Manchester United 5-4 Lyon: Europa League quarter-final, second leg – as it happened (2025)

Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Football, eh? Bloody hell!

Amorim adds: “We start well … we are not consistent … when the team is a little tired we drop a lot … we can defend quite well in these moments … we should do better with the two [second-half] goals … we have a lot to improve but the character is there … the reflection of the coach is the League … we are under-performing … but we have to see the context … Garnacho is tired but he is the only one who can make transitions … [he’s asked if physically it’s a problem?] … yes, I think so … when you play against European teams we can cope better with that … these kind of moments can change a lot in the players’ mind … we have to be really focused on Europa League … we have to take risks with the kids in the Premier League … the fans have to understand that we have to focus on the Europa League … we believe it is possible … we need luck with injuries … it’s going to be tough.”

More from Amorim. “Playing Premier League and European games is really hard if you don’t have the full squad … it is almost impossible … Luke Shaw was meant to play 30 minutes top, but we had a problem with Noussair [Mazraoui] at half-time … he had a personal problem and had to leave.”

Ruben Amorim talks to TNT Sports. “It was fun … it was hard … I was watching again the 1999 commentary to have some inspiration …. it was a great night … the team were tired … at 4-2 we had one more player … you thought it’s over … but here it’s never over … I felt that everything is possible … then after 4-3 you can change the game … we tried to put Harry Maguire [up front] because he’s the only guy who can score a goal with his head … then Kobbie Mainoo has a lack of pace at this moment because he had that injury, but he is really good in short spaces and has the ability to do that kind of goal … we try it … sometimes it works and today was a good day.”

Harry Maguire speaks to TNT Sports: “Obviously it’s an incredible game … we made really hard work of it … to go 4-2 down in extra time against ten men is nowhere near good enough … we opened ourselves up too much … they’re a good team … we dug in and showed great spirit … to comeback like that is an incredible performance … as soon as we got the fourth I knew there would be another chance … there was contact but not enough for a foul.”

Kobbie Mainoo adds: “It was an amazing comeback … we put ourselves in that situation … I tried to bring energy … when the ball drops in there, a yard feels like a mile, innit … you’ve just got to try to stay as calm as you can and slot it, and that’s what I did … a win like that can bring so much momentum … we’re rolling a snowball that’s getting bigger and bigger and we’re trying to go all the way.”

Harry Maguire with a smile as wide as the depth of Alexandre Lacazette’s despair. The Lyon striker pulls his shirt over his face. He can’t believe how his side have just capitulated. Paulo Fonseca grim-faced. They celebrated Lacazette’s penalty, which put Lyon 6-4 up on aggregate with ten minutes of extra time to play, a little too ferociously. The football gods quickly reminded them of their folly. Three Manchester United goals in the last six minutes, the last two a quickfire double-whammy that turned defeat into glorious victory! Ruben Amorim with the widest smile of the lot. He would have been dreading a premature end to United’s season. Now they’re in a European semi-final, and they’ll be high on life after winning one of the greatest – certainly the loopiest - continental ties in the club’s history!

The whistle goes as Old Trafford, in despair less than 20 minutes ago, erupts in delight! Glory, glory.

ET 30 min +7: Lacazette tries to bring a long ball down on the edge of the box, but can’t control. That should surely be that.

ET 30 min +5: One last chance for Lyon? They’re trying to work an angle to get the ball forward. But can’t find one. United holding their shape heroically.

ET 30 min +4: Onana goes down with cramp, possibly a result of sprinting down the touchline to celebrate Maguire’s winner with Amorim.

ET 30 min +3: Lyon went too early with that celebration, didn’t they?

ET 30 min +2: Did Maguire shove Niakhaté as he won his header? VAR checks … but the goal stands!

This is preposterous! Glorious! The ball comes in from the left through Casemiro. Maguire wins a header at the far stick and steers it across the face of goal and into the bottom left! Outrageous!

