Ten Hag left frustrated by costly mistake in Europa opener

MANCHESTER, England — Erik ten Hag slammed his Manchester United flops after a costly mistake from Christian Eriksen condemned it to a 1-1 draw against FC Twente in its Europa League opener on Wednesday.

Eriksen's 35th-minute blast put United ahead, but the Danish midfielder gifted Twente its second-half equalizer at Old Trafford.

Sam Lammers dispossessed Eriksen, who had made a risky turn under pressure, and fired past Andre Onana in the 68th minute.

United manager Ten Hag refused to single out Eriksen, instead insisting the whole team had to take responsibility for its failure to hold onto the lead.

"We kept them alive, 1-0 up, controlling the game, you have to be consistent and keep going.

"In the second half we dropped the level, gave the goal away," Ten Hag said.

"We didn't finish it off, we had to go for the second goal, and so they stay alive and we get punished with a mistake from ourselves."

Pressed on Eriksen's blunder, Ten Hag added: "The goal is (a) team (mistake), a player of Twente can dribble through the pitch without stopping. We can't give a goal away like this.

"We have seen again that you have to keep going for the whole game.

"Once you go 1-0 up you have to keep going, go for the second. It's the first game, it's very important you get a win."

Ten Hag spent a combined 23 years at Twente across three stints as a player, and then in different coaching capacities, saying on the eve of the game: "It's not nice to have to hurt something you love."

Instead, it was the Eredivisie side who inflicted the discomfort, with a helping hand from another inconsistent United performance, which comes hot on the heels of a disappointing goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Eriksen questioned whether United played with enough desire after its poor run in European competitions extended to one win in nine games.

"I think (we're) mostly disappointed as a team. We wanted more in the end, (it was) far from good enough. They looked like they wanted it more, that can't be right," Eriksen said.

"I think everyone is looking at themselves, everyone is a professional footballer, they know what to do, what can't happen. We didn't lose, but it feels like a loss."

After finishing bottom of its Champions League group with only one win last season, it was another dispiriting start to European action for United.

Ten Hag's spluttering team is back in action against Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday.

In the revamped Europa League first stage, it next faces Porto before a clash with Fenerbahce, managed by former United boss Jose Mourinho.

Strong side

Ten Hag selected a strong side to take on his former club.

Marcus Rashford returned to the lineup after coming off the bench at Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Harry Maguire replacing Matthijs de Ligt in defense and Manuel Ugarte taking the place of Kobbie Mainoo.

United had an early let-off when Lammers dragged the ball narrowly wide, after some slack play by Diogo Dalot, before Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall pulled off a brilliant save to stop Mees Hilgers from turning the ball into his own net.

He was well beaten, though, by Eriksen's thunderbolt, after the ball broke to the midfielder inside the Twente area.

Onana turned Sem Steijn's low freekick around the post close to the hour mark, but Twente drew level when former Rangers forward Lammers dispossessed Eriksen after Bart van Rooij's marauding run into the United half, galloping clear to fire home.

Unnerstall tipped Joshua Zirkzee's stinging effort over the crossbar and Bruno Fernandes went close, with Unnerstall producing a magnificent reflex save in stoppage time to keep out a Maguire header that deflected off Gijs Besselink.

Porto, the 2003 and 2011 winner of the second-tier European competition, lost 3-2 away to Norwegian champion Bodo Glimt, which played most of the second half with 10 men.

Ruben van Bommel, the son of former Netherlands international Mark, scored twice for AZ Alkmaar in a 3-2 victory over Swedish side Elfsborg, with ex-Tottenham forward Troy Parrott netting the winner from the spot.

Mauro Icardi's last-gasp goal sealed a 3-1 win for Galatasaray over PAOK in Istanbul, while Nice was left to rue a missed penalty in its 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad.

AFP