Manchester United risk early Champions League exit after Galatasaray defeat

New goalkeeper Andre Onana had another night to forget in Europe.

Rasmus Hojlund twice gave United the lead, but Galatasaray fought back to win away from home in the Champions League for the first time in 10 years thanks to goals from Wilfried Zaha, Kerem Akturkoglu and Mauro Icardi.

Onana accepted responsibility after his error allowed Bayern Munich to open the scoring in United’s 4-3 defeat in Germany to start Group A.

The Cameroonian was at fault once more for the move that saw Casemiro sent-off for conceding a penalty on 77 minutes.

Icardi missed the spot-kick, but quickly made amends to score the winner against 10 men.

United’s 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday meant Erik ten Hag’s men are also off to their worst ever start to a Premier League season with four defeats from seven games.

Progress to the last 16 of the Champions League now looks an uphill task.

Bayern beat FC Copenhagen 2-1 away to move onto six points with Galatasaray four clear of United with four games to play.

Hojlund shines

Hojlund provided the one note of positivity on an otherwise costly night for United.

The young Danish striker’s start to life at Old Trafford was hampered by a back injury, but he is quickly showing why United splashed out £64 million for a 20-year-old.

Marcus Rashford played a huge role in the opening goal as his pinpoint volleyed cross gave Hojlund the simple task of heading in from close range.

The lead only lasted six minutes as Zaha came back to haunt his former club.

The Ivorian winger spent an unhappy six months at Old Trafford a decade ago either side of his successful spells at Crystal Palace.

Zaha had some fortune as his shot deflected off Diogo Dalot and over the hapless Onana.

United started the second-half with an intensity that has often been lacking this season.

Rashford should have picked out Fernandes for a tap in when clean through, but his slack pass allowed Sacha Boey to clear.

Hojlund then showed great composure to leave his marker on the floor and find the roof of the net, only to be flagged offside.

United’s centre-forward was not to be denied for long. He pounced on a slip by Davinson Sanchez and raced clear on cool before coolly chipping the ball over Fernando Muslera.

Galatasaray were immediately offered encouragement when Onana flapped at a harmless cross and Zaha teed up Akturkoglu who curled inches wide.

Akturkoglu was clinical moments later as the United defence was easily cut open by Baris Yilmaz’s cross.

Worse was to come for Ten Hag and his new goalkeeper.

Onana was bought to replace David De Gea thanks largely to his ball-playing ability.

But a wayward pass went straight to Dries Mertens, who was chopped down inside the box by a desperate lunge from Casemiro.

The Brazilian was shown a second yellow card to leave United a man down for the final 20 minutes, including stoppage time.

Icardi briefly gave the Cameroonian a let off when he fluffed his penalty wide of the target.

However, the Argentine made amends on 81 minutes when Sanchez’s headed clearance put Icardi clean through and he dinked the ball over Onana.

Copy of 611884-01-02-1696369635298 — Lens' French midfielder Andy Diouf (left) celebrates with midfielder Salis Abdul Samed after winning the Champions League Group B first leg match against Arsenal at the Bollaert Stadium in Lens on Tuesday. Image Credit: AFP

Lens comeback stuns Arsenal

Arsenal slumped to a first defeat of the season on Tuesday as Lens came from behind to win a pulsating clash 2-1 in France thanks to a fine second-half strike by Elye Wahi.

Gabriel Jesus gave the Premier League side an ideal start when he opened the scoring in the 14th minute to silence a raucous Stade Bollaert.

But Adrien Thomasson soon brought last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up back on level terms and the visitors saw Bukayo Saka limp off before half-time.

Wahi, the 20-year-old striker who became Lens’ club-record signing when he joined at the start of the campaign, then fired home in the 69th minute and his side held on for a famous victory.

The result lifts them above Arsenal to the top of Champions League Group B on four points, one above Mikel Arteta’s side.

The other game in the group on Tuesday saw PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla draw 2-2 in the Netherlands.

While Arsenal are back in the Champions League after six seasons away, Lens are appearing in Europe’s elite club competition again for the first time in over 20 years.

That made their first European home game of the campaign all the more special, especially as it came against a team Lens famously beat in the Champions League back in 1998.

Arsene Wenger’s Gunners had been the clear favourites against Lens quarter of a century ago and Arteta’s team were here, as they arrived in northern France still unbeaten this season.

They underlined their status as the leading contenders in the group with a 4-0 demolition of PSV in their opening game, while Lens had taken heart from their performance in coming back to draw 1-1 away to Sevilla.

Saka was deemed fit to start for the visitors despite having limped off in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth in the Premier League at the weekend, and his presence was vital as Arsenal went ahead early on.

Jesus strikes first

They had not mustered a shot until Saka pounced on a loose ball back towards his own goal from Thomasson. Saka fed Jesus and he finished clinically.

It was a harsh lesson for Lens on what can happen if you make the slightest mistake at this level, but they did not let their heads go down and capitalised on an Arsenal error to draw level on 25 minutes.

David Raya, again preferred to Aaron Ramsdale in goal, was out of his box when he tried to flight a pass out to the Arsenal right. The pass was intercepted and immediately sent forward to Wahi, who did brilliantly to control the ball and lay it off for Thomasson to score with a magnificent first-time strike.

Another setback followed for Arsenal as Saka went down just after the half-hour mark and was unable to carry on, with Fabio Vieira taking his place.

Both teams had chances shortly after half-time, but what had become an even contest hinged on two remarkable moments around the midway point in the second half.

First Takehiro Tomiyasu met an Arsenal corner first-time only to be denied by a stunning instinctive save from Brice Samba, and then Lens took the lead three minutes later.

Przemyslaw Frankowski curled a cross from the right flank back out towards Wahi in the middle, and the young striker swept a first-time shot low into the far corner to make it 2-1 and lift the roof off the stadium.

The home side then withstood an Arsenal assault in the final minutes, with one heroic block from Jonathan Gradit summing up their performance.