Manchester United capitalised on a comical goalkeeping error to score just 50 seconds into Ruben Amorim‘s Old Trafford debut on Thursday.
The Red Devils, who were eager to secure their first win under new manager Amorim after drawing 1-1 with Ipswich at the weekend, could not have wished for a better start as Bodo/Glimt gifted Alejandro Garnacho the easiest of tap-ins less than a minute into the game.
Almost instantly from kick-off, Bodo/Glimt centre-half Jostein Gundersen picked up the ball and passed back towards his goalkeeper Nikita Khaikin, who was being pressed intensely by Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Khaikin, 29, decided to let the ball run across him and found himself in a complete mess as he attempted to clear the ball, with Hojlund sliding in to make life difficult for the goalkeeper.
As both players ended up jostling for the ball on the floor, Garnacho was the most alert to the situation and charged towards the six-yard box to hand Amorim a dream start during his first ever game at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese manager is making a habit of fast starts during his first month in the Red Devils hot seat, as Marcus Rashford fired United ahead against Ipswich Town just two minutes into the Premier League match last weekend.
Manchester United capitalised on a comical goalkeeping error to score just 50 seconds into Ruben Amorim’s Old Trafford debut, as the Red Devils hosted Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League
Amorim has made a habit of scoring goals quickly in matches – as well as letting leads slip
But as Manchester United continued to get to grips with Amorim’s favoured 3-4-3 formation, a significant change from the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 shape they deployed under Ten Hag, Ipswich regained a foothold in the match and equalised through Omari Hutchinson before half time.
Amorim’s struggles to hold on to a lead persisted against the Norwegian side, as Bodo/Glimt’s Hakon Evjen scored a superb goal from outside the area to level the scoreboard in the 19 minute.
To the Portuguese manager’s dismay, Bodo/Glimt struck again just four minutes later through Philip Zinckernagel, sliding his effort under Andre Onana to take a shock lead.
Fans of the Norwegian outfit, who currently sit above the Red Devils in the Europa League table ahead of Thursday’s clash at Old Trafford, were in high spirits before kick-off having already beaten Portuguese clubs Porto and Braga in the competition this season.
Keen to make their voices heard ahead of Amorim’s Old Trafford debut, the yellow-shirted Bodo/Glimt fans were filmed singing, chanting and drinking in various pubs and bars in Manchester before making their way to the historic stadium.
While marching down Deansgate in their droves, several fans let off pyrotechnic flares to coat the streets of Manchester in yellow smoke.
Although Khaikin’s early error was a head-in-hands moment for the travelling fans, they were in dreamland just over 20 minutes later after Evjen’s well-taken goal.
Manchester United had slipped to 14th in the Premier League before Erik ten Hag was sacked and have since climbed to 12th under the interim stewardship of Ruud van Nistelrooy and more recently Amorim.