Chronicle Editor
All the talk before this game had been about Erik ten Hag leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in the Manchester derby on Sunday, but it was his decision to bring Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial off it that spared Manchester United a Europa League embarrassment in Nicosia.
Trailing to a goal by Iran international Karim Ansarifard, a player some may remember playing for Nottingham Forest, United were facing one of their greatest upsets in Europe.
Think Midtjylland in 2016, Olympiakos in 2014 or Zalaegerszeg in 2002, the same year they lost 3-0 to Maccabi Haifa in the GSP Stadium, the venue for this close shave in Cyprus but back then a neutral ground.
Let’s not forget that Omonia – the first Cypriot team United have faced in their history – came into this game having won just one of their last 26 games in Europe excluding qualifiers. Losing would have been an embarrassment every bit as painful as Sunday’s 6-3 defeat by City.
Thankfully for Ten Hag, he was able to turn it around. On went Rashford at half-time and equalised. On went Martial in the 62nd minute and put United ahead seconds later. Rashford struck again to make it 3-1 but a late effort from Nikolaos Panagiotou made it a nervy finish.
Crisis averted. United sit comfortably in second place in Group E behind Real Sociedad with six points from three games with Omonia to come to Old Trafford next week.
Ten Hag gave Ronaldo only his fourth start of the season – and third in this competition – after admitting the Portugal star was ‘p****d off’ spending Sunday’s battering in the Manchester derby stuck on the bench.
It was a measure of how far Ronaldo’s star has fallen as he approaches his 38th birthday in February, on the day that Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn revealed that the German giants ‘quickly dismissed’ the idea of signing the unsettled United player in the summer.
Ten Hag also handed Casemiro a second start since making a £70million move from Real Madrid in the summer, while Victor Lindelof was brought in to play alongside Lisandro Martinez in central defence in the absence of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire who are both injured.
On paper, Omonia look the weakest team in Group E having lost their first game 3-0 at home to Sheriff Tiraspol and the second 2-1 to a late goal away to Sociedad.
However, manager Neil Lennon has two famous European upsets on his cv, having played in the Celtic side that beat United in the Champions League in November 2006 and managed the same club when they shocked Barcelona six years later.
Not surprisingly, it was United who made the stronger start with Lennon deploying a back-five to try and contain the threat.
After a Bruno Fernandes header and Jadon Sancho shot had flown wide, it was Ronaldo who had the first real chance of the night when Fernandes’ pass gave him a sight of goal but his low effort from an ambitious angle was blocked by goalkeeper Fabiano.
Ronaldo then turned Hector Yuste smartly in the box and stabbed a first-time shot towards goal that was deflected away for a corner.
United should really have gone ahead in the 17th minute but Antony’s pass was a yard behind Bruno with the latter in front of an open goal.
Ronaldo then tried his luck with a trademark free kick from 25 yards after he was fouled by Nemanja Miletic, but the howls of derision from the home fans turned to cheers as the ball flew high over the bar.
Antony went closest to putting United ahead when he cut inside and curled a fantastic effort that was heading for the top corner before former FC Porto keeper Fabiano stretched out a hand to turn it wide.
David de Gea had been virtually redundant up to that point, but the first threat from Omonia came just after the half hour mark when Diogo Dalot was forced to hook the ball to safety close to his own goal following Ansarifard’s run and cross.
However, United were behind three minutes later and the worst thing about it was that it came from an attack on the home goal.
Antony was fouled on the right flank by Mikkel Diskerud and Christian Eriksen’s free kick came to nothing. The ball was worked back to Tyrell Malacia, the last man, standing 25 yards from goal.
Malacia hadn’t enjoyed the best night up to that point and the Dutchman stumbled as he appeared to be caught in two minds.
Omonia pounced, danger man Bruno poking the ball away from Malacia and then leading the breakaway downfield. Lisandro Martinez and Malacia desperately tried to get back and appeared to have forced Bruno wide, but the Brazilian played the ball back inside for Ansarifard. The Iranian took one touch and lifted the ball over De Gea as the GSP Stadium erupted.
United had two more scares before half-time as Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro waved away Omonia’s penalty claims for handball against Martinez, and then Charalampos Charalampous sent a 30-yard effort whizzing past the upright.
Lennon turned slowly to walk down the tunnel at the interval with his arms folded, but his heart must have been racing.
Ten Hag responded by hooking Malacia at half-time and sending on Luke Shaw, and replacing the ineffective Sancho with Rashford whose first contribution was to send a shot ballooning into the stands.
His second was a little more telling, however. Rashford chased a ball over the top and moved into the box but the chance looked to have gone as he ran into a crowd of Omonia defenders. However, he managed to retain possession and had enough time and space to curl an excellent shot beyond Fabiano this time and into the far corner.
Ten Hag sent on Martial for Fernandes and again his substitution paid an almost immediate dividend in the 63rd minute. Having scored twice off the bench at the Etihad on Sunday, Martial cut inside with his first touch of the ball and whipped a shot inside the near post with Fabiano again beaten.
Ronaldo should have got a third but hit the post from point-blank range when Dalot teed him up in the 78th minute.
The Portuguese helped set up the third for Rashford whose surging run over halfway started the move in the 84th minute. Ronaldo fired a cross-shot to the far post and Rashford had a simple tap-in.
That should have been game over but Omonia attacked down the left and the ball fell to Panagiotou in front of goal and he steered it into the top corner.
United held on but this was not the comfortable night it should have been.
Online Reporter