In a night of extraordinary drama, Manchester United booked their place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with a scarcely believable 5-4 extra-time victory over Olympique Lyonnais. After squandering a two-goal lead, United incredibly recovered from being 4-2 down in extra time to snatch a stunning win at Old Trafford.
With their entire season seemingly hinging on their Europa League campaign, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side started with intense purpose. They broke the deadlock inside the opening ten minutes when a through ball from Noussair Mazraoui released Bruno Fernandes down the right flank. The captain delivered a pinpoint square pass to Alejandro Garnacho, who teed up Manuel Ugarte for a composed finish.
The high press from United almost yielded a quick second goal as Garnacho dispossessed a Lyon player and found Casemiro, whose powerful strike was expertly tipped around the post by Lucas Perri.
Lyon struggled to gain a foothold in the early stages, with their first real opportunity arriving midway through the half when Paul Akouokou’s header was brilliantly saved by the returning Andre Onana in the United goal.
Rayan Cherki began to exert his influence on the game, gliding past the United defence before unleashing a shot that forced another smart save from Onana, diving low to his right.
Fernandes then nearly brought the stadium to its feet with an audacious volley after being picked out by Diogo Dalot, only for his effort to crash against the crossbar. The Portuguese midfielder followed that up with a long-range strike that flew narrowly wide.
Undeterred, United maintained their attacking momentum and deservedly doubled their lead just before half-time. Dalot controlled a sweeping cross-field pass from Harry Maguire expertly before firing a precise shot into the far corner.
The hosts started the second half with the same intensity and should have put the tie to bed within five minutes when Garnacho broke clear on goal. However, the Argentine forward hesitated and his eventual shot was straight at Perri.
Lyon had struggled to make an impact after the break but were suddenly handed a lifeline when United failed to clear a set-piece. Alexandre Lacazette headed the ball on, and Corentin Tolisso nodded home to halve the deficit.
That goal sparked a significant shift in momentum, and Les Gones needed just six minutes to draw level. A mishit cross from Ainsley Maitland-Niles was bundled over the line by Nicolas Tagliafico, leaving Old Trafford stunned.
The pendulum swung again in the 89th minute when Tolisso received a second yellow card for a trip on Leny Yoro, reducing Lyon to ten men. However, United couldn’t capitalize on the man advantage in the remaining minutes, sending the tie to extra time.
Despite being a man down, Lyon remarkably took the lead in the extra period. Cherki pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that flew into the net.
United looked shell-shocked and their task became even harder when Luke Shaw felled Malick Fofana in the box, and Lacazette calmly converted the resulting penalty to make it 4-2 to Lyon. 1 �
The Red Devils looked down and out, but they were thrown a lifeline when Casemiro was brought down in the box. Fernandes stepped up and coolly slotted the spot-kick past Perri, setting up a grandstand finish.
The decisive moment arrived in the dying moments of extra time. Kobbie Mainoo showed incredible composure in the box, cutting inside before firing a composed finish into the far corner to level the score at 4-4.
And in an unbelievable turn of events, just a minute later, his makeshift strike partner Harry Maguire rose highest to head home, sending the Old Trafford crowd into absolute delirium.
In a stunning finish to a spectacular tie, Manchester United snatched a scarcely believable 5-4 victory to progress to the Europa League semi-finals, where they will face Athletic Club.
