Manchester United took the lead thanks to a stunning strike from Christian Eriksen but ended up drawing 1-1 with Twente in their opening match of the 2024-2025 Europa League. Eriksen, starting for the fourth consecutive time in two weeks, opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a powerful shot from 15 meters. However, the 32-year-old midfielder made a crucial error in the 68th minute, losing the ball to Sam Lammers, who equalized for the visitors. This result marked the second straight match without a win for United.

Twente is currently ranked 125th in the world, even behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, according to Opta’s strength index. Coach Erik ten Hag, a former Twente player, expressed his reluctance to harm his beloved club. Indeed, the visitors were far from being harmed.

Twente only succumbed to a difficult situation when the ball bobbled in the penalty area, allowing Eriksen to unleash a strike into the top corner. Goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall, standing at 1.98 meters and weighing 103 kg, had no chance to save it.

Aside from the goal conceded, Unnerstall performed well with four crucial saves, including two close calls from defenders that almost resulted in own goals, which he managed to push away.

In defense, United clearly improved from last season, as no team had managed to take 15 shots against them in the first eight matches this season. However, individual mistakes with the ball cost them dearly. In the first half, Diogo Dalot’s misdirected backheel allowed Lammers a chance to score, but he missed narrowly. Unfortunately, Ten Hag’s side failed to learn from their mistakes in the second half. Lammers capitalized on Eriksen’s slip in the 68th minute, running into the penalty area and firing a shot into the near corner as goalkeeper Andre Onana left a gap.

With plenty of time remaining, United still couldn’t find the net. Their frustration was evident in the dying minutes when they had a free kick from around 30 meters, but captain Bruno Fernandes shot weakly, failing to pose any threat.

After the final whistle, the camera focused on Ten Hag, who showed little emotion, simply pointing to the pitch and occasionally praising the opposing team. As over half of the Old Trafford crowd left, Twente supporters remained, celebrating in unison to honor their team.

This draw doesn’t significantly impact United’s chances of advancing in the Europa League, but it certainly doesn’t provide a strong momentum heading into their crucial Premier League clash against Tottenham on Sunday, September 29.