Fenerbahce 1-1 Manchester United: Europa League – live

No word from Erik ten Hag, though André Onana broke cover earlier to tell TNT that “we are going back angry because we came here to win, even if we played against a very tough opponent, but we are Manchester United and it is a big disappointment.” But never mind that! Because Ed Aarons was at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium and his report has landed. Here it is! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.

At the risk of belabouring the point: you wouldn’t have him any other way.

“I don’t want to speak about it,” begins José Mourinho, when asked by TNT Sports about the penalty incident and his sending off, before adding: “The referee told me something incredible … he told me at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behaviour on the touchline … I congratulate him because he is absolutely incredible … his peripheral vision during the game, at 100 miles per hour, he had one eye on the penalty situation and one eye on the bench and on my behaviour … so that’s the explanation given … that’s why he’s one of the best referees in the world … I watched the incident, I don’t speak about the incident … they got a point against us, not us a point against them … we played amazing … if we play like this in the Turkish league we destroy everything … we played a team at a superior level than us … I think my boys did an amazing match … we had to do a crazy puzzle but our performance was extraordinary … we had a phenomenal performance … Onana saved the result … my keeper didn’t make a save … he made two impossible saves in ten seconds … he’s the most decisive player in the result … incredible … we were better than them … a good result for Man United.”

According to TNT Sports, José Mourinho stormed off after the match in high dudgeon. He was still fuming about the penalty he thought should have been awarded, as well as the red card he subsequently copped for telling it as he saw it, and filled the tunnel with adult words such as eff and jeff. You wouldn’t have him any other way.

The draw, along with all of tonight’s other results, mean Manchester United end matchday three in 21st place. Fenerbahçe are a couple of points and seven places better off. Everyone down to 24th survives. Exciting, no? PAOK Salonika up next for United at Old Trafford in a couple of weeks.

A strange game. Fenerbahçe were the better side in the first half, Manchester United had control for most of the second. But the goals for both teams came during their less-impressive period. So the result seems fair enough on the overall balance of play, even if Fenerbahçe edge it on two big chances (Dušan Tadić and Youssef En-Nesyri, denied by Manuel Ugarte’s block tackle and André Onana’s other-worldly double-save) to United’s one (Marcus Rashford’s miscue from Diogo Dalot’s cross). Oh, and there was the Ugarte-on-Osayi-Samuel penalty shout, but you can argue among yourselves about that one. Still no win for United in this year’s Europa League, but it’s another tricky away fixture ticked off, and you can be sure Erik ten Hag will be pleased to get through it unscathed. Especially as so many eyebrows were raised before kick-off at his selection of Noussair Mazraoui as the number-ten.

Well, that seems about right.

90 min +4: This is petering out now. Unless there’s a dramatic denouement upcoming, United’s long wait for a European away win – the last came at Real Betis in the 2023 Europa League - goes on.

90 min +3: The free kick. Eriksen sends an outswinger into the box. Dzeko heads clear, then Mazraoui slices a wild effort over the bar. Meanwhile here’s Justin Kavanagh: “I’m with Simon McMahon on Fenerbahçe getting a stoppage-time winner, sending José into a lap of dishonour and V-flicking at the officials… only wait… hold on… only for it to be ruled out by VAR after a good seven-minute-or-so delay.”

90 min +2: Müldür launches himself into a tackle on Diallo. He’s about 20 minutes late, and goes into the book. A free kick just to the right of the Fenerbahçe box.

90 min +1: The first of five additional minutes passes by without incident.

90 min: A change as well for Fenerbahçe as Yandaş replaces Szymański.

89 min: Antony is carted off, his arms covering his face. He’s in some distress and Mazraoui trots over to offer a head-tap of sympathy and support. Diallo comes on.

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88 min: Amad Diallo waits to come on for Antony, who seems to have pulled something. He’ll need the stretcher.

87 min: Antony’s back up, but not moving freely. He performs the sub-me hand-jive before going down again.

86 min: Antony is down on the right touchline in some discomfort. Not sure what happened there, but the physio is on.

85 min: United have taken it up a notch again, forcing Muldur into enough of a panic that he underhits a backpass, nearly letting Hojlund in. Livaković races from his area to blooter clear, just in time.

84 min: Garnacho cuts infield from the left, past the utterly defeated Djiku, but shoots tamely.

83 min: Eriksen teases a low free kick into a crowded mixer, but United don’t get the benefit from a quick game of pinball. The hosts clear.

82 min: Garnacho continues to torment poor Djiku, who clatters into him just to the left of the box. United load the box with Eriksen ready to deliver.

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81 min: Neither side looks much like threatening at present. On that subject … “Although I don’t support either of these sides, I’m kinda hoping that Fenerbahçe get a stoppage-time winner,” begins Simon McMahon, before explaining himself thus: “and José goes off on one round the stadium, up and down the stairs, arms windmilling before cartwheeling out of the tunnel and giving it the full rant into the camera. I think it‘s what we all want secretly.” Yes, there are probably even a fair few United fans who would allow that one through.

79 min: Fenerbahçe make a triple change, replacing Tadic, En-Nesyri and Saint-Maximin with Džeko, Kahveci and Yüksek.

78 min: Garnacho spins clear down the left touchline, leaving Djiku in the dust … only to run slap-bang into Becao. The first portion of that run significantly better than the second.

76 min: Hojlund strides with authority down the middle before hitting a shot from the edge of the box that’s not quite so imposing. Easy for Livaković.

75 min: United ping it around safely in the middle of the park. They’re in charge of this game at the moment.

73 min: United replace Rashford with Antony.

