team selections and tactical changes befitting more a relegation-threatened side than one with aspirations of a top four finish.

The players have a chance to kickstart their season again tonight as they face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, a repeat of last year’s final.

Home field advantage could help Ten Hag’s superheroes and a convincing victory would do wonders for the morale of players and fans alike.

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Harry Maguire scored the all-important goal in the second half but it was goalkeeper Andre Onana who saved his team’s blushes by saving a last-minute penalty from Copenhagen forward Jordan Larsson.

It has been a rough start to life as United’s new No 1 for the Cameroonian with the goalie making quite a few high-profile errors since his arrival.

Garnacho’s social media post has raised a storm

The penalty save was greeted by a deafening roar from the Old Trafford faithful while his teammates went berserk and piled on the goalkeeper in celebration with everyone hoping this would be the catalyst for the shot-stopper to get his career back on track.

Quite a few current and former players went on social media after the game to congratulate Onana, one among them being Alejandro Garnacho.

However, his post could soon see the Argentine get banned while also incurring a fine due to the racist connotations his tweet contained.

FA have been investigating into Garnacho’s social media post in which he used gorilla emojis over a picture of Andre Onana's penalty save.

Onana replies: “People can’t choose what I should be offended by. Garnacho meant power and strenght. This should go no further”. pic.twitter.com/k6kea9Iwgz

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 26, 2023

The 19-year-old’s post contained two gorilla emojis alongside a picture of Onana celebrating with his United teammates. He, however, deleted the post soon after.

“The Football Association is aware of it and could yet charge the winger with a breach of their guidelines around racially sensitive social media posts,” The Manchester Evening News reported.

Onana, however, responded on his socials by claiming that he was not offended as the post had a different meaning and urged that the matter be laid to rest here.

“People can’t choose what I should be offended by. Garnacho meant power and strength. This should go no further.”

FA investigating the matter, ban could be incoming

Former United player Edinson Cavani had been delivered a similar punishment after he wrote ‘Gracias Negrito’ to a friend who had congratulated him after Cavani scored a goal.

It was a non-issue in the Uruguayan’s culture, but as per the FA, “it was deemed that his post was insulting, abusive, improper and brought the game into disrepute and it was an “aggravated breach” because it “included reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race and/or ethnic origin”.”

Apart from the aforementioned actions, the FA also asked him to undergo a sensitization program to make him aware of the socially acceptable rules and Garnacho could now have to deal with similar.

Considering Antony and Marcus Rashford’s poor form, this will be yet another headache for Erik ten Hag to deal with.

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Manchester United’s dramatic win against FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford last night kept them alive in this season’s Champions League.

On a night that will forever be remembered for the touching tribute to the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton, United must have felt the great man looking over them as they dealt with danger for the majority of the 90 minutes and beyond.

Andre Onana’s penalty save with the last action of the game spared United’s blushes and meant another positive result in Copenhagen would leave them with a good chance to progress to the knockout phase.

If divine intervention played its part last night, the dark arts of football were also used to preserve United’s single-goal lead, given to them by the head of Harry Maguire.

Alejandro Garnacho was bought on as a second-half substitute and was seen scuffing the penalty spot before Jordan Larsson, son of Henrik, had his kick saved.

No one will know for sure just how much of an impact the Argentine’s disturbance of the spot played a part in the miss but United will be delighted to still be alive and kicking in the competition.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the mischievous act was missed by most, with United boss Erik ten Hag admitting he was unaware as to what Garnacho had done.

“I didn’t see it. The referee probably didn’t see it either. I don’t know,” said Ten Hag.

It felt like a night of redemption for a few United players, with Andre Onana’s match-winning moment following with Harry Maguire’s bullet header 20 minutes from time.

Christian Eriksen also started the game on the bench and it was he who changed the game at half-time, giving United more control and producing a wonderful cross for Maguire’s winner.

Despite the result, Ten Hag will be acutely aware of another under-par performance in which United were lucky to get away unscathed.

Should United repeat the win in Copenhagen and Bayern Munich dispatch Galatasaray in Germany, it would leave Ten Hag’s troops just needing a win in Turkey to secure qualification.

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The winning goal came from an unlikely source with Harry Maguire leaping the highest to convert from a beautiful Christian Eriksen cross in the second half.

Everything could have come crashing down for United deep into added time when the visiting side were awarded a penalty for a foul by Scott McTominay on Mohamed Elyounoussi.

United lucky to escape with a win

However, goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has endured a terrible start to life as a United keeper, saved his team’s blushes and ensured the Red Devils opened their account in the competition.

The hosts were once again poor right from the word go and manager Erik ten Hag deserves criticism for his flawed tactics and team selection.

Injuries have certainly robbed the manager of the chance to pick his strongest XI but his choice of personnel and where they play is certainly stopping the team from starting games on the front foot.

Sofyan Amrabat and Bruno Fernandes started as the midfield duo while Scott McTominay played in an advanced position due to his goalscoring prowess.

