Ruben Amorim sealed three points on his Old Trafford bow as Manchester United earned a 3-2 victory over Norwegian leaders Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
An emotional Theatre of Dreams embraced its Portuguese tactician before the opening whistle, with an attractive starting XI boasting six changes from Sunday’s draw at Portman Road.
Inevitably, another drama-filled evening was salvaged by the dominant figure of Rasmus Hojlund, with the vulnerability of this side again on show against their Scandinavian visitors in a frantic display.
Three points lift the Reds to 12th in the new-look continental format ahead of a trip to Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen in a fortnight.
We have seen an idea
As was the case against Ipswich, United burst out of the blocks and opened the scoring within a minute, courtesy of some shambolic goalkeeping from Nikita Haikan.
Odin Luras Bjortuft put his goalkeeper under unnecessary pressure with a lacklustre backpass before the Russian lost control under the relentless presence of Hojlund, with Alejandro Garnacho tapping home from two yards.
The home support couldn’t have asked for a better start, with their side immediately relaxing and embracing a set structure with confidence and composure.
What followed was 15 minutes of possession and control, with the travelling party pinned into their half under a barrage of high-tempo assaults.
However, much to the delight of the partisan Superlaget, Hakon Evjen smashed home an unlikely equaliser after 19 minutes, having found himself unmarked on the edge of the area following a rare counterattack.
Things went from bad to worse when Philip Zinckernagel outpaced a visibly rusty Tyrell Malacia to put Bodo/Glimt ahead four minutes later.
A frantic period provided ample evidence of the dangers of implementing a relentless highline and the work ahead for Amorim and his team.
Confidence, or a lack of it, has been the fundamental flaw within this group, with a distinct vulnerability during moments of adversity throughout Erik ten Hag’s tenure.
The brace of visiting strikes threatened to heap further misery on the 20-time English champions but for a moment of genuine magic from United’s number 9.
Noussair Mazraoui delivered a delicate cross into the area, with the young Dane expertly controlling with his left before guiding home on his right through a pair of Norwegian defenders.
It was a goal befitting the historic setting and changed the mood heading into the break with the sides level.
Diogo Dalot replaced Malacia at the break, and his presence was immediately felt through a series of forward-thinking runs to unhinge Kjetil Knutsen’s men.
Mason Mount rattled the woodwork shortly after the restart before Hojlund added his second on the 50-minute mark.
United’s number 7 was impressive in his display, interchanging well with Manuel Ugarte before the Uruguayan squared a cross into the path of his centre-forward, who calmly slotted into the far corner.
This was a different United – a side oozing confidence and class with a notable composure in possession.
Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw were introduced on the hour, with Casemiro joining them moments later. Amorim opted to utilise his squad and test various combinations ahead of a congested winter schedule.
Garnacho did everything but score following a quartet of missed opportunities, and Rashford also dragged wide from a promising position inside the box.
The introduction of Casemiro and Shaw in the back three added a sense of defensive frailty. But the visitors failed to take advantage and Andre Onana comfortably denied a stoppage-time free-kick.
The win moves United to within a point of the automatic qualification places, earning Amorim his first win in the North West ahead of the weekend fixture against Everton.
It was a performance that was far from perfect, but it supplied entertainment and a glimpse at a Portuguese idea.
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