Ruben Amorim claimed his first victory as Manchester United manager after a thriller. Bodø/Glimt led the score at Old Trafford before conceding a brace from Rasmus Hojlund (3-2).
For his debut on the bench, Reuben Amorim saw his team take the lead 82 seconds after kick-off against IpswichSunday, but his team was even faster, since it only took 49 seconds to take the advantage this Thursday evening.
Alejandro Garnacho may have put the finishing touches into the empty goal, but all credit goes to Rasmus Højlundwho put the goalkeeper Bodø Nikita Haikin under pressure and dispossessed him of the ball in his own area.
However, Manchester United failed to convert their chances after their opener, and were duly punished by a recurring problem, conceding two goals in quick succession in Europe to squander the advantage for the fourth time in five C3 matches.
First of all, Håkon Evjen found space between the defensive lines at the edge of the area and masterfully curled a shot into the top corner, before a long ball behind the back of Tyrell Malacia – who was starting his first official match in over a year – leaves the Dutchman at the mercy of Philip Zinckernagelwho had enough energy to place a clinical finish between the legs ofAndré Onana.
The largest number of away fans for a European match at Old Trafford (6,000!) in modern history was heard, with Amorim scratching his head because his team had been caught out in defense on both goals . The shell-shocked hosts needed a response, and on the hour Højlund gave a brilliant one.
The excellent footwork of Noussair Mazraoui allowed him to deliver a cross which, with a single movement, was controlled and sent into the bottom corner by Højlund between two defenders.
The momentum was in the Red Devils' favor after the restart, and they were inches away from regaining the lead when Mason Mount sent a curling shot onto the post.
Moments later, the Red Devils regained the lead thanks to a clever move which saw Mount free Manuel Ugarte on the right and which resulted in a cross from the Uruguayan for Højlund, who doubled his score for the evening with a simple strike into the opposite corner.
Amorim's speech had visibly resonated with his players, who seemed much more united in the second half, but they failed to take a two-goal lead, Garnacho wasting four chances in promising positions, while Marcus Rashford missed the target while he was well placed in the penalty area.
With the replacements Casemiro et Luke Shaw in the back three in the second half, MU seemed far from settled in defense, but scares at the end of the match were rare, Onana blocking a free kick in injury time to preserve C3's second consecutive victory and return to a point of automatic qualifying places.
Bodø, meanwhile, lost for the second time in a row and fell behind their illustrious hosts ahead of the weekend's title clash.
