Andre Onana’s horrendous error sparked Manchester United’s first-half collapse, and although they showed some spirit in chasing a potential comeback, their lively Champions League encounter at the Allianz Arena eventually ended 4-3 to Bayern Munich.
Christian Eriksen almost gave the struggling Premier League side the lead in the fourth minute and they were surprisingly the better until Onana inexplicably let Leroy Sane’s drive slip away from outside the area.
With Manchester United ditching long-term club servant David de Gea in favor of the former Inter goalkeeper last summer, Onana’s mistake is a major storyline not only in this match but also as the Red Devils move forward into the future.
Serge Gnabry made it two goals in four minutes for the Bundesliga champions on the half-hour mark, using a superb finish after a devastating solo drive from Jamal Musiala, one of the game’s brightest stars, that scattered the right side of United’s defence. .
Rasmus Hojlund reduced the arrears with his first United goal early in the second half, but a desperately harsh VAR review penalized Eriksen for handball and Kane finished emphatically from the penalty spot.
Bayen Munich player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Sven Ulreich – 6/10 – Early saves, albeit relatively comfortable ones, kept United at bay before Bayern were in control of the game. Might have hoped to do better with Hojlund’s strike.
RB: Konrad Laimer – 6/10 – Didn’t have the pace to properly deal with Rashford but had the right work ethic and wasn’t particularly caught out.
CB: Dayot Upamecano – 8/10 – Defended well when Rashford’s pace threatened to isolate him out of position when sweeping up behind Laimer.
CB: Kim Min-jae – 7/10 – Spent a lot of time with the ball at his feet and wasn’t consistently tested, despite his team conceding three times.
LB: Alphonso Davies – 8/10 – Used the ball well and never gave United a sniff down his side.
CM: Joshua Kimmich (c) – 7/10 – It was a alow start but in control of things thereafter once Bayern got their quick first half double.
CM: Leon Goretzka – 7/10 – Hardly gave the ball away and made it difficult for United to build.
RM: Leroy Sane – 8/10 – A somewhat fortuitous goal given it was down to goalkeeper error, although the speed at which he took the shot might have caught Onana off guard at least. Hit the post too.
AM: Jamal Musiala – 9/10 – Made Bayern’s second goal with a marvellous driving run and the vision to pull it back to Gnabry. Consistently caused problems and other created openings.
LM: Serge Gnabry – 7/10 – Generally less involved than Sane but ruthless in the right moment.
ST: Harry Kane – 8/10 – Linked up well with Sane and Musiala, either in leading the line or dropping deeper to make spaces for his colleagues. Clinical penalty.
Substitutes
SUB: Kingsley Coman (63′ for Gnabry) – 6/10
SUB: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (75′ for Musiala) – 6/10
Mathys Tel (87′ for Sane) – 7/10
SUB: Thomas Muller (87′ for Kane) – 7/10
Subs not used: Schmitt, Peretz, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Sarr, Kratzig
Manager
Zsolt Low – 7/10 – Standing in on the touchline for the suspended Thomas Tuchel.
Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Andre Onana – 6/10 – Suffered a nightmare moment to gift Bayern their first goal. It’s the last thing he needed as scrutiny starts to ramp up. Actually made a number of decent saves after that to keep the score down but the damage had already been done.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 5/10 – Couldn’t live with Musiala for Bayern’s second goal and was too weak in the tackle when he had a second bite at the cherry.
CB: Victor Lindelof – 5/10 – Off the pace and second best in the key moments.
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 5/10 – Culpable for Bayern’s second by leaving Gnabry in far too much space n a dangerous position. Frustration looked to be getting the better of him in the second half.
LB: Sergio Reguilon – 7/10 – Played with fire and aggression, like he had something to prove after his less than stellar debut at the weekend. Made a few surging runs forward too.
CM: Casemiro – 7/10 – The midfield is still too weak and it was too much to do on his own. Hit and mis with his tackling but marked his 100th European appearance with a surprising brace.
CM: Christian Eriksen – 5/10 – Aside from the first chance of the game, his impact was limited.
RM: Facundo Pellistri – 5/10 – Never really got out of Davies’ pocket.
AM: Bruno Fernandes (c) – 6/10 – Tried to raise a response from his teammates with an on-field pep talk before the second half kicked off. Often dropped too deep to get on the ball that he couldn’t really influence things further up the pitch until it was too late.
LM: Marcus Rashford – 6/10 – Threatening in isolated moments. Laid on Hojlund’s goal.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund – 6/10 – Will take huge confidence from his first goal for the club. It wasn’t particularly pretty but it didn’t matter. Didn’t get enough service otherwise.
Substitutes
SUB: Scott McTominay (69′ for Eriksen) – 6/10
SUB: Anthony Martial (81′ for Hojlund) – 6/10
SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (81′ for Pellistri) – 7/10
Subs not used: Heaton, Bayindir, Vitek, Evans, Hannibal, Gore, Forson
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 6/10 – Sent his team out early for the second half. Will be disappointed that the goals were largely the result of individual lapses. His team can score but cannot keep goals out.