Goalkeeper André Onana has taken the blame for Manchester United’s 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in Wednesday night’s Champions League.
The Cameroonian keeper was at fault for Bayern’s opening goal of the game after a fairly straightforward shot from ex-Man City star Leroy Sané slipped through his fingers.
Despite getting back into the game through Rasmus Højlund‘s first goal for the club, United suffered even more misfortune when new signing Harry Kane scored a penalty following Christian Eriksen’s accidental handball, and the away side once again found themselves chasing a two-goal deficit.
The final few minutes of the game got even more frantic, with Casemiro pulling another one back for Erik ten Hag‘s side, Bayern hitting the post twice before and eventually adding a fourth through substitute Mathys Tel, only for the former Real Madrid midfielder to grab another with the last kick of the game.
While luck played its part at either end of the pitch, both good and bad, Onana came out after the game to state that it was his mistake that ultimately saw his team on the wrong end of the seven-goal thriller and even specifically requested to speak in a series of post-match interviews on behalf of the squad.
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"That mistake cost us the victory. It's because of me we didn't win today."
Onana takes the blame for his mistake against Bayern.
Speaking to club legend and a former world-class keeper, Peter Schmeichel reporting for CBS Sports, Onana made the brave choice to come out and publicly take the blame for the Red Devils’ disappointing return to the Champions League, insisting, “It’s because of me we didn’t win today”.
While he began by saying “mistakes are part of life for a goalkeeper” and that he was “happy with the effort of the team” overall, he went on to state, “I have to assume responsibility… the mistake I made for the goal we conceded came in a bad moment and at that time we were in control of the game.
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“After that goal, we fell down… it’s not an easy situation but it’s time to accept and be responsible… work hard and keep believing because we are Manchester United… sh*t happens”. He had similar words for TNT Sports too, summing up his interview in one answer: “I’m the one who let the team down”.
While the defeat will still be a tough one to take, the reaction to Onana’s honesty and willingness to front up in such a way from United fans has been positive, with many commenting “fair play” and calling it the kind of “classy” response they want to see.
He was also praised before the game for speaking on “togetherness”, adding that although they win and lose and draw as a team, he can take people pointing the finger at him.
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Onana on conceding ten goals: “Listen. Listen. We are in this together. We win together, we lose together. Clean sheet is for all of us. So when we concede goals the responsibility is Andre Onana. My teammates are working hard. And if they have to point finger, they have to point… pic.twitter.com/2r7LRp67M5
In fact, the former Ajax shot-stopper has been perfectly candid ever since he became David de Gea‘s successor and went on to admit, “I have a lot to prove because, to be honest, my start in Manchester is not so good”.
Nevertheless, he remained resilient through his various post-match interviews and insisted he simply has to take it on the chin and learn from the experience, with several online also reminding supporters that de Gea didn’t make a perfect start to life at Old Trafford either and made many similar mistakes towards the end.
In contrast, club captain Bruno Fernandes was quick to come out and defend Onana, stating: “Andre’s a great goalkeeper. He will keep giving us a lot of points, a lot of saves… He doesn’t have to take [the] blame for anything; we have to take the blame as a team.
“We’re going to go through this moment together because we’re strong as a team.”
His manager also made a point of making sure their new number one didn’t shoulder all the responsibility for the game either, noting that while “mistakes will always happen in football”, he wasn’t the only reason that goal ended up in the back of the net.
Sadly for the club, his stats thus far don’t make for great reading, having already conceded 16 goals in six games across all competitions — the most of any Premier League keeper this season.
What do you reckon Reds, do you blame Onana for the overall Bayern performance and some of United’s results this campaign, or is it just teething problems?
You can watch the full highlights of Bayern Munich vs Manchester United below:
Featured Image — Manchester United/Discovery+/CBS Sports/TNT Sports (via Twitter)
Sport
The 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In yet more huge sporting news for Greater Manchester, the 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to 0161 later this year.
We’ve had plenty of big peaks of late, but things seem to just keep going up and up.
Set to host the global event for the first time in our history, Manchester will welcome the World Climbing Series (WCS), which is set to include both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines ahead of the next Summer Games in 2028.
2027 will mark the 38th edition of the series, which will also be one of only a handful to be held in the North – it’s just down to our city to make it the best.
Officially announced on Friday, 16 January, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) confirmed the return to the UK.
Founded back in 1989, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is coming up on four decades since the competition first began – Leeds being chosen as the inaugural hosts – the event has come a long way since then.
The IFSC’s rebranding of the annual bouldering, lead and speed trials to the modern WSC, which began last year, was initially revealed back in 2023.
Welcoming continental talent right down to the youth level, the upcoming 2026 World Climbing Series is taking place in the summer and will be hosted by the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
As for the WSC’s Manchester debut, which is being organised in collaboration with the City Council, Manchester Accommodation BID, MCR Active and the National Lottery via UK Sport investment.
It’s not the only big sporting celebration that the Council will be supporting in 2027.
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of the British Mountaineering Council, said in an official statement: “It’s exciting to be able to confirm that a World Series climbing event will return to the UK in 2027 as part of the BMC’s major event programme.
“Hosting a competition of this scale in Manchester is a strong statement about the UK’s place on the international climbing stage and a great opportunity for our athletes, fans, the climbing community and the wider public to experience the sport at the very highest level.
“Our ‘Route to Adventure’ strategy sets out how we will build on moments like this to support people into climbing and help them progress, whatever their starting point. Using major events to inspire participation, strengthen pathways and reinforce our commitment to inclusion is central to our long-term approach.”
Scheduled to take place in June, you can find out more information about the 2027 World Climbing Series in Manchester by signing up for the official event mailing list HERE.
Manchester City agree deal to sign top Premier League defender Marc Guehi
Danny Jones
It looks like they’ve finally got a done deal: Manchester City have reportedly agreed a deal for the transfer of highly sought-after defender Marc Guehi.
Man City are said to have finally reached an agreement with Crystal Palace to sign the increasingly established Three Lions star after emerging as a suitor in recent weeks.
Pep Guardiola’s pursuit of the impressive Premier League centre-back ramped up earlier this month, as it became apparent that they were hoping to hijack Liverpool’s prospective move for Guehi.
The Ivory Coast-born England international looked all set to arrive at Anfield back in the summer, but the deal never materialised, and now rivals City appear to have sealed his signature.
According to breaking transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano, Palace and Man City are said to have now reached an agreement in principle for approximately £20 million.
It’s fair to say that it’s an absolute bargain for a player of his quality.
While details surrounding contract length, wages and add-ons, etc., are yet to be fully confirmed (as is final verification as per an official announcement via his new employers), personal terms are not expected to be an issue.
On the other hand, the acquisition will also see Man City’s total spending to roughly half a billion pounds over the past year alone. Staggering sums for any sporting outfit.
Not that his former London team will mind one bit, of course, as it became increasingly clear that Guehi would be leaving eventually; manager Oliver Glasner – who also seems set to depart at the end of his contract – even addressed the sale in his most recent press conference.
You can see the clip in question down below.
''I wish him all the best for the rest of his career, he will have a great career I think''
Once again, we will have to wait for the official unveiling at the Etihad Campus, but we’d say that this interview is all the verification you need.
With Man City currently facing multiple absences, particularly in their backline with both Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias out injured, Guehi’s arrival is no doubt a welcome one.
Although many debated whether or not Pep needed to sign another centre-half, especially with two promising youth players returning from loan, supporters will nevertheless be glad to have snatched him from the clutches of Liverpool.
Over in the women’s team, they’ve also brought in a new member of the squad who could help spur on their title charge.
Danny Jones -
21st September 2023 