But that meant United hardly had any control of the midfield and all they did in the opening 45 minutes was hoof the ball long without any real plan.

Playing at home against Copenhagen with three points an absolute necessity required more courage and conviction from Ten Hag and after a lackluster first half, the Dutchman was once again forced to alter his plans.

ETH guilty of selecting the wrong personnel again

At half-time, he brought on Christian Eriksen in midfield and it suddenly opened things up as United slowly began dominating and creating chances.

Alejandro Garnacho’s introduction in place of Antony was another change that needed to be made and once done, the team reaped the benefits with the Argentine a constant thorn in the Danish team’s side.

Ten Hag keeps selecting the Brazilian despite his below-par showings and it needs to stop. The former Ajax winger is clearly not at his best and needs to be dropped for the next game.

The manager clearly likes a left-footed profile out on the right but presently, the Brazil international looks bereft of ideas and the Dutchman cannot keep hoping for a different outcome while selecting the same player.

United keep being reactive instead of proactive and it is costing them so far this season. While the big-name players have let the manager down, Ten Hag is also not helping matters at this present moment..

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Heading into the game, United were sitting bottom of Group A with zero points after successive defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

Erik ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal. In defence, the United boss named Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Sergio Reguilon.

A trio of Sofyan Amrabat, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes were tasked with patrolling the middle of the park.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Antony and Marcus Rashford on either wing. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1-0 win against FC Copenhagen.

Questionable starting XI selections by Ten Hag

When the official team sheet came out, there were valid concerns about some of the names on it as well as absentees.

A number of stars who did not play well against Sheffield United were surprisingly included in the starting XI.

In yet another game, McTominay was given the nod ahead of other players such as Mason Mount and Hannibal Mejbri.

At Bramall Lane, McTominay was poor despite the fact that he scored a goal. To put his display vs. the Blades into context, the Scotland international only completed nine passes during the 60 or so minutes he was on the pitch.

It was therefore a bit puzzling that he was rewarded with a start.

Another player who was below par against Sheffield United was Antony, but just like McTominay, the Brazilian winger started vs. FC Copenhagen, in a game the Red Devils absolutely needed to win if they were to have any chance of making it out of Group A.

In truth, Antony has not done anything of note this season and his continued selection in the starting XI no matter how poorly he performs is becoming mind-boggling.

Even Ten Hag’s trusted men like Rashford and Fernandes have not come up with the goods in recent games, and a case could be made that they should also be part of a long overdue cull with respect to team selections.

Ten Hag’s questionable picking of the starting XI is more often than not made more glaring by the huge impacts made by the substitutes such as Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho looked lively and dangerous when he was introduced into proceedings. The Argentine had a few cracks at goal and would have been disappointed not to have got one.

Eriksen came close to opening the score just nine minutes after the interval with a shot that required the opposition goalkeeper to come up with a superb save.

It was the midfielder who produced a stunning cross to Maguire, who headed the ball into the back of the net to give United the lead.

It’s important that going forward, Ten Hag practises what he publicly preaches – that breaking into the team is contingent on merit and current form rather than reputation and what one has done in the past.

United not creating nearly enough chances for Hojlund

A recurring theme that has consistently become apparent this season is that United have not been playing to Rasmus Hojlund’s strengths.

During a period of turmoil for the team, the 20-year-old has been one of the few positives.

Against FC Copenhagen, Hojlund held up the ball well and kept possession even when under extreme pressure.

His link-up play is one of the goalscorer’s best attributes and he showed this against the opposition.

Hojlund demonstrated clever movement, especially inside the box but unfortunately for him, his teammates could not pick him out.

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit recently accused United players of ignoring Hojlund’s runs and not offering him adequate support – this was evident against FC Copenhagen.

United need to work towards finding Hojlund more and providing him with enough service.

He frequently cuts a lonely figure up front and this is something Ten Hag and his coaching staff must seek to remedy.

Incredible turnaround by Maguire

Maguire has started United’s last three games and in all three, the England international has barely put a foot wrong.

Courtesy of his fantastic header, the 20-time English champions still have a chance of making it out of the group and advancing to the next round of the competition.

Maguire has been solid defensively and during a season in which Ten Hag has had to deal with multiple injuries to his defenders, the former club skipper has really stepped up and showed what he is made of.

The 30-year-old looked nailed on to leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window after a bid from West Ham was accepted.

However, since the move collapsed, he has focused and worked hard on getting back into the team.

It’s fitting that he is reaping the rewards after such a difficult few seasons.

Onana saves United

Right at the death, FC Copenhagen were awarded a penalty after a high boot from McTominay almost took out a rival player.

However, Onana, who has had a difficult start to life at United, came up clutch when he saved the penalty.

The emotions could be seen by just how emphatically his teammates came up to him, hugged him and congratulated him.

Hopefully, the Cameroonian kicks on now and shows his quality on a consistent basis.

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