#2 Anderlecht’s passing between the lines pays off as Sofiane Hanni levels the game and the tie
Anderlecht did not sit back and try to hold off Manchester United or looked for a counter attack; in fact, they took the game to the Red Devils at Old Trafford. A daunting task for a club from Belgium, but the fearlessness with which the Belgian team attacked showed glimpses of the belief they had that they could level the tie, and so they did.
Their passing between the lines into space and creating chances continually would pay rich dividends as they finally levelled through their captain Sofiane Hanni. Tielemans’ shot deflected on to the bar with Sergio Romero scrambling and Teodorczyk did just enough to steer the ball into Hanni’s path for the Anderlecht captain on the night to slam it into the goal. It became 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate, which cancelled out Manchester United’s away goal advantage.
The goal which was the culmination of Anderlecht’s dynamic gameplay changed the course of the game. This was Old Trafford and Anderlecht pegged them back showing desire and a fighting spirit.
