Manchester United sent Lyon tumbling out of the Europa League on Thursday night with an inspired comeback victory at Old Trafford.
It was the kind of game that will live long in the memory of Manchester United fans.
From 2-0 up, to 4-2 down to then scoring three in seven minutes at the very end of extra time, it was a rollercoaster of emotions which ultimately resulted in the biggest win of the season as United step closer to a fourth Europa League final in the past decade.
Ruben Amorim even allowed himself to crack a smile on the sideline as he jumped for joy after his side completed the comeback through Harry Maguire’s header and Kobbie Mainoo’s brilliant goal, most notably.
United had a handful of standout performers in the game, but only one could win the man of the match award.
Now, United fans have been voting for their star performer, and two players were battling it out for the accolade after the season-defining victory.
Manchester United fans vote for man of the match vs Lyon
It was a night when several players could have theoretically won the man of the match award, as there were a handful of players who had a huge impact on the game.
After the dust had settled around Old Trafford, fans were tasked with voting on the club website for their star performer in the game, and there were two main contenders.
- Harry Maguire – 39 per cent
- Bruno Fernandes – 32 per cent
- Casemiro – 18 per cent
- Kobbie Mainoo – three per cent
- Leny Yoro – two per cent
- All others had one per cent or less.
Maguire deserves the man of the match accolade, with his goal and assist seeing him a true standout for Amorim’s side, pushing United to victory.
The 32-year-old continues to age like a fine wine, and that contract extension looks like a genius decision from Amorim, as he continues to be very impressive and establish himself as a first-choice defender at Old Trafford.
The winning goal was his third of the season, which secured a victory for United, and his fourth, which was a game-decider. He is becoming a real clutch player for the Red Devils.
Harry Maguire reflects on Manchester United vs Lyon
After such a breathtaking game, it is a tough task to reflect on what happened with any coherence, but Maguire attempted this.
Maguire is quoted by UEFA giving his reaction to the 5-4 win, in which he labelled it an absolute “madness”.
“If you looked madness up in the dictionary, you would probably describe it as that game. A crazy game and unbelievable to be on the right side of the result, and yet we’ve created great memories for a lot of our fans. We’ve made them happy and given them lots to talk about, good and bad.”
Maguire is right, memories were created on Thursday night, and they will likely be memories which live long in the hearts of supporters. But without Amorim moving Maguire up front it would never have happened.
Amorim explained the decision after the game: “We put Maguire up front because he’s the ONLY one capable of scoring with his head.”
As effective as this was, Amorim will be desperate not to depend on this next season.
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