Chapter 813 – Kings of Champions vs. Kings of Europa
Manchester United's shock home defeat to Crystal Palace was their first at Old Trafford in five years, dropping them to 12th after two rounds. It was also the first time under José Mourinho that United finished a league round in the bottom half of the table.
Post-match, Mourinho criticized the video officials, arguing there were two major errors: missing a penalty on Bruno Fernandes and ordering a retake to erase David de Gea's saved penalty. He believed these decisions shaped the result and denied United a winning home start.
The FA unsurprisingly backed the officials' decisions and fined Mourinho £10,000 and Manchester United £50,000. Surprisingly, Mourinho was not suspended, making the punishment seem more symbolic than substantive.
The Guardian opined the fines betrayed the FA's uncertainty, suggesting they sensed errors but sought to preserve officiating authority. The Times, meanwhile, called Victor Lindelöf's performance disastrous and predicted he had lost Mourinho's trust, likely facing the cold shelf this season.
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Three days later, on the evening of September 21, United played their first League Cup match of the season away to Luton Town.
With the UEFA Super Cup against last season's Europa League winners Sevilla coming on September 24, Mourinho fully rotated his XI.
Near the end of the first half, Brandon Williams won a penalty and Juan Mata converted. Late in the second half, substitutes Marcus Rashford (88') and Mason Greenwood (stoppage time) sealed the win.
Full time: Luton Town 0–3 Manchester United, through to the fourth round.
United then flew by charter to Budapest, capital of Hungary, for the UEFA Super Cup on September 24.
UEFA had announced limited fan attendance for the match.
On August 25, 2020, UEFA confirmed a controlled trial of spectators' return for the Super Cup in Budapest, with attendance capped at 30% of the stadium's capacity. All other UEFA matches would remain behind closed doors until further notice.
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The Super Cup pitted last season's Champions League winners, Manchester United, against the Europa League winners, Sevilla — the respective royalty of their competitions.
United, having just completed a Champions League three-peat, became the first club to achieve the feat since the competition's reform in 1992.
In club history, they had now won the European Cup three times, trailing only Real Madrid's 12 and AC Milan's 7 — third-most in history.
Sevilla, meanwhile, were the miracle-makers of the Europa League. Their five titles were the most in the competition's history.
All five triumphs came in the 21st century, including two successful defenses: 2005–2006 and 2006–2007, and again in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016.
In truth, if not for Bruno, Sevilla might have a three-peat: in 2013–2014, Bruno led Udinese to defeat Sevilla in the Europa League final.
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September 24, Budapest, Hungary.
Thanks to full rotation in midweek, United could go all-in. The front three were Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Marcus Rashford; midfield featured Bruno Fernandes with İlkay Gündoğan and N'Golo Kanté; the back line was João Cancelo, Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, and Luke Shaw, with David de Gea in goal.
Sevilla marked Bruno tightly. Defensive midfielder Joan Jordán shadowed him relentlessly, while former Manchester City midfielder Fernando provided cover, leaving Bruno few openings.
Fernando's savvy shone through. Since leaving City in 2017, he had spent two years at Galatasaray before joining Sevilla the previous summer. He made 41 appearances across La Liga and the Europa League in his debut season, playing a key role in Sevilla's fifth Europa League crown.
Under intense attention, Bruno resorted to extensive movement to shed markers, serving as the transitional hub to organize and ignite attacks.
Unlike many Premier League sides, Sevilla — as a La Liga club — were tighter, more structured, leaving fewer spaces, and their overall quality was high.
From the outset, Sevilla pinned United in their defensive third, dominating the early exchanges — nerve-racking for United fans both in the stands and watching at home.
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United's first real threat came in the 9th minute. Bruno received from Cancelo on the right, surged forward into the final third, and slipped in Mbappé — but Mbappé's heavy touch squandered the chance.
Sevilla intensified pressure, with Ivan Rakitić — newly returned from Barcelona — particularly lively, making life miserable for United's back line.
In the 13th minute, disaster: penalty to Sevilla. Luke Shaw brought down the onrushing Rakitić in the box; the referee pointed to the spot and booked Shaw.
Lucas Ocampos converted. Manchester United 0–1 Sevilla.
United's quality told before halftime. In the 34th minute, Bruno clipped a ball into the box from the right; Harry Kane nodded back across goal, and Gündoğan arrived to finish.
Halftime: 1–1, though Sevilla clearly had the upper hand in open play.
Neither side made changes at the break, and the pattern continued. Sevilla pressed, creating danger, while United defended stubbornly — De Gea outstanding to keep the scores level.
Past the hour mark, needing a winner and with Jordán tiring, Sevilla substituted: Óliver Torres for Jordán, adding more attacking thrust.
Bruno sensed his moment had finally arrived.
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Once play resumed, Bruno expanded his operating range.
Sevilla's switch to a single pivot sharpened their attack but exposed defensive gaps.
In the 88th minute, Bruno received on the right and squared into the box; Harry Kane arrived to guide it home — United led.
"United have scored!!!!"
"Eighty-eighth minute — a massive goal for Manchester United!!!!"
"A brilliant link between Bruno Fernandes and Harry Kane — the assist from Bruno, the finish from Kane!"
"2–1! United have turned it around against Sevilla."
"Sevilla look deflated — that Bruno-orchestrated strike is a huge psychological blow."
"At the death, to concede like that would crush any team."
"United players are ecstatic — they've all swarmed Bruno on the touchline."
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Moments after the restart, the match entered stoppage time — four minutes added.
Sevilla poured forward recklessly; United dropped deep, almost everyone inside their own thirty-meter zone, straining to protect the precious lead.
Mourinho's sides are famed for defensive steel. With the lead secured and morale surging, United gave everything to shut the door, leaving Sevilla bereft of clear chances.
Though the referee stretched the added time close to five minutes — a leniency that irked Mourinho on the sideline — the final whistle eventually arrived.
2–1. Thanks to Bruno's late, decisive assist, Manchester United edged Europa League champions Sevilla to lift the 2020 UEFA Super Cup.
It was United's fourth consecutive Super Cup since beating Real Madrid in 2017 — unprecedented in the competition's history, where even back-to-back titles are rare.
It was also United's fifth UEFA Super Cup overall, tying AC Milan for the most all-time.
(END CHAPTER)
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