French press criticise ‘catastrophic’ Manchester United player performance vs Lyon, just 2/10, praise ‘exceptional’ star

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Manchester United hero Harry Maguire scored a dramatic late header to book a place in the Europa League semi-finals.

Harry Maguire’s header avoided the lottery of penalties, sealing an improbable 5-4 victory on the night.

Harry Maguire was one of United’s key men on the night, sparing the blushes of teammate Luke Shaw who had given away a penalty in extra-time.

The penalty made it 4-2 to Lyon, giving Manchester United a near-impossible mountain to climb in the 110th minute.

Ruben Amorim’s men had other ideas, going on to seal a dramatic comeback, winning 7-6 on aggregate.

French press criticise Luke Shaw

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw was making only his second appearance of 2025, after returning as a substitute against Newcastle.

Shaw came on at centre-back in the back three, and ended up giving a penalty away, before later engaging in a shoving match with Rayan Cherki.

The England international was heavily criticised in the French media, who selected him as United’s worst player.

Footmercato gave him a 4/10, writing that Shaw was “particularly fragile and collapsed once the Lyonnais came back to 2-1. In extra time, he caused a penalty which almost buried the last hopes of Mancunians.”

Maxifoot was a lot harsher, awarding Shaw with a 2/10 player rating, “absolutely catastrophic for more than an hour. The English left-back was pushed around by Fofana and conceded a penalty that could have sunk Manchester United.”

Shaw’s blushes were spared by his teammates, with a potentially disastrous re-introduction into the team turning into a memorable night all around.

• READ: Manchester United player ratings vs Lyon, UIF verdict

French media split on United’s star man

Neither outlet gave the man of the match award to Harry Maguire, with Footmercato critical of his defending.

They selected Bruno Fernandes as their highest rated player, 8/10, describing him accurately as “The architect of Ruben Amorim’s team.”

Maxifoot had a different perspective, picking out Casemiro and giving him a 8.5/10.

Their summary added: “He showed incredible spirit in extra time, winning the penalty for the third goal and then providing two assists for the final two goals. Exceptional.”