UWCL first-leg defeat to Bayern shows Manchester United must narrow the small margins

For a long period in their 3-2 Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Manchester United seemed capable of defying the inevitable answer. Twice, they rallied, centre-back Maya Le Tissier’s converted penalty restoring parity midway through the first half following Bayern striker Pernille Harder’s opening goal after 98 seconds, and full-back Hanna Lundkvist heading home a second equaliser five minutes after Harder restored Bayern’s lead in the 71st minute from another ball in behind United’s back line. But once is hard, twice is Harder and third is Japan forward Momoko Tanikawa with the winner on 84 minutes, sneaking into goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s far corner because Jess Park wasn’t looking over her shoulder and Julia Zigiotti was too late to clock her run into the box.

So Bayern return to Germany with a goal advantage and the away fans are mockingly singing “Football’s coming home” in Old Trafford’s away section. How you square this depends on your United orientation. This was not a tactical masterclass, but it was not a disaster-class either.

United looked best when they relied on short passing and tight connections, as was the case when Lea Schuller won United’s penalty following a short, sharp sequence between Park and Hinata Miyazawa. A few times, United used Bayern’s shape to regain possession. Once, Melvine Malard put the visitors’ defence on their backside after United realised Miyazawa couldn’t be the only outlet for attack.

Yet, multiple times, United’s defensive line was pulled apart because Harder ran one way, then another. The full-backs kept forgetting that space is left when they vacate it. From United’s 46 per cent possession, they registered 15 touches in Bayern’s box compared to Bayern’s 26 in theirs.