Zaha scores on his return as Galatasaray stun 10-man Man Utd
Man United were in desperate need of a lift after making their worst start to a league campaign in 34 years. Rasmus Højlund provided positive early signs with a swashbuckling run to get past Sacha Boey and cross that found Bruno Fernandes, although the captain made a mess of his attempt.
The Dane made no mistake when the roles were reversed though, as Marcus Rashford raced onto Casemiro’s pass through and squared the ball for Højlund to head home his second goal in as many UCL matches.
The Red Devils’ lead only lasted six minutes, though, as Wilfried Zaha scored the fourth goal in five games against his former club to send his new supporters into raptures. The winger outmuscled Diogo Dalot to reach Davinson Sánchez’s pass forward and struck an effort that hit the Portuguese right-back, cannoned off the floor and bounced over André Onana.
Both teams pushed to go ahead and Christian Eriksen provided Marcus Rashford with a magnificent opportunity to put his side ahead. However, the forward tried to square the ball to Fernandes but saw his pass cut out by Boey and was booed as a result.
There was soon more frustration, as Mount saw Fernando Muslera tip his strike over the crossbar before the midfielder found Højlund, who finished clinically again but had strayed marginally offside. Nothing could stop the dynamic Dane after Sánchez slipped though, as the striker powerfully sprinted away from Bardakcı and delicately dinked the ball past Muslera.
But Galatasaray swiftly responded again, with Kerem Aktürkoğlu latching onto Barış Yılmaz’s pass and coolly slotting his shot past Onana. And the drama continued before ramping up another notch, as Onana conceded possession and Casemiro was sent off for diving in on Dries Mertens, giving away a penalty that Mauro Icardi dragged horribly wide.
Undeterred, the Argentine provided the coolest of dinked finishes to give Galatasaray their first UCL win since 2018, while they have navigated their first 15 competitive matches this season without suffering defeat at all. Man United, meanwhile, have lost six of their 10 matches across all competitions this season, with their long-suffering coach now potentially days from dismissal after a dark night at Old Trafford.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United)
