Manchester United secured a nervy 3-2 comeback win over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on October 6, despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s troubles continuing.
United initially tried to be too intricate, with Antony, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Bruno Fernandes having chances they couldn’t convert.
Omonia weathered the early pressure and took a shock lead in the 34th minute. The Cypriot minnows broke on the counter and carved through United.
The impressive Bruno raced forward and found Karim Ansarifard. The Iranian made no mistake, firing past David De Gea.
United came back out in the second half, and they were again bombarding Omonia goalkeeper Fabiano Freitas’ goal.
They found a vital equalizer in the 53rd minute through a beautiful Marcus Rashford strike who had come on at half time.
The English forward took a heavy touch from Fernandes’ ball looped over the top but then cut inside before curling past Fabiano.
The Red Devils’ dominance continued and it was the substitute Anthony Martial who got United’s second.
An astute flick from Rashford fell to the French striker who drove a stunning strike home to give Manchester United a 2-1 lead.
Rashford and Martial changed the game for United, who showed more intent going forward following their introductions to the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo then missed a golden opportunity to grab his 700th club-career goal when he could only hit the post with the goal gaping in the 77th minute.
The Portuguese did manage a goal contribution in the 84th minute, playing in Rashford with a clever drilled pass and the English forward slotted home from close range.
Omonia weren’t going to go down quietly as they gave United a nervy end to proceedings in the 85th minute.
Substitute Nikolas Panayiotou notched his first ever European goal against the run of play.
The Cypriot side had a 12th man in their supporters at the GSP Stadium throughout but Manchester United proved too strong on the night.
Here are some reactions from an enthralling 3-2 victory for the Red Devils:
Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo escape calamity in Nicosia
Omonia were admirable in their efforts against one of the Europa League’s biggest sides but in the end Manchester United grabbed a vital win.
The Red Devils needed to bounce back from their 6-3 defeat to Manchester City last weekend and will be glad to have got back to winning ways.
However, United boss Erik ten Hag will be worried about his defense, who made life easy for Omonia in the two goals the Cypriot minnows scored.
Next up for Ten Hag’s men is a trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton in the Premier League on October 9.
