Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag showered praises on his Harry Maguire and Andre Onana after his side recorded a 1-0 win in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2023-24 at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
This was United's first win in the UCL this season after suffering back-to-back defeats against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
Maguire scored in the 72nd minute to give his side the decisive lead but all that could've been wasted if it was not for Onana's 97th minute penalty save against Jordan Larsson.
Just like everyone, Ten Hag couldn't refrain from praising United's two heroes of the night.
"He's playing much more proactively in possession, stepping in, passing vertically," Ten Hag said on Maguire. "He's defending on the front foot, defending forward, very confident in the duels, I think he is dominating in the right way with his aggression against opponents. You see he also gets rewarded. Of course, his heading is a skill... a very good finish."
The Dutch football manager then went on to praise Onana for his penalty save in injury time.
"[Onana] showed personality," said Ten Hag. "He knows his levels didn't match his skills before. He could do better. [He had] a very good performance on Saturday. Today, as well. Also, don't forget that brilliant save just after half-time in the counter-attack. Of course, one of his skills is he's a very good penalty-saver."
It must be noted that United only have three out of a possible nine points in UCL Group A and to qualify for the Round of 16, they would need to win their remaining matches, which, considering their current form, seems too big of a task.
If United finish third in the group standings after six matches, they will be demoted to the UEFA Europa League, a competition they also played last season.
Ten Hag's men now city-rivals and the current European champions, Manchester City, on October 29 at their home.