Harry Maguire came up with an absolutely crucial goal for Manchester United this evening to clinch all three points against Copenhagen.
The Red Devils entered the game rock bottom of Group A in the Champions League, having sustained two straight defeats in their opening matches. Those losses meant that tonight could not have been anything less than a win for United if they wanted any chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man; Maguire headed home in the 72nd minute to give the Reds the lead after a tightly contested battle, sending Old Trafford into hysterics.
Andre Onana also provided some last-gasp heroics when he saved Jordan Larsson’s penalty in the fourth minute of injury time to ensure the victory reigned in United’s favour.
The two players have fallen victim to heavy criticism in recent months so hopefully, tonight comes a significant confidence boost.
Maguire reacts
Post-match, Maguire gave his reaction while speaking to MUTV, saying: “The first half was nowhere near good enough. We spoke about it at half-time and the second half was a lot better – we looked comfortable, we played with a big tempo, a big intensity, and we should have scored three, four or five goals with the amount of chances we created and the talent we have at the top end of the pitch.
“It was an amazing ball [from Christian Eriksen]. It was really tough to get on the end of something from a corner tonight – the big centre-half kept heading them all away. But it was a second phase, it was nice and I knew I had the beating of the man who was picking me up.
“And it was just about the delivery, which made it easy for me to head it in. I just knew I had to hit the target from so close. It was an amazing feeling to score in front of the Stretford End in the Champions League and it was a big moment for myself, but more importantly, a big moment for the team.”
