There is a good chance that Erik ten Hag's decision to field an almost full-strength team for this match, which took place just three days before a challenging Premier League trip to Everton, will be questioned. The journey to Nicosia, which takes four hours by plane, is exhausting in in of itself, and this match was always going to be difficult if we didn't get out to an early lead.
With the exception of Marcus Rashford and Raphael Varane, both of whom were sidelined due to injury, Manchester United fielded a full-strength lineup to compete against the team that was the clear underdog in their Europa League group. This is an early indication of how Ten Hag is unwilling to change his lineup, and it may provide some insight into how he values players who weren't the starting lineup.
...but it's the substitutes who make the difference.
Omonia Nicosia's Karim Ansarifard scored the game's first goal.
Even if Ten Hag is not likely to be very satisfied with his team's performance, his substitutions in the second half of Rashford and Martial resulted in immediate and significant improvements. Rashford scored a goal just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute during the second half, and he assisted his strike partner Martial on his goal just two minutes after the pair of them were brought on.
Due to the fact that he scored twice after coming off the bench during Sunday's derby, Martial is likely the only player to emerge from the match with any credit at all. The Frenchman is hoping to put his previous injury issues in the past and is demonstrating signals that he deserves greater prominence, therefore he is working hard to do so.
The double humiliation suffered by Malacia
Man Utd had pulled Malacia at halftime in consecutive games
In Sunday's disheartening loss to Manchester City on derby day, Tyrell Malacia was replaced by Luke Shaw in the starting lineup after the first halftime break. Luke Shaw took Malacia's place. In Nicosia, Ten Hag used the same substitution, which resulted in the Dutch international player being taken out of the game at the halftime point once more.
Fans at Old Trafford praised Malacia for his persistence, energy, tactical discipline, and eagerness to get forward when he first arrived at the club. This was an optimistic start for Malacia's career at Old Trafford. However, he has suffered through two challenging performances, and he was one of several players who contributed to Omonia's first goal.
As a result of Ten Hag's preference in the position being called into question, Luke Shaw is now in a strong position to challenge for the starting left back position following his summer arrival from Feyenoord.
Ronaldo's wait goes on
Ronaldo endured a frustrating night in Cyprus - missing multiple opportunities to score .
Since Cristiano Ronaldo has not started any of Manchester United's games in the Premier League over the past five weeks, the Europa League is the competition in which he needs to demonstrate that he can get himself back into the mix. It was his 699th penalty in club football, and the wait for his 700th is proving to be excruciatingly painful. He scored it in the win against FC Sheriff.
After missing the entirety of United's defeat in the derby on Sunday, he was eager to score here. However, despite making multiple attempts on goal, including hitting the post from point-blank range late in the second half, his scoring prowess and luck continued to be out.
Hadizat Salaudeen 2 yrs
Good