Manchester United suffered back-to-back Champions League defeats as they were beaten 3-2 by Galatasaray at Old Trafford.
Rasmus Hojlund was once again the shining light for Erik ten Hag's side as he seized the opportunity to make his mark when he connected with Marcus Rashford's cross to open the scoring. Those celebrations were, however, short-lived as Wilfried Zaha equalised for Galatasaray just five minutes later with an acrobatic finish over United's goalkeeper, Andre Onana.
Mason Mount looked to restore United's lead with a late first-half effort, only to see it blocked by his own teammate, Hannibal Mejbri. Early in the second half, Hojlund's quest for a second goal was thwarted when the linesman raised his flag for offside, denying the Denmark international.
Hojlund did then get his brace as he capitalised on a defensive slip from Davinson Sanchez, turning on the afterburners towards goal and superbly chipped Fernando Muslera to make it 2-1. But once again, United showed a lack of defensive awareness as Kerem Akturkoglu levelled the score for the second time with a tucked finish into the bottom corner.
MORE: What happens next for Jadon Sancho at Manchester United?
The turning point arrived when the Turkish champions were awarded a crucial penalty late on. Casemiro, who was already on a yellow card, was shown his second after a late challenge on Dries Mertens following a dreadful error in possession from goalkeeper Onana. Fortunately for United, Icardi dragged his shot well wide of the target and gave the 10 men hope.
That vanished as Icardi's confidence remained unshaken as he showed immense composure to lob Onana and score the match-winner, having run through the heart of the Red Devils defence.
United sit bottom of their Champions League group on zero points and are now in real danger of exiting the competition despite having played just two matches.
How many goals has Rasmus Hojlund scored?
It was another night where Hojlund showed just why United splashed £64 million on the 20-year-old striker.
After scoring his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on matchweek one of the Champions League group stages, he scored his second and third against Galatasaray. Despite his impressive start in Europe, the wait goes on for a Premier League goal.
| Competition | Games | Goals |
| Premier League | 4 | 0 |
| Champions League | 2 | 3 |
| Carabao Cup | 1 | 0 |
Hojlund signed for United from Atalanta on a five-year deal with an option for a sixth year. PSG were also interested in the young striker but United was always Hojlund's first choice, and he has proven vital already.
Manchester United vs Galatasaray final score
| 2nd half | Goalscorers | |
| Manchester United | 2 | 17', 67' Hojlund |
| Galatasaray | 3 | 23' Zaha, 71' Akturkoglu, 81' Icardi |
Starting lineups:
Manchester United: Onana (GK) — Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat — Casemiro, Hannibal, Fernandes — Rashford, Hojlund, Mount.
Galatasaray: Muslera (GK) — Boey, Sanchez, Bardakcı, Angeliño — Torreira, Ayhan — Zaha, Demirbay, Tete — Icardi.
Manchester United 3-2 Galatasaray live updates, highlights from Champions League
More unwanted history for United.
Galatasaray are the first Turkish side to win a #UCL game away to an English side since Beşiktaş in 2009.
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 3, 2023
Both of them were against Manchester United. 😅 pic.twitter.com/G6qogGcNA8
It's really not looking good for Man United and Erik ten Hag...
Man United have already lost six games this season.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
When it rains, it pours 🌧 pic.twitter.com/nQJ4bz6gmY
FT: That's it! Galatasaray leave Old Trafford with the win and the all-important three points! For United it's three defeats from their last four home games and they sit bottom of their Champions League group.
97th minute: It's last chance saloon for United as Eriksen pumps in a ball to the back post from a free-kick but Galatasaray clear and that might be it.
95th minute: The home side looks as though they've completely run out of ideas.
92nd minute: Icardi nearly adds another! He sweeps an effort but he can't get it on target. United are struggling to get anything going on the attacking front.
91st minute: There are seven minutes added on.
89th minute: A last throw of the dice for United as Martial comes on for Amrabat.
87th minute: Absolute scenes...
