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Maguire has come up with quite a few goals for United when needed, but last night’s header certainly has to be up there:
If you looked madness up in the dictionary you would probably describe it as that game. A crazy game and unbelievable to be on the right side of the result, and yet we’ve created great memories for a lot of our fans. We’ve made them happy and given them lots to talk about, good and bad.
We made really hard work of it, I must say. We don’t do things easily! Half-time at 2-0 up, we had full control. I think even in the second half, I feel like we had chances to score a third. Then they score a third out of nowhere, bit of a pinball goal which put us on the back foot and they manage to get that equaliser.
To go 4-2 down against ten men in extra time is nowhere near good enough, we opened ourselves up too much. They are a good team, have some good forwards, play great football. But we dug in, showed great spirit, and that is what this stadium does and to come back like that is an incredible performance from everyone in the final minutes.
I felt like the fourth goal for them was a real suckerpunch. Even going 3-2 down I felt like we were gonna get chances.
Obviously [the chance] fell to myself and I put it in the back of the net, which was an amazing feeling.
Any stats nerds around? Because United accomplished a few feats that no ever side has done before. Commit these to memory because I reckon they will be asked at a few pub quizzes around the country this weekend.
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Harry Maguire’s goal was the first 120th-minute winning goal scored in Europa League history and the first in a major European tie since Atlético Madrid beat Liverpool at Anfield in March 2020.
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It was only the second 5-4 win in Manchester United’s history, along with their 5-4 victory over Arsenal in the top-flight in February 1958.
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Manchester United’s 5-4 win over Lyon was also the first game in major European football history to see five goals scored in extra-time.
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Manchester United have lost only one of their last 30 Europa League matches at Old Trafford. They have also won their last five home Europa League matches.
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This was the first nine-goal game in Europa League history. Ten previous matches had involved eight goals.
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Lyon have been defeated in their last four two-legged European ties against English teams. The French side were unbeaten in ten away European games before this one.
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This was Manchester United’s 28th Uefa competition quarter-final, a new English club record.
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Manchester United have won eight of their last nine two-legged European ties against French teams.
Amorim, who has been under quite some pressure, would have faced quite a bit more had United not gotten it over the line yesterday. His side threw a two-goal lead and let a 10-man Lyon back into the game. But the head coach must be hailed for how they got through it in the end. His inspiration? Fergie time, of course.
I was watching the 1999 [Treble] documentary to have some inspiration for these moments. It was a great night, the team were tired, 4-2 with one more player, we think it’s over, but here it’s never over. Here everything is possible, you feel the environment. At 4-3, after the Bruno Fernandes penalty, we felt we could change the game.
We tried to put Harry Maguire up front because he is the only one who can score a goal with a header. Kobbie Mainoo has a lack of pace in this moment because of injury, but he’s really good in short spaces,” said Amorim.
The sound of the two last goals were amazing. It is something we can keep for the future. But in the end you go to the semi-finals but you need to win it. We just need to focus on the next stage and try and win the competition.
Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford to witness the mayhem. He writes:
This is Manchester United and their proud DNA of Fergie-time and that 2-1 triumph over Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. So: enter Harry Maguire to head the winner 34 seconds into added time, put United in dreamland and take the roof off the stadium – Casemiro again the provider, to make it three involvements in the three crucial strikes.
United, then, head to Spain for a semi-final first leg at Athletic Bilbao and after this who will wager against them reaching the showpiece at the same venue, after what was, too, a night of redemption for André Onana.
Preamble
All of the talk from the Spanish capital leading up to this week of European football was “Remontada this, remontada that”. Los Blancos were all talk and no action and it was ultimately Manchester United who managed the unthinkable comeback of the week.
Against Lyon, Ruben Amorim’s side scored three goals in the final six minutes of the match to seal a memorable 5-4 win over Lyon and book their berth in the Europa League last-four. For the first time in the history of a major European competition, a club had scored two goals in the 120th minute. Queue pandemonium at Old Trafford and on the Guardian sports desk.
There is bound to be a load of reaction from Manchester alone, which we will be bringing you right here. Spurs and Chelsea also booked their spot in the semi-finals of their respective European competitions and we will cast an eye towards a big weekend including Premier League, WSL and Football League action.
As always, if you have any thoughts, questions, complaints or musings (football related or otherwise), feel free to send me an email.
