Three Premier League clubs have been in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League action this week. Football writer Adrian Clarke analyses the key takeaways.
Spurs youngsters handle Hungarian test
Ferencvaros 1-2 Spurs
Ange Postecoglou trusted four of his teenage talents to start in Budapest and "Ange's Angels", as they have inevitably been dubbed, justified his faith with mature performances in a hostile environment.
Making his first start for Tottenham Hotspur at the age of just 17 years and 53 days, winger Mikey Moore delivered a dazzling display. His driving run instigated a scrappy opener, finished off by Pape Sarr – and Moore should have claimed an assist when his perfect low cross was fluffed by a hesitant Timo Werner.
Ferencvaros v Spurs highlights
Highlights: Ferencvaros 1-2 Spurs 📺 pic.twitter.com/WmUg6WSHHm
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 3, 2024
Archie Gray (18 years old) was assured in unfamiliar centre-back and left-back roles, while midfielder Lucas Bergvall (also 18) created two chances, one of which resulted in an assist.
Leading the line with confidence, 19-year-old Will Lankshear, the reigning PL2 Player of the Season, did not make a single stray pass, but will have been frustrated not to have taken two decent chances that fell his way.
Late on, Postecoglou threw on the big guns, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson, with Kulusevski taking up a centre-forward role.
And it was in-form Johnson who made the difference, curling a left-footed shot in off the post to register his fifth goal in as many matches.
A deserved 90th minute Ferencvaros consolation made the visitors sweat, but the hosts could not prevent Spurs recording a fifth successive win for the first time since March 2021 under Jose Mourinho.
Standing in the way of a sixth consecutive victory are Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
United scramble to secure a point on wild night in Porto
FC Porto 3-3 Man Utd
Chaos seems to follow Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United around on their European travels, and this frantic, topsy-turvy match repeated a well-trodden path.
For the fourth successive away match in UEFA competition, they ended the night winless, despite scoring three times.
United had raced into a two-goal lead on each of their previous two continental road trips, and they made it a hat-trick at the Estadio Dragao, thanks to a twinkle-toed run and finish from Marcus Rashford and a first strike of the campaign by fit-again Rasmus Hojlund.
As has been their way in recent times, though, United’s loose off the ball structure was then exposed when put under concerted pressure.
Cavernous spaces appeared in central midfield, while the high positioning of their full-backs consistently left the centre-backs exposed. And this was a bad night for Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, who were both caught flat-footed for two goals in seven minutes that drew Porto level before half-time.
Maybe we should not have been surprised, as concessions in clusters are another unwanted Man Utd trend.
Since the start of last season, this was the fifth time they have let in two goals inside 10 minutes in Europe.
Domestically, Crystal Palace, Coventry City, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool (twice) have also struck multiple goals against Man Utd in very quick succession since Boxing Day.
When Porto forward Samu put the hosts 3-2 up, it was the 24th time United have conceded three or more goals under Ten Hag. Since the Dutchman arrived in the summer of 2022, no other Premier League club has suffered that fate more often.
Martinez and De Ligt were replaced by Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire with just over 10 minutes left to play in an eyebrow-raising double change.
Then, when Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second consecutive match moments later, it looked like United were staring down the barrel of another humbling defeat.
But then Ten Hag’s luck suddenly changed. A minute into stoppage time, Maguire headed home a dramatic equaliser from Christian Eriksen’s corner to steal a point.
The relief was palpable, but it won’t get any easier for them when they travel to in-form Villa this Sunday.
Blues reserves flex their muscles
Chelsea 4-2 Gent
Enzo Maresca made 11 changes, but his starting XI still cost just shy of £400million to assemble - and that extraordinary talent pool got the job done against a spirited Gent.
The Chelsea head coach asked his left-back Renato Veiga to regularly invert into an attacking midfield position and the Portuguese was rewarded for that sense of adventure with a first goal for the club, with the 21-year-old heading home Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross to make it 1-0 at the break.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall impressed, opening his account for Chelsea, on a night when Maresca experimented with fresh combinations. Hints of a promising chemistry between Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku may have given the Italian food for thought.
Pedro Neto, who netted 39 seconds into the second half said afterwards: “To improve we have to be in competition,” in reference to the size of Chelsea’s squad, and it’s that incredible depth which makes them strong favourites to win this season’s UEFA Conference League.
Lapses in concentration at the back allowed the Belgians to score twice, but Chelsea’s firepower is warming up nicely.
They have now scored 16 times in their last four matches in all competitions.
Next up for the Blues on Sunday is a home fixture against Nottingham Forest, who have impressed defensively so far this season, conceding only five goals across their opening six league matches.
