Europa League: Ten Hag pleads for time as defensive lapses cost Man United against Porto

Erik ten Hag said critics should just him at the end of the season after seeing his Manchester United side squander a two-goal lead and need an injury-time Harry Maguire goal to rescue a point against Porto on Thursday.

The Dutchman was already under huge pressure going into the Europa League match in Portugal after just two wins from United's first six Premier League fixtures of the season left them languishing in 13th place in the table.

The Red Devils have also drawn their opening two Europa League games to sit 21st in the 36-team table.

"We will get there, don't judge us in this moment," said Ten Hag. "Judge us in the end of the season. We will improve, we have two seasons where we achieved finals. Just wait, we will develop and progress this team."

Ten Hag can indeed point to two trophies in his two seasons at Old Trafford, winning the League Cup in 2023 to end a six-year trophy drought and adding the FA Cup last term.

A shock victory over Manchester City in last season's FA Cup final was widely credited with saving his job despite finishing eighth in the Premier League.

He was rewarded with a contract extension in July, with United's new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe convinced that the former Ajax manager was the right man to restore the club to former glories.

But the United hierarchy could be forced to act in the upcoming international break after they travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ten Hag could not have asked for a better start in Porto as goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put United 2-0 up inside 20 minutes

However, the English giants have failed to win any of their last four away European games despite scoring three times in each of them.

Last season they crashed out of the Champions League at the group stages after losing 4-3 at Bayern Munich and Copenhagen plus a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray.

Another six-goal thriller took place at the Estadio do Dragao as Pepe and Samu Omorodion brought Porto level before half time.

Omorodion smashed the home side in front early in the second half before United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second consecutive game.

But Maguire's header from a corner at least salvaged a point for Ten Hag.

“I think it’s mixed feelings,” said the United boss. “When you are winning a game … we all know this is a very tough place to go and then you start so well, the players executed the plan, I would say, brilliantly.

“We scored two great goals and then we switch it off and we don’t keep so much possession as before. Defending we’re switching off.

“We concede the first goal totally unnecessarily and then you know when you light up the fire in this stadium, in this ambience, then it’s becomes really tough.

“We addressed it in a half time and then you concede the third one, so unnecessary. It’s not good defending again. It’s also to do with some willingness in such moments.

“But then I have to praise the guys for how they return in the game, how they fight, how we find a way to get the equaliser.

“It’s not only about in stopping time with a set play, but we also had beforehand some good chances.”

'Ange's Angels' shine for Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou saluted his four teenage starters after they helped Tottenham Hotspur to a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Ferencvaros.

Four players aged 19 or under were named in the Spurs line-up in Budapest with full debuts handed to academy graduates Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear, but the duo brushed off their inexperience to combine to set up Pape Sarr’s 23rd-minute opener.

Sarr scored amid a ferocious white-hot atmosphere at Groupama Arena and while Ferencvaros pushed the visitors, Tottenham substitute Brennan Johnson wrapped up the points with a smart finish in the 86th-minute to score for a fifth consecutive game.

Barnabas Varga reduced the deficit at the start of stoppage-time, but Postecoglou’s side, which had an average age of 23 after teenage pair Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall also started, held on.

Asked if his youngsters could be called Ange’s Angels in reference to the Busby Babes and Fergie’s Fledglings, Postecoglou laughed: “Nah, nah, nah, nah, you’ve got to do better than that. No, no chance.

“The first thing is that they’re part of our first-team squad, not because I want some young players, it’s because they’ve earned that spot.

“Then it’s about how to help them develop and the moments we need to put them in there, the moments we need to hold off. And we can’t discount the fact that Archie is 18, Lucas is 18.

“I thought Archie was brilliant. We asked him to play in two different positions and it’s incredible how he just adjusts and he’s able to bring his game to wherever he put him.

“Lucas worked hard and Will was unlucky with a couple of moments when we could have got a goal.

“These guys are there because they’ve earnedtheir spot but they’re an important part of our development.

“Whilst we want to be a team that has an impact this year, it’s like I said before, it’s important we’re developing players along the way so that whatever sort of period of potential for success or opportunity for success exists, it’s elongated because of the young players you got through.”