❌ 78' - Penalty miss
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
⚽️ 81' - Puts Galatasaray 3-2 up against Manchester United at Old Trafford
𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈 🙌#UCL pic.twitter.com/UuQEXcnQbR
81st minute: It is 3-2! Icardi redeems himself and chips Onana with ease. All of a sudden, the champions of Turkey lead at Old Trafford.
80th minute: Garnacho comes close! His effort is brilliantly blocked and goes out for a corner. What a final 10 minutes this is going to be...
78th minute: IT'S DRAGGED WIDE! Onana is one lucky man...
76th minute: PENALTY TO GALATASARAY and a RED card to Casemiro! Onana makes a horrendous mistake and Casemiro is forced into making a last-ditch challenge to prevent a goalscoring opportunity.
74th minute: The goal that gave United a 2-1 lead...
"Maybe there's a new Scandinavian in Manchester who's going to make headlines!" 📰👀
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Ramsus Hojlund gets his second goal of the night - and puts Manchester United back in front 🙌#UCL pic.twitter.com/4D9v6c6TXl
71st minute: It's happened AGAIN! Akturkoglu equalised for Galatasaray with a neat finish in the bottom corner. United were cut open and Amrabat gets turned on the left.
67th minute: THIS TIME HE DOES HAVE HIS BRACE! Hojlund puts United ahead with an excellent goal. He takes full advantage of an unfortunate slip by Sanchez and pounces on it. He then races the length of Galatasaray's half and chips Muslera to make it 2-1.
63rd minute: Mount is the latest to have an attempt but he drags his effort wide. Eriksen has been brilliant since coming on at half-time and United are knocking on Galatasaray's goal.
59th minute: Hojlund thinks he has a brace as he smashes past Muslera but he's a foot offside. Old Trafford is absolutely bouncing as they get behind their team - they know how important a win is tonight and United have got half an hour to find a winner.
53rd minute: How have United not scored?! They counter-attack at an immense pace. Eriksen beautifully finds Rashford in behind and he's one-on-one with the goalkeeper but the Englishman tries to find Fernandes for a tap-in and it's intercepted! He really should have taken a shot from there...
50th minute: The visitors have come out confident so far and have looked dangerous in these early stages. United cannot afford to draw, nevermind lose!
46th minute: The second half is underway!
Substitution: Christian Eriksen comes on for Hannibal Mejbri.
The Hojlund finish to give United the early lead:
What a cross... and what a finish 💥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund combine to give Manchester United the lead at Old Trafford 🤝#UCL pic.twitter.com/SyKLLAp9Lw
HT: Well that was an entertaining first half! United again looked good for the opening 20 minutes but they then allowed Galatasaray's belief to grow and the visitors then found an equaliser almost immediately after Rasmus Hojlund's opener.
44th minute: HUGE CHANCE! Mount's shot hits his teammate Hannibal who was the only person stopping it from going in. That would have given United the lead but the Tunisian youngster couldn't get out of the way in time.
37th minute: Fernandes is the latest to find Rashford on the left but again the play is broken down by a stern Galatasaray backline. Dalot gets on the wrong side of Zaha as he fouls him and receives a yellow card.
32nd minute: The former Arsenal man, Torreira, goes into the book as he cynically brings down Casemiro.
29th minute: Hojlund does brilliantly again and slings a ball out to the left for Rashford to find the overlapping Amrabat. The Moroccan finds Mount who shoots quickly but it's deflected for a corner which United waste.
23rd minute: Well... you just knew that was going to happen! Wilfried Zaha, the former United player, equalises for Galatasaray on his first start in the Champions League! He bodies Dalot and acrobatically shoots into the ground which sees the ball bounce over Onana who can't do much. It's 1-1!
Well... that lead didn't last long for Manchester United 😬
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Wilfried Zaha levels the score against his former club on his return to England 👊#UCL pic.twitter.com/vZWZpLZUft
17th minute: GOAL! Hojlund heads home after a beautiful cross from Marcus Rashford to give United the lead. That's his first goal at Old Trafford and his second in the Champions League.
