I saw the leader Manchester United are crying out for and he has to start at Aston Villa

Harry Maguire salvaged a point for Manchester United in their Europa League clash with Porto as he scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser.

United led 2-0 in the Estadio do Dragao early in the first half thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, but Porto were back level by half-time as United collapsed defensively.

When Samu Omorodion scored his second soon after half-time and Bruno Fernandes was sent-off it looked like the pressure was about to increase on Erik ten Hag, only for Maguire to come up with an unlikely rescue act.

It was a much-needed point for United, who also drew with FC Twente in their first game in the new league phase and they face a trip to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce next.

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Maguire's character

Who had Harry Maguire to the rescue as the headline in Porto with 15 minutes to go? This looked like a lost cause for Manchester United for much of the second half but Maguire, on as a substitute, came up big time with a superb header to equalise in stoppage time.

It saved United's blushes and it should have saved Erik ten Hag's job as well. This looked like being the final nail in the coffin for Ten Hag after another shambolic night, but for their attacking intent United probably deserved their equaliser.

It is still only one win in the last 10 European fixtures for United and that was secured thanks to Andre Onana saving a penalty against FC Copenhagen with the last kick of the game. It is nowhere near good enough.

But Maguire is the kind of character that would deliver. He came on as a sub alongside Jonny Evans and got his side a valuable point. On the evidence of the starting centre-backs for United this season, Maguire should be the first name on the teamsheet at Villa Park.

Martinez's form

There was a feeling that the player United missed more than any other last season was Lisandro Martinez, not just for his defensive quality but for his on-field leadership and for the balance and poise he brings when building play from the back.

But it was the Martinez we saw in Ten Hag's first season that was missed, not the version of the Argentine that has started this season so poorly. Once again he struggled against Porto.

He was caught on his heels for Pepe's goal that got the hosts back into the game and then defended the third goal dreadfully, although he was hardly to blame for that. Casemiro was clueless as to Nico Gonzalez's whereabouts, with the attacking midfielder able to just walk away from him. Dalot and Martinez then provided a substantial gap for Pepe to cruise through to tee up the outstanding Samu Omorodion.

Martinez's form is becoming a concern though and while United's defence looks promising on paper, it has looked anything but on the pitch and this is a team that just cannot stop conceding goals.

De Ligt concerns

Martinez isn't being helped by the fact his centre-back partner is also starting to struggle. Matthijs de Ligt had his positioning brutally picked apart on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football this week and he had a poor game in Portugal.

He struggled to clear his lines for the first goal and twice fluffed the chance to clear for the second. As the ball was recycled and Porto continued to attack, the Dutchman never got into a good position to defend against Omorodion, who was too powerful and headed home.

The same player got the better of De Ligt for the third as well, although to be fair to United's £38.5m summer signing the movement from Porto's No.9 was superb and would have been too good for most central defenders. De Ligt almost presented him a hat-trick when another rushed clearance landed at his feet, only for Andre Onana to make the save.

De Ligt arrived at United after spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich that were maybe a little underwhelming and the perception is of a 25-year-old going backwards. His dramatic fall down the pecking order for the Netherlands is evidence of that.

United have gambled on getting him back to top form and hoped a reunion with Ten Hag would do just that. That doesn't look like lasting much longer and De Ligt might well need to figure out his way back to the top without the manager he had the most success under.

Rashford leads the charge

United's attack was almost non-existent at the weekend but in Portugal it did finally click and for only the third time this season they scored more than once in a game.

Marcus Rashford was left out of another England squad on Thursday afternoon but six hours later he took another step in the right direction on the road to rediscovering his best form. Once again he was United's best attacker and his form down the left is starting to show signs of the 2022/23 version of the academy graduate.

After a well-worked passing move he picked the ball up 35 yards from goal and right out on the touchline for the first goal. The only thought in his mind was to be direct, which is a sure sign Rashford has confidence flowing once again. His direct and purposeful run put defenders on the back foot and his footwork to skip between two defenders was exquisite. He earned a goal that owed a little to poor goalkeeping from Diego Costa.

He created the second after another good move, timing his pass to Rasmus Hojlund perfectly and once again Costa was beaten easily at his near post. Rashford has combined well with Joshua Zirkzee already this season but his partnership with Hojlund showed promise last season and has started off in the same vein.

The only surprise here was that Rashford went off at half-time. United need him fit and firing at the moment.

Farce for fans

The United away end was as noisy as it normally is in the Estadio do Dragao but it wasn't full and it's been a week of travel chaos for some supporters.

The final straw was the cancellation of the day trip from Manchester Airport on Thursday afternoon, with the 180 or so fans booked on that trip spending most of the day at the airport before finally boarding a severely delayed flight, only to then be told it was cancelled.

That came after supporters found difficulties getting to Porto on Wednesday. With the city shrouded in a layer of fog flights were delayed and cancelled and some fans simply couldn't make it. That is hugely frustrating when these trips - even in the Europa League - are so special but those inside the stadium made up for their absence by turning up the volume.