Manchester United’s season rests fully on the shoulders of a successful run in the Europa League, and as the only team across the competition to remain unbeaten thus far, they went into their quarter-final 1st leg with Lyon as joint-favourites to go on to lift the trophy. Given the disastrous campaign domestically, the Europa League offers not only a cash boost for winning the trophy, but also offers a further incentive of Champions League football next season, a key tool for the club to sort their finances, attract new players and show they are possibly ahead of their long-term planning.

The game itself showed similar traits to that of United games in recent weeks, some good moments, a fairly compact and consistent setup and system, but lacking in the final third, and ultimately being the masters of their own downfall. With 2 goals scored away from home, United should have been looking to go into the second leg full of confidence and with one foot in the semi-finals, but thanks to silly mistakes and a lack of cutting edge, this tie still rests on a knife-edge.

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Teams

United went with the same starting XI which started against City on Sunday afternoon, and despite the ‘robotic’ and ‘dull’ display seen in this outing, the setup felt well balanced and yet still with huge room for improvements. On the bench, Shaw featured once again but is yet to return to the action since his long-term injury layoff, while Mount again featured in a cameo late on. With United’s forward line coming under fire, it was Zirkzee from the bench who helped United get ahead for a brief spell, and yet with 2 goalkeepers and no other forward options, the lack of squad depth is clear to see again.

For Lyon, their big hitters were available as they started with the much-touted Cherki down the right and an impressive performance from Almada on the left. Englishman Maitland-Niles dealt with the forward runs from Dorgu well, and making a cameo appearance, Lacazette rolled back the years as he came close to getting Lyon back level before they eventually managed late on. Despite the war of words pre-game, former United midfielder Matic didn’t feature, but the cameras were keen to reiterate the spat between Matic and Onana throughout.

Lyon: Perri, Tagliafico, Niakhate, Mata, Maitland-Niles, Tolisso, Akouokou (Lacazette 51′), Veretout, Almada, Mikautadze, Cherki

Subs: Diarra, Descamps, Abner, Caleta-Car, Kumbedi, Barisic, Omari, Carvalho, Matic, Rodriguez, Molebe

Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire (Lindelof 83′), Mazraoui, Dorgu, Casemiro, Ugarte (Mount 72′), Dalot, Fernandes, Garnacho (Mainoo 83′), Hojlund (Zirkzee 63′)

Subs: Bayindir, Heaton, Kukonki, Amass, Kamason, Shaw, Eriksen, Moorhouse

Lyon 2-2 Manchester United

Lyon took the lead in the 25th minute when Thiago Almada’s free-kick was mishandled by United goalkeeper André Onana, allowing the ball to find the net. United responded just before halftime, with defender Leny Yoro scoring his first goal for the club by heading in Manuel Ugarte’s cross.

The second half saw both teams creating opportunities, but it was United who appeared to have secured a late victory when substitute Joshua Zirkzee headed in a cross from Bruno Fernandes in the 88th minute. However, Lyon equalized in stoppage time when Rayan Cherki capitalized on another Onana error, converting the rebound after the goalkeeper failed to hold a shot.

Onana’s performance was under intense scrutiny, especially following pre-match comments from former United midfielder Nemanja Matić, who had criticized the goalkeeper’s abilities. Onana’s mistakes in this match seemed to validate those criticisms, casting doubt over his reliability in crucial fixtures.

As the teams prepare for the second leg in Manchester, the tie remains delicately poised. United will look to capitalize on their home advantage, while Lyon will be buoyed by their late equalizer and the vulnerabilities exposed in United’s defence. The outcome of the return fixture will determine who advances to face either Rangers or Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.

Talking Points

The lead-up to the match was dominated by a public spat between former United midfielder Nemanja Matić and current goalkeeper André Onana. Matić, now playing for Lyon, pulled no punches in an interview, suggesting Onana “isn’t good enough” for a club of United’s stature. Onana fired back on social media, labelling the criticism “disrespectful.” The clash added a layer of tension to the encounter, particularly given Matić’s past connection with United and his role in stoking the flames of doubt around the Cameroonian goalkeeper.

Unfortunately for Onana, his performance gave weight to Matić’s remarks. Lyon’s opener came from a Thiago Almada free-kick that slipped through Onana’s hands—an unforgivable blunder at this level. Worse still, in stoppage time, he spilled a routine save allowing Rayan Cherki to pounce for the equalizer. It was a nightmare outing for the United shot-stopper, whose errors directly influenced the result and sparked renewed scrutiny about his role as United’s No. 1, especially when United travelled with 2 goalkeepers in reserve.

Manchester United will feel aggrieved not to have left Lyon with a win. Despite goals from Leny Yoro and substitute Joshua Zirkzee, United squandered several promising opportunities. Garnacho and Højlund were often isolated or wasteful, and Bruno Fernandes, while creative, couldn’t fully dictate the tempo and his frustrations with the options to support his ideas in the final third were clear to see. The inability to kill off the game after going 2–1 up proved costly, and attacking consistency remains a concern heading into the decisive second leg at Old Trafford.