Christian Eriksen was both hero and villain for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s side stumbled to a 1-1 draw in their opening Europa League match against Twente, the Dutch manager’s boyhood club.
Eriksen gave United the lead with a brilliant first-half strike from inside the penalty area, raising hopes of a comfortable win.
However, the Danish midfielder’s mistake later proved costly, as he was dispossessed near the edge of United’s box by Sam Lammers, a former Rangers player.
Lammers capitalized on the error with a powerful shot that flew past goalkeeper Andre Onana, leveling the game.
United had several opportunities to regain the lead, but Twente’s goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall was in top form.
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He pulled off a stunning save to deny Joshua Zirkzee’s left-footed effort and earlier reacted quickly to prevent Mees Hilgers from scoring an own goal.
Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain, also came close, while young substitute Kobbie Mainoo had a late penalty appeal turned down.
For Erik ten Hag, the draw was a frustrating start to their European campaign, especially following a disappointing Champions League run last season, where United finished bottom of their group with just one win.
With a tricky fixture against Porto coming up on 3 October, this result was far from ideal.
On a positive note, United remain unbeaten in their last four games, though the last two have ended in draws.
With the new Europa League format, there is still time for Ten Hag’s men to turn their fortunes around in the competition.
