Manchester United returned from the dead to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in an epic Europa League quarter-final win over Lyon at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
United led 2-0 at halftime, courtesy of goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot, and seemed to have the game under control. However, Lyon, who had Corentin Tolisso sent off late on, struck twice in seven second-half minutes to stun the three-time European Champions and level the tie.
The French side took the initiative in extra time and stormed into a 4-2 lead through Rayan Cherki and a penalty from former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.
But Ruben Amorim’s men weren’t done yet, as they embarked on a truly sensational comeback that saw the hosts score three times in the final seven minutes – first via a penalty from Bruno Fernandes, then Kobbie Mainoo and finally, a last-gasp winner from Harry Maguire right at the death.
It was a breathtaking, drama-filled, crazy match, and will live long in the memory! United will now face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals in May.
As we try to make sense of it all, here are our five talking points.
One of the most incredible European nights in Manchester United history
Old Trafford has seen many special European encounters over the years, and when all is said and done, this will surely be right up there with the best of them.
The game twisted and turned in favour of both teams on more than one occasion, until the final crescendo when United blitzed the Ligue 1 outfit with three unanswered strikes to book their spot in the semi-final.
The stadium was heaving as thousands of ecstatic home supporters struggled to believe what they had just witnessed before their very eyes.
It was an unbelievable turnaround and one befitting of the old ground in M16.
Ugarte silences doubters with an excellent display
Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte has had his fair share of flak from certain quarters, with many doubting his suitability for this United side.
But the 24-year-old proved many of his detractors wrong against Les Gones, delivering a solid overall display that was capped by scoring the opening goal.
The former Sporting Lisbon player registered a goal and an assist over the two legs against Lyon, making it two goal contributions in a week for the man from Montevideo.
United’s midfield enforcer still has plenty of room to improve, but he can certainly be satisfied with a tireless outing on Thursday night.
Old failings almost prove fatal for Manchester United
There was a horrible sense of Deja Vu around Old Trafford when Lyon equalised. We had seen this film before, and all too often.
Two years ago, at the same stage of this competition, United threw away a two-goal lead at home to La Liga side Sevilla to draw the first leg 2-2, only to ultimately be eliminated in the return fixture in Spain.
The same fragilities surfaced against Lyon, and it looked as if it would be another forgettable evening until that stunning late fightback saved the day.
Amorim will no doubt be keen to finish games off when the chance arises in future instead of going about things the hard way.
Onana redeems himself with a more assured performance
One man who was under massive scrutiny coming into the game was goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Cameroon international required a big performance after last week’s error-strewn first leg resulted in him being dropped for Sunday’s league defeat at Newcastle.
Having been restored to the starting XI at Old Trafford on Thursday, he produced several good stops, including an excellent save to deny Cherki in the first half.
Whilst there will rightly be plenty of question marks about Onana and his long-term United future, it was nice to see the man perform well here, and hopefully, he can carry some momentum into the rest of the campaign now.
Maguire completes stunning turnaround
It has been a tough couple of years for Harry Maguire at Old Trafford.
The big defender lost both his place in the team and the captaincy while becoming a figure of ridicule for certain sections of the supporter base and opposition fans.
After a proposed move to West Ham fell through, the Sheffield native has knuckled down and got on with things, establishing himself as a key squad player at the club.
The England centre-back is always ready and willing when called upon by United, and his sensational late winner against Lyon completed a fantastic personal turnaround in his career.
It has certainly been something of a redemption arc for Maguire, and fair play to him. He deserves it.
Well, how do you feel after that ludicrously chaotic victory over Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday night?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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