Mainoo enters the Lyon box down the left. He chops inside to see off Maitland-Niles, then curls a powerful shot across Perri and into the bottom right. Old Trafford explodes!

ET 29 min: Fernandes advances on the Lyon box and considers shooting. He declines. Maitland-Niles clears. But no matter, because …

ET 28 min: Suddenly it’s Lyon who look nervous. The atmosphere in Old Trafford febrile. A loose ball falls to Fernandes, just to the left of the D. It sits up perfectly, but he slices it miles wide right.

ET 27 min: Perri needs a bit of treatment. A ploy to take the sting out of the game? The clock ticks on.

ET 26 min: Lyon celebrated Lacazette’s penalty in the manner of a team who thought the job was done. But here we are! Maguire and Niakhaté tussle in the Lyon box, both with a handful of each other’s shirt. United want another penalty, but they’re not getting one.

ET 25 min: Tagliafico is replaced by Ćaleta-Car.

Fernandes whips the penalty into the bottom right. Perri went the right way, but had no chance of stopping that! United back with hope!

ET 23 min: Tagliafico brushed Casemiro from behind, and so the referee points to the spot!

ET 22 min: The referee performs the mime for TV, and over to the screen he goes!

ET 21 min: United want a penalty in return! A ball bouncing around the Lyon box. Casemiro can’t get it under control. He goes down. The referee’s not interested. No contact. Or has there been? VAR is taking a look!

Lacazette gives Onana the eyes, sending the keeper the wrong way as he slots into the bottom left! He races off to celebrate wildly with his bench.

ET 18 min: Casemiro’s loose pass, 30 yards from his own goal, allows Lacazette to flick the ball into the road of Fofana, who dribbles into the box, down the inside-left channel, in between Yoro and Shaw, and is brought down by the latter. The referee points straight to the spot.

ET 17 min: Cherki goes down, and Lyon’s potential match-winner will play no further part. He’s replaced by Abner Vinicius.

ET 16 min: United have thrown Maguire up front as an emergency striker. “Man United have allowed Lyon to be comfortable with ten men,” sighs Rio Ferdinand on TNT. “It’s criminal, really.”

Manchester United get the second half of extra time underway, Ruben Amorim having whipped out the tactical chalkboard during the break. Fifteen minutes to save a season.

United had one foot in the semis. And now look. A few boos. Old Trafford was in party mode an hour ago.

Tagliafico releases Fofana down the left touchline with a deft flick. Fofana dribbles fast and hard towards the box, drifting infield. He jinks past Maguire, then slips. Neither Dalot nor Amass can get to the loose ball. Cherki can, taking a touch to set himself before lashing into the bottom right. Onana no chance. The ten men of Lyon lead!

ET 13 min: Dalot enters the Lyon box down the right. He slips and toe-pokes the ball out for a goal kick. A few folk in the crowd want a penalty, but come off it.

ET 12 min: United do a bit of probing but in slow motion. Dalot crosses from the right. Fernandes back-flicks it on. At the far stick, Amass can’t get to the ball ahead of Maitland-Niles, who hooks clear.

ET 10 min: Dorgu and Garnacho are replaced by Amass and Eriksen.

ET 9 min: The corner’s no good, and Almada has the opportunity to counter. Cherki advances down the right. He crosses long for Fofana, who should shoot but heads out wide instead. Eventually the flag goes up for offside. This is getting a bit scrappy, though Lyon still seem to fancy their chances on the break.

ET 8 min: Fernandes finds Mainoo inside the box with a slide-rule pass down the inside-left channel. Mainoo chooses to cross. No good. But Fernandes, now out on the other flank, soon wins a corner. Everyone piles into the Lyon box.

ET 6 min: A loose shot breaks to Lacazette, free in the United box on the right. He’s one on one with Onana, but pulls his low drive across the face of goal and miles wide left. But none of it matters, the flag going up for offside anyway.