Bayern Munich Edge Man Utd 3-2, But Skinner Backs Champions League Comeback

Pernille Harder needed just two minutes to signal Bayern Munich's intentions at Old Trafford, and by the time Momoko Tanikawa struck in the 84th to seal a 3-2 first-leg victory, the script for the Women's Champions League quarter-final had been written almost entirely according to Jose Barcala's plan. Marc Skinner's Manchester United twice fought back, but they leave their home leg trailing and now face a trip to the Allianz to save the tie.

Bayern arrived with a clear tactical brief. Barcala had anticipated a "really aggressive high press" from United and instructed his players to get in behind it immediately. They did exactly that. Arianna Caruso played the pass into the space between United's defence and their penalty area inside two minutes, and Harder, a former Chelsea forward, outpaced skipper Maya Le Tissier to finish. United levelled through Le Tissier's penalty, only for Harder to strike again, this time after Tanikawa threaded the pass through for her. Hanna Lundkvist's header drew United level a second time before Tanikawa settled it with her 84th-minute strike.

Skinner was candid and frustrated in equal measure afterwards. "I'm frustrated with all the three goals. I don't think they had to particularly earn them. I felt that we left the spaces for Pernille Harder to run through twice," he said. He rejected suggestions his side were naive in failing to shut the game down after recovering twice, though he acknowledged the gulf in circumstances: "I honestly don't think it was naivety. It was maybe a little bit of playing a high-level opponent. Bayern changed their game. They're usually a possession-based team but were more direct tonight."

The squad depth disparity illustrated that gap starkly. Japan midfielder Hinata Miyazawa played in the Asian Cup final in Sydney, then travelled back to start for United. Tanikawa, by contrast, did not feature for Japan against Australia, started on the bench for Bayern with jetlag factored in, and was still sharp enough to assist Harder's second and score the winner herself. As the BBC noted, Skinner simply does not have enough players to rotate like that.

When told that Barcala had said Bayern felt comfortable in the periods where United tried to make them uncomfortable, Skinner offered a blunt response: "He has just won the game 3-2, he is going to say that. Our challenge is to make them feel way more uncomfortable."

Barcala, for his part, refused to treat the result as a foregone conclusion. "We need to stay with our feet on the earth, humble and keep looking forward for the next game," he said. "It's important we learn things from this game and adjust for the second leg."

The coming days will test United's resilience on multiple fronts. They face Women's Super League leaders Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday before flying to Germany for the second leg next Wednesday, which kicks off at 17:45 BST. Skinner's message was unambiguous: "It will challenge us, it will take us to the depths, but the carrot is there for us in both games. We expect it to be difficult. We're still in this tie for sure. Now we need to go to the Allianz and win.