Omonia Nicosia. Frankly not a club that many will have been too aware of prior to Manchester United being drawn in Europa League Group E with them. In fact, they actually only managed to finish seventh in Cyprus' leading division last term, instead qualifying for the Europa League via the avenue of winning the country's cup competition.
Now managed by a familiar face in Neil Lennon, formerly of Bolton Wanderers and Celtic, they sat only fourth in the league as they headed into their first group stage encounter with United on Thursday night.
Still, Erik ten Hag showed utmost respect for his side's opposition by naming a very strong starting side. Only three changes were made from the team that started the defeat to Manchester City, with Victor Lindelof in for the injured Raphael Varane while Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford respectively.
You could immediately see Ten Hag's intentions. Casemiro's addition to the side as a deep-lying midfield anchor allowed a platform for United's full-backs to attack and for Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes to operate with liberation. The plan very much appeared to be to finish the match off early against a side that did ship a fair few chances.
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United needed a good response after the woes of Sunday afternoon at the Etihad, and they certainly reaped the rewards of the attacking impetus associated with Ten Hag's gameplan. Omonia, to their credit, were fairly organised off the ball, but United's consistent possession put them under pressure and forced cracks to form.
Ronaldo - operating more as a fixed focal point contrary to recent attempts to drop into deeper pockets and link play - was a major source of opportunities. He forced an early save from opposing goalkeeper Fabiano, also finding himself unable to convert a rebound after an attempt from Fernandes hit the crossbar. As time progressed, Ronaldo increasingly embodied a wastefulness that United were riddled by.
It wasn't only Ronaldo culpable of offering threat yet little by way of end product. Antony also had his share of chances, squandering a square ball to offer Fernandes a guaranteed goal while also forcing Fabiano into making a diving save with a curling effort. While chances were going begging, much like with Ronaldo, Antony was showing intent; he looked dangerous when carrying the ball, showing the value of his ability to cut inside and create shooting opportunities.
On the whole, United showed encouraging signs of responding well to the City defeat. But, to the frustration of Ten Hag and many others, the execution at the end of attacks was lacking, whether it be the final ball or ultimate finish. Omonia gained belief from this.
The Cypriot side had offered essentially nothing on an offensive front, but they were clearly uplifted the longer they kept United at bay for. United, meanwhile, became agitated and somewhat hesitant in their attacking play as impatience rose.
A marker of their unrest towards the latter stages of the first half, United conceded from a situation which commenced from their own free-kick. Far too many bodies were committed forward, and Tyrell Malacia - the deepest player - losing the ball sparked a counter attack for Omonia. Bruno's carry forward was purposeful, with the ultimate finish from Karim Ansarifard clinical.
But, for all that Omonia executed in an impressive manner converse to United's tendencies throughout the opening period, it was one of the most preventable goals there will be all season. It all commenced from Jadon Sancho, on the edge of the opposing penalty area, opting to play a passive backwards pass as opposed to playing the ball into the box. From there, Malacia was put under pressure, and he panicked, losing the ball and triggering the break.
It was almost a repeat of the concession to Demba Ba for Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League group stages two years ago. United's players were unable to retreat in time to prevent the goal - largely down to being too far forward but somewhat as a consequence of lack of effort. Sancho, who appears to be lacking some confidence at present, lamentably appeared laboured in his mere jog back despite it being his poor decison that put United in trouble.
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Ten Hag once again showed his ruthless streak in response to United being behind at the break (even with a side as strong as that which he named). Rashford was introduced in place of Sancho - a possible legacy of the former's part in United's concession - while Malacia made way at the interval for Luke Shaw for the second consecutive match.
Malacia has proven a bargain addition with his performances so far this season. But, for all that the Dutchman has warranted credit, there have been signs of development still to be had in recent matches especially. Malacia has the advantage of being more familiar with systems like Ten Hag's, with knowledge of principles such as inverting.
However, similar to against City, Shaw did prove that he is still technically more astute. After being brought on by Ten Hag, he offered a strong attacking presence, providing a number of overlapping runs as he rekindled his left-sided relationship with Rashford. Not for the first time, substitutions proved a virtue for Ten Hag as United looked to turn the match around.
Maybe the impact of substitutes does indicate that initial team selection isn't always right. On the contrary, it does show positively authoritative, proactive management while indicating strength in depth within the squad.
Rashford took less than 10 minutes to make his mark and equalise after having replaced Sancho at the juncture, proving the variety of able attacking options that Ten Hag has at his disposal. It was a goal that stemmed from Rashford's knack to make runs, picking up the ball after a lifted pass from Fernandes in a deeper area. The first touch wasn't ideal, but he rectified the situation and finished with poise from the edge of the box.
Ronaldo's impact in the goal can't be understated, with his intuitive off-ball decoy run acting as an effective way to create space for Rashford to finish from within as defenders were dragged away.
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Rashford's influence only grew from there. Straight after Anthony Martial replaced Fernandes as Ten Hag further expanded United's attacking thrust, Rashford added an assist to his goal as United completed their turnaround of the match within 20 minutes of the second half. Rashford showed a good display of movement to receive a progressive pass from Lisandro Martinez, then providing Martial with a backheel that displayed his awareness. Martial's touch inside and eventual finish were decisive.
Ten Hag's decision to have four attacking players on the pitch was a shrewd one. Martial operated in a role just behind Ronaldo, adding to the fluidity in forward areas - an element that was key in United's second goal.
After the match, Ten Hag admitted that he told his players that there needed to be more runs made. That certainly came to fruition. United looked far more purposeful after the juncture, moving the ball quicker and producing sharper patterns of movement.
Ronaldo had the chance to put the game further from Omonia's reach, though he was unable to capitalise on a free-flowing move typical of United's second half. Diogo Dalot found himself inside the United penalty box, but Ronaldo failed to convert an essentially open goal as he struck the post.
It was needless to really worry, though. Not long after, there was another skewed effort from Ronaldo, but this time he was able to claim it as a cross as Rashford was alert and on hand to tap the ball in at the back post.
Rashford's impact in yet another goal solidified his case for being awarded man of the match by an overwhelming majority consensus. He started the counter attack after picking up a loose ball forced by duress placed by Ronaldo, carrying the ball deep into the opposition half before his exchange with Ronaldo. Overall, he was very sharp and showed renewed levels of confidence that have been a breath of fresh air this term.
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United did strangely switch off again almost instantaneously after scoring their third. Lindelof lost the ball after a loose exchange of passes, with the defensive structure disjointed and players out of position. The ball was ultimately bundled to Nikolas Panagiotou, who produced an admittedly excellent finish.
And so, proceedings concluded with United under certainly avoidable pressure against a side that theoretically shouldn't have provided such rigorous competition.
It was an odd match all in all. United wasted a wrath of chances and largely failed to capitalise on their 66 per cent possession total. Again, there was openness from a defensive standpoint that left United to rue a failure to take their chances at the other end.
It still doesn't feel as though Ten Hag has complete continuity in terms of a reliable starting side, exemplified by the impact of substitutes in Cyprus. When you factor in both of Martial's goals against City too, the case is now that United's past five goals have been scored by substitutes. It is positive on one hand, but a slight worry on the other. Work still needs to be done.
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