Andre Onana’s reaction to making the mistake that changed the dynamic of Manchester United’s latest failed attempt to beat Bayern Munich in Germany was profound.
After allowing Leroy Sane’s tame shot to slide through his hands, Onana lay flat on the turf, face down, for several seconds, seemingly oblivious to claps overhead by Victor Lindelof and pats from Diogo Dalot.
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It was only when Sergio Reguilon ran over to hoist Onana, who had by then risen to all fours, that the goalkeeper stood up again, but he seemed consumed by his thoughts, walking outside his goal and pulling his shirt over his face.
The fog appeared to still be there four minutes later when Bayern doubled their lead. Onana sat on his haunches next to his post, head bowed, as United lined up for a second kick-off in quick succession.
When the final whistle came on the 4-3 defeat, Onana vocalised why his pain had been so acute. “After my mistake, we lost control of the game,” he said. “I let the team down. It’s because of me we didn’t win this game.”
Onana understood his error would have a significant impact on the team. As a group of players, United right now are hyper-affected by setbacks and the composure they had shown in the opening 25 minutes at the Allianz Arena was shattered by Sane’s opening goal. Serge Gnabry’s finish coming so soon afterwards followed a pattern of quickfire concessions by United. Something similar happened at Arsenal at the start of this month, as well as against Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brentford last season.
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Those thoughts were swirling in Onana’s mind as he reached the tunnel at half-time to be greeted by reserve ’keeper Tom Heaton offering words of encouragement. Onana emerged visibly more confident for the second half and made five saves to help United just about stay in the game.
In the foyer of the stadium afterwards, Onana got advice from Peter Schmeichel, who knows all about the scrutiny that comes with being United’s No 1.
There is additional focus on Onana because he was Erik ten Hag’s big choice this summer to transform United’s goalkeeping. Every act, good and bad, will be analysed to the nth degree.
Onana asked to speak to the media post-match last night and was open enough to touch on his indifferent start to life at United. Club staff feel that kind of personality — up front and self-reflective — is what this team need.
Talking is easier than doing, of course, and Onana’s performances will inevitably be influenced by what happens in front of him.
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For the first time since 1978, when United were managed by Dave Sexton, they have conceded three or more goals in three consecutive games. That is an alarming statistic, but more concerning is the way these goals are going in.
Just as Danny Welbeck had been gifted space in the box to score for Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday, Gnabry found himself unoccupied for Bayern’s second.
He didn’t even have to work particularly hard, no burst of speed or smart movement — United simply failed to track back. Christian Eriksen was miles away and Lisandro Martinez and Lindelof were too late to detect the danger once Gnabry reached the penalty area. Welbeck had been afforded the same generosity by Scott McTominay.
Fixing that is Ten Hag’s responsibility, but the United manager said a fundamental shift is required from his players. “You have to suffer sacrifice in certain situations to stop that and only when we get that, we win games,” he said.
In the build-up to his opener, Sane was allowed to run into space off the right by Marcus Rashford and Eriksen. “You see how easy Sane is coming through and that has to do with determination: don’t let players so easily through,” Ten Hag said.
That is quite a pointed criticism of his players’ focus and willingness, a deviation from the praise he delivered in defeat against Arsenal and Brighton.
But already, less than two months into the season, fatigue appears to be a factor, too. Lindelof, Martinez and Reguilon all had their hands on their knees towards the end of the game and Casemiro shook his head at the situation while taking on water during a break with United 3-1 down.
The Brazilian went on to score twice, but he also allowed Mathys Tel to run off the back of him to score what turned out to be the winning goal. In that move, Lindelof seemed too tired to react quickly enough when Joshua Kimmich picked up the ball outside the United box and shaped to pass to Tel.
United scoring three in Munich and still losing is quite the feat but, in truth, the margin of defeat could have been wider. Bayern were dominant in the second half, hitting a post and creating numerous chances, including one where Dayot Upamecano took the ball forward with McTominay and Bruno Fernandes trailing in his wake. Bayern players were queuing up to score, but nothing came of the move.
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Bayern generally also seemed to be coasting a little, even taking off their most potent threat, Jamal Musiala, in the 75th minute. His ball-carrying abilities had United backpedalling frequently.
So, although Onana is the spotlight of discussions, there are issues all over this team.
(Photo: Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)