Manchester United had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Lyon after conceding a late equaliser.
When Lyon scored their opening goal, Manchester United fans feared ‘one of those’ European implosions, similar to the 3-0 away loss against Sevilla in 2023.
Ruben Amorim’s side were far more resilient, equalising before half-time through Leny Yoro and then substitute Joshua Zirkzee scoring a late goal – which looked destined to be a winner.
It was not to be, with Rayan Cherki making it 2-2 after a shot was spilled, and it is all to play for at Old Trafford in the second leg.
As the dust settles on the draw in France, we took a look at the winners and losers from the contest…
Winners
We picked out five winners representing the Red Devils…
Leny Yoro: It was a relatively happy return to France for Leny Yoro despite Manchester United conceding the late equaliser.
Yoro headed in an equaliser just before half-time, scoring his first ever goal for Manchester United. It was a sign he is growing into his role with the Red Devils.
An even greater sign of Yoro’s growing confidence came with a galloping run and shot in the second half. It is easy to forget he is only 19, a great prospect.
Joshua Zirkzee: The unluckiest man on the pitch, Joshua Zirkzee thought he had headed in a winner for Manchester United with his 88th minute header.
This was Zirkzee’s first goal since the strike away at Real Sociedad, and this goal was a little harder, with his header perfectly executed.
United have struggled to get goals out of the forwards, but Zirkzee is the livelier option right now, who made the most of the chance he had.
Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United’s captain produced his 17th assist of the season to set up Zirkzee with a wonderful lofted pass into the box.
Fernandes just keeps going, and United will need more heroics from the captain in the second leg in order to progress.
Kobbie Mainoo: It was a joy to see Kobbie Mainoo back on the pitch to make his first appearance since returning from injury.
Mainoo looked good. He was physical, and measured in his play, and his substitution coincided with Manchester United’s improved attack, leading to Zirkzee’s goal.
Mason Mount: Another substitute, Mason Mount continues to rack up minutes and he is now up to three appearances since his return. A start could be in order soon, possibly this weekend.
Mount quickly got stuck in and fought for United’s cause. We would still like to see him get on the ball more, and show some quality in possession, but this was yet another step in the right direction for the injury-plagued midfielder.
Losers
Unfortunately there were three losers to emerge…
Andre Onana: Andre Onana set the tone for a disaster class with pre-match comments that provided Lyon with extra motivation and a war of words with Nemanja Matic.
Onana needed to have a big performance, and failed. He let in a soft free-kick across his goal, and just when United appeared to have bailed him out, he dropped another clanger in stoppage time.
The goalkeeper spilled an effort into the grateful path of Rayan Cherki for a tap-in, to tie the game at 2-2.
Rasmus Hojlund: While Andre Onana was bad, Rasmus Hojlund was arguably worse. The Danish striker put in a useless performance up front, and was lucky not to be hooked at half-time.
Hojlund fluffed a point-blank chance in the first half when the game was goalless, scuffing his shot and failing to even test the goalkeeper. These are the moments you need your number nine to produce, and he was simply not good enough,.
Alejandro Garnacho: Another player low on goal threat, Alejandro Garnacho must improve, and he might not be able to in Ruben Amorim’s system.
Garnacho was largely anonymous except for a counter-attack in the second half when he delayed his pass, and then chose the wrong option, wasting the opportunity. He could be on the bench for the second leg, and could have little argument.
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