Man Utd draw Fenerbahce as Mourinho is sent off

Midfielder Christian Eriksen opened the scoring, but that was all Man Utd could muster in Istanbul. Early in the second half, centre-back Victor Lindelof lost concentration and allowed striker Youssef En-Nesyri to head home the equaliser. If it weren't for the skills of goalkeeper Andre Onana, the "Red Devils" would have gone home empty-handed.

Three games, three points, five goals scored, five conceded, Erik ten Hag's team is only in 21st place in the Europa League. Man Utd have only won once in their last 11 European Cup matches. Although Ten Hag surprised by using full-back Noussair Mazraoui as an attacking midfielder, the away team's performance has not improved.

The rare bright spot for Man Utd in this match was Eriksen, when the Danish midfielder made a mark on the team's fourth goal in the 2024-2025 Europa League. From a pass back from striker Joshua Zirkzee, Eriksen placed the ball in the left corner as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic stood rooted to the spot watching the ball go into the net.

After the opening goal, Man Utd slumped and let the home team create consecutive chances. In the 23rd minute, midfielder Manuel Ugarte blocked the ball from midfielder Dusan Tadic's close-range shot. Then, Onana twice in a row made reflex saves from En-Nesyri's close-range header in the 37th minute. This situation made Mourinho wave his hands repeatedly in disbelief.

Mourinho was the talk of the town as he faced his former club again. After En-Nesyri headed home the equaliser in the 49th minute, the Portuguese coach ran to hug a ball boy for getting the ball back into play so quickly. Almost every reaction from Mourinho was televised, while his colleague Ten Hag was rarely seen.

But because he could not control his emotions, Mourinho was sent to the stands in the 60th minute. In the situation where midfielder Bright Osayi-Samuel fell in the penalty area after colliding with Ugarte, the 61-year-old coach demanded a penalty but referee Clement Turpin did not think so. Mourinho reacted, and then received a direct red card.

In the remaining minutes, not many opportunities were created, as neither team tried hard to find a goal.

Not only were Man Utd held to a draw, they also lost midfielder Antony due to an ankle injury. Coach Ten Hag and his team will continue to play away in the next match, against West Ham in round 9 of the Premier League on October 27.