Old Trafford account = unlocked 🔓#MUFC || #UCL pic.twitter.com/ljxBfd6dOB
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 3, 2023
13th minute: Galatasaray are growing into this game as they disrupt the home side's flow. There have been a few times where they've shown glimpses of their counter-attacking potential.
7th minute: United have started well and have enjoyed the majority of possession in these opening stages but are yet to test Muslera.
2nd minute: Hojlund uses his strength to get down the left flank and drills in a great ball but Fernandes can't direct his effort goalwards. He tried to use the inside of his right foot and it sliced off the top of his boot.
1st minute: We're underway at Old Trafford as Galatasaray kicks us off.
5 minutes to KO: The teams are in the tunnel and are headed out onto the pitch. Next is kickoff.
10 minutes to KO: The atmosphere is building nicely inside the Theatre of Dreams. These European nights really do feel special.
20 minutes to KO: A good omen for Galatasaray this evening? The last Turkish side that won away against an English side in the Champions League was Besiktas when they won 0-1 at Old Trafford in 2009.
30 minutes to KO: The United manager has explained why Hannibal is in the starting XI this evening: "It's to bring energy. Hannibal is a young player, he can't play three times in a week. From a tactical point of view, I think it's also the good approach today."
50 minutes to KO: Over the years, this has been a tasty fixture between the two teams both on and off the field. The Galatasaray fans have made their way into Old Trafford early and are making themselves heard.
1 hour to KO: Team news is in! Ten Hag makes just one change as Hannibal is welcomed to the XI.
Ready to represent in the #UCL! 🌟#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 3, 2023
1.5 hours to KO: That is quite the support for the visiting side this evening...
Galatasaray fans marching through Manchester ahead of their game at this evening. 😲💥 pic.twitter.com/jOyRKZByEc
— Man United Media (@ManUnitedMedia) October 3, 2023
2 hours to KO: Welcome to tonight's live blog as Manchester United take on Galatasaray in what already feels like a must-win match for Erik ten Hag's side in the Champions League. They face the Turkish champions this evening and team news is coming next.
💫 #UCL mode: 🔛#MUFC pic.twitter.com/h4RYWOGykn
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 2, 2023
Manchester United vs Galatasaray lineups
The only real question mark surrounding United's starting XI this evening is whether Antony will start or not as he returns to the fold after a period of absence during which he spoke to police in Brazil and England regarding allegations of domestic abuse, which he denies. In Ten Hag's press conference on Monday, he said: "Antony will be considered [to play tomorrow]. Yesterday was the first time he participated in team training."
Sofyan Amrabat is likely to continue at left-back, while United still have Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and other defenders out injured. Christian Eriksen could come into the midfield.
Manchester United starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): Onana (GK) — Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat — Casemiro, Hannibal, Fernandes — Rashford, Hojlund, Mount.
Manchester United subs (12): Bayindir, Vitek, Maguire, Evans, Eriksen, McTominay, Pellistri, Antony, Garnacho, Martial.
For Galatasaray, former United winger Zaha is set to start after he completed his move from Crystal Palace in the summer. Another name that may be familiar to United fans is Angelino, the former Man City defender who previously helped RB Leipzig knock out the Red Devils from the Champions League in 2020.
Other former Premier League players like Davinson Sanchez and Lucas Torreira could form part of the Turkish side's starting lineup.
Galatasaray starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): Muslera (GK) — Boey, Sánchez, Bardakcı, Angeliño — Torreira, Ayhan — Zaha, Demirbay, Tetê — Icardi.
Galatasaray subs (12): Gunay, Kerem D, Mertens, Nelsson, Sergio, Baris, Ndombele, Bakambu.
MORE: Why is Antony back for Man United?
How to watch Manchester United vs Galatasaray
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | ViX, Paramount+ |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate | Discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| India | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect, sooka |
| Singapore | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV+ |
| New Zealand | — | beIN Sports Connect |
USA: Fans in the US can enjoy this game by streaming on Paramount+.
Canada: Those wanting to watch from Canada will need a DAZN subscription to watch this match live.
UK: For those in the UK, you will need a subscription to watch this match as it is being broadcast on TNT Sports.
