Onana’s astonishing penalty record as keeper saves Man Utd against Copenhagen
Robin Bairner
- 25 Oct 2023 01:57 CDT
- 3 min read
Andre Onana may just have kept Manchester United in the Champions League thanks to his penalty save from Copenhagen’s Jordan Larsson.
Erik ten Hag’s side held a flimsy 1-0 advantage over the Danish champions after labouring for much of the Old Trafford encounter.
After Harry Maguire had headed Man Utd into the lead, Scott McTominay’s high boot deep in stoppage time was punished by a penalty.
With the Red Devils pointless coming into this encounter, Ten Hag had described the game as a ‘must-win’ encounter for his side, and they did just that as Onana leapt spectacularly to his left to preserve United’s advantage with the final action of the game.
Onana has had a rocky start since arriving from Inter Milan for €52.5 million in the summer, but it is hoped that this action will finally act as a catalyst for an upturn in his fortunes.
How many penalties has Onana saved at Man Utd?
Onana's penalty record at Manchester United
| Date | Versus | Outcome |
| 20 Sept, 2023 | Bayern Munich | GOAL |
| 3 Oct, 2023 | Galatasaray | MISS |
| 21 Oct, 2023 | Sheffield United | GOAL |
| 24 Oct, 2023 | Copenhagen | SAVE |
Ten Hag would have known all about the penalty-stopping qualities of Onana, having worked before with him at Ajax, with the Cameroon international No.1 having stopped 24% of kicks that he has faced in his career during normal and extra-time.
Indeed, he has now prevented two of four penalties that he has faced since arriving at Man Utd from finding the net. Mauro Icardi was thwarted in the previous Champions League encounter against Galatasaray, but he was beaten by Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie.
This puts him substantially above average in this category, with the standard keeper stopping around 18% of penalties.
But what stood out about Onana’s penalty stop on Tuesday was not the act in itself, but the potentially pivotal effect it could have on Man Utd’s season and, therefore, the goalkeeper’s career at the club as a whole.
