Manchester United continue to lurch and flail through this early phase of the season. A victory from two-nil down appears admirably scrapped for but they should never have allowed this deficit four minutes in.
It points to a fragility that will concern the manager and is a puzzle as Erik ten Hag had all of last season to ensure his side do not resemble a bunch of strangers who may find the right wavelength to prosper or may not. On this occasion they did – just about. The winner came from the one footballer Ten Hag can rely on – Bruno Fernandes, whose 76th-minute penalty beat Matt Turner to the goalkeeper’s right and came after Marcus Rashford claimed the kick by drawing Danilo into a clumsy foul on the right of his area.
