The events that happened at Old Trafford this night will go down in history. How on earth have Manchester United lost a lead only to come back with just minutes to spare?
From the onset, this Europa League tie looked like it had something cooking. From the sound of the referee’s whistle, both teams went head to head, and you could just tell that maybe, just maybe, we were about to witness either a clean sweep or a historic night.
The scriptwriters cooked with this one.
The game started with a fresh flow of energy. Both teams were gunning for a place in the quarter-final after a dramatic 2-2 draw in France. With Manchester United at home, they knew they needed to do something famous, and in the first ten minutes, it was the start of something famous.
A beautiful passage of play between Mazraoui and Bruno Fernandes found the run of Garnacho. Running past two Lyon defenders, Garnacho created a bit of space for himself before cutting the ball back to Ugarte, who passed the ball into the net.
Just like that, United had the lead, and they kept the momentum. Lyon had good chances from Cherki and Almada, but the United defense was untroubled. The voice of the fans grew louder with each passing moment, and in the first minute of stoppage time, it was thunderous.
A sublime pass from Maguire found Dalot, who shook off Tagliafico before rifling the ball past Perri. In the space of 35 minutes, Manchester United had a commanding lead. They were two goals up at home, and it felt done and dusted.
But synonymous to every Manchester United match this season, something dramatic was bound to happen. Lyon came into the second half with one objective, to get back in the game and for 26 minutes, they tried everything. They gave all they could but the United defense didn’t budge.
With the clock ticking in the 70th minute, it was looking like the Red Devils had this one in the bag until Tolisso pulled one back for Lyon. That was where the magic happened.
Tolisso pulled a goal back for Lyon in the 71st minute and it felt like United were hit with a rock. In less than 7 minutes, Lyon had levelled the score. At this time, they were one man down but it didn’t seem to faze them. They levelled the score through Tagliafico and sent the game to extra time.
The 30 minutes of extra time in this game is probably the craziest this season. We saw a game go from one end to the other end for 30 straight minutes. It was like a fantasy.
With a red card against them, Lyon found a way to unearth two goals in five minutes. In the last minute of the first half of extra time, Cherki scored a brilliant goal to give his team the lead. Old Trafford was stunned. Fans were in shock. How bad can they be?
Lyon added another in the 110th minute through a penalty kick from Lacazette. The game looked like it had gone. How were United going to come back? The Red Devils were searching for answers and time wasn’t on their side. With ten minutes to go, the Red Devils were handed a lifeline.
Casemiro was fouled in the penalty box and the referee pointed to the spot. Stepping up calmly was Bruno Fernandes and with the weight of the red side of Manchester on his back, he put the ball past Perri.
All Lyon had to do now was defend and they failed woefully at it. They kept allowing Manchester United to see a lot of the ball and to come at them. Eventually, it paid off for Manchester United.
With just a minute to spare from the thirty minutes of extra time, Mainoo found space in the box. With the goal in his sight, he put his laces behind the ball and it hit the back of the net. Old Trafford burst into a frenzy. They were level. United were level. It was now 4-4 on the night and 6-6 on aggregate. But that wasn’t the end of it.
Lyon slipped once again. Just one minute after Manchester United drew level, they created a chance from almost nothing. Casemiro whipped in a good cross from the left to find Maguire who had stationed himself as a striker. With just one man to beat, the towering defender leaped up in the air and headed the ball into the net.
And the crowd went wild.
The impossible had become possible. This is no fantasy. Manchester United have pulled themselves from the trenches of despair to rip the semi final dreams of Lyon. Wild scenes from Old Trafford.
Amorim jumped into the air to celebrate as the referee blew the final whistle. A dramatic night at Old Trafford. This will certainly go down in history for both teams. The look on the faces of the Lyon players said it all, they have allowed themselves to be beaten but Manchester United won’t care. They have a place in the semi final of the Europa League against all odds and a chance to win silverware this season.