72 min: United’s recent efforts have got the Şükrü Saracoğlu whistling in impotent frustration again. The home side haven’t kept up their post-equaliser momentum at all.

70 min: Casemiro wins the ball in the centre circle with a cruncher of a tackle. He feeds Garnacho, who larrups a dismal effort over the bar from distance. United look the more likely to score at the moment.

69 min: Eriksen sends the corner in. Livaković comes out and flaps this time, so he’s relieved when Casemiro and De Ligt combine to dispatch the ball harmlessly over the bar.

68 min: Mazraoui steps in from the left, making himself just enough space to shoot. He rasps a rising shot towards the top-right corner. Livaković palms over the bar with a confident hand … then does the same as De Ligt meets the resulting corner. Take two coming in from the right.

67 min: Garnacho continues to give Djiku a hard time down the left. The Fenerbahçe defender doesn’t look comfortable at all whenever the young Argentinian has the ball at his twinkle-toes.

65 min: United have calmed things down a bit since conceding the equaliser. In fact, they’re slowly getting on top. Garnacho skedaddles down the left and pulls back to … nobody in particular, but it was a decent run. “I’ve long been convinced that the word ‘Lindel’ must be Swedish for concentration,” begins Justin Kavanagh, “and that Victor doesn’t have an ON switch.”

63 min: … but the rebound falls to Martinez, who can’t force a shot goalwards from the edge of the box. Livaković eventually claims.

62 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Fenerbahçe replace Osayi-Samuel with Becão. Eriksen then slams a weak free kick straight into the wall.

60 min: José will see the rest of the match from the stand, though. He’s been sent off. When the game restarts, Dalot makes good down the right and should tee up Rashford to slam home from eight yards, but the pass isn’t perfect and the striker whiffs the chance. United come again, and Osayi-Samuel, perhaps still frustrated, barges into the back of Garnacho, just to the left of the D. Free kick in a dangerous position coming up!

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58 min: There’s a really small bit of contact there. It’s surely not enough to make Osayi-Samuel go down. José is livid, as you’d expect, and the referee goes over to calm him down. It would have been as soft as they come, to be fair … and yet you’ve seen them given for less. The internet will surely see it from both sides.

56 min: A huge Fenerbahçe penalty shout, with Osayi-Samuel dribbling into the box from the right only to hit the turf when Ugarte gets close. Very close. The referee’s not interested, and neither is VAR.

55 min: The Mazraoui-as-No-10 experiment is over. For now. He moves back into defence as Lindelof is hooked, with Casemiro and Hojlund coming on. Zirkzee is the other United player to make way.

54 min: The joint is really bouncing now. Manchester United had done such a good job of quietening everyone down as well.

52 min: The hosts have their tails up now. The home fans also. Zirkzee tries to respond by barging his way down the inside-left channel, and he reaches the ball by the byline, but there’s nobody up with him to cut back to.

51 min: That goal really was as simple as that. Lindelof especially culpable for allowing En-Nesyri to nip in front of him. Onana had no chance. A properly dangerous cross by Saint-Maximin, having said all that.

Saint-Maximin crosses from a deep position on the left touchline. En-Nesyri gets in ahead of Lindelof and Martinez, who are both snoozing, and heads past Onana from close range! It didn’t take long for that aforementioned deserved equaliser.

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47 min: All a bit scrappy at the start of this second half. The home fans have found their voice again, by the way, as they encourage their heroes in their search for an equaliser that, on the balance of play so far, they deserve. But here we are.

Manchester United get the second half underway. No changes. In the tunnel beforehand, José Mourinho was spotted sharing a warm moment with André Onana, who he was surely congratulating for that astonishing double save. A smile and a nice word with Casemiro, too. “You can’t beat Jose for quotes, love him, hate him, he is always interesting,” writes Mary Waltz. “No offence to Turkish football but he is so transparent about wanting to get back to the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga. He is fortunate to be receiving a paycheck, but it is obvious he thinks he is in purgatory and wants out.”

Half-time entertainment.

United scored a fine goal through Christian Eriksen, then did a good job in dampening down the atmosphere at the Şükrü Saracoğlu. And yet it’s taken two out-of-this-world interventions, first by Manuel Ugarte and then André Onana, to deny Dušan Tadić and Youssef En-Nesyri what looked like certain goals. All poised deliciously for an all-action second half!

45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.

44 min: The visitors stroke it around in the clock-management style. Whistles around the Şükrü Saracoğlu, music to Manchester United’s ears.

42 min: The pace of the game suddenly drops again, which is more to United’s benefit than Fenerbahçe’s, as the first-half clock runs down.

40 min: Another corner for the hosts, this time from the right. It’s worked back to Szymański, who hoicks it into the middle of nowhere. The Fenerbahçe fans getting super-irritated now, for one reason and another.

38 min: Nothing comes of the corner. On the touchline, José Mourinho wears the exasperated look of a man who can’t believe what he’s just seen. Onana with two top-drawer reaction stops in short order!

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37 min: The corner’s cleared. But Fenerbahçe come back at them. A cross from the left. En-Nesyri heads towards the bottom left from close range. Onana makes a spectacular Gordon Banks-esque diving stop. Tadic turns it back into the middle. En-Nesyri tries again, only for his second point-blank header to be tipped over by the keeper. What an outrageous double save!

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36 min: Zirkzee spins cutely into space in the midfield … then clumps a woeful attempt to release Rashford straight through to the keeper. A huge chance to get Rashford one on one. The hosts counter, En-Nesyri attempting to convert Saint-Maximin’s low left-wing cross. Lindelof deflects out for a corner.