Manchester United battled in a nine-goal thriller against Lyon to progress in the Europa League.
It was a classic European encounter as Manchester United beat Lyon 5-4 at Old Trafford to secure a place in the Europa League semi-finals.
Ruben Amorim’s side prevailed against Paulo Fonseca’s side in what was one of the most chaotic games in this year’s competition.
The Red Devils led 2-0, then went 4-2 down in extra time, before scoring three late goals in the space of around seven minutes to set up a last-4 meeting with Athletic Bilbao, who enjoyed a 2-0 win over Rangers on the night.
It was all to do after a draw in the first-leg but United were quickly rewarded for a fast start when Manuel Ugarte opened the scoring, before Portugal international Diogo Dalot doubled the advantage shortly before half-time.
Although United appeared in control, six minutes of madness led to two Lyon goals, through Corentin Tolisso’s close-range header and Nicolas Tagliafico scoring at the back post in the 77th minute to make it 2-2.
Lyon were reduced to 10 men after Tolisso’s red card but the French side held the momentum for the first half of extra time. They took the lead through Rayan Cherki and went 4-2 up thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty.
United looked dead and buried until three late goals from Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire turned the tie on its head.
Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca ‘sad’ after defeat at Old Trafford
Lyon proved to be a tricky opponent for United over two legs.
United led 2-0 in both of the ties before throwing away the lead, but they eventually got the job done at Old Trafford after some questionable defending.
The result means Lyon crash out of the Europa League, which sparked a heartbroken reaction from Fonseca at full-time.
Speaking to reporters at his post-match press conference, Fonseca admitted it was difficult to comprehend what happened in the game due to mixed emotions: “It is a mix of emotions in my head. Until now, it is difficult to understand what happened.
“I think, first of all, we did magnificent things. We led 4-2 with one player less on the pitch but we celebrated the 4-2 too much when the match was not finished. I think that we lacked emotional balance at this moment. It is the only negative that I can identify.
“We celebrated the 4-2 when there was still time to play. We should have thought about continuing to manage the match. We lacked experience at this moment. I am sad because I thought we deserved more.
“No, I don’t regret my changes at the end, because Manchester United started playing long balls, so I had to respond to that. But tonight, in the heat of the moment, I must above all remember that I am proud of my team and my players, of what they did with 10 against 11.”
Europa League quarter-final results
It was a busy night in the Europa League as the semi-finalists were decided.
In the other games on Thursday night, Rangers were knocked out after losing 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao, who will face United in the semi-finals.
Tottenham got their desired result against Eintracht Frankfurt and will face Bodo/Glimt in the next round. The Norwegian side shocked the tournament after beating Lazio over two legs, despite losing in Italy this week.
- Lazio 3 -1 Bodo/Glimt
- Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Tottenham
- Athletic Club 2-0 Rangers
- Manchester United 5-4 Lyon
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