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- Thiago Almeida's crossed free-kick passed Onana before Leny Yoro levelled
- Joshua Zirkzee netted in the 88th minute before Rayan Cherki pounced later
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In the end, Manchester United weren’t way better than Lyon, as Andre Onana had suggested. But they were good enough to get a draw here in France and that may still be enough to see them through to the semi-finals of the Europa League next week.
This was an embarrassing night for Onana. Embroiled in a public spat with former United midfielder Nemanja Matic before this tie, he was at fault for Lyon going ahead from Thiago Almada’s free kick midway through the first half and then blundered again when Rayan Cherki snatched a last-gasp equaliser deep into injury-time.
But Ruben Amorim’s side remain unbeaten in Europe this season and they dug deep to equalise through former Lille defender Leny Yoro with his first goal for United on his return to France, and then scored what they must have thought was the winner through substitute Joshua Zirkzee late on.
So United will be marginal favourites when the two teams meet again at Old Trafford in a week’s time – just as they were after drawing with Real Sociedad in Spain in the last round – even though there was more than enough evidence to suggest the fifth-placed team in Ligue 1 will not go down without a fight.
‘It is hard to concede a goal like that, but we will go with the draw and try to win the game at home,’ said Yoro.
‘If you get the 2-1 win, we are more confident but conceding the goal is difficult. We didn’t lose so we can win at Old Trafford.’
All the talk before this game was about Onana’s fall-out with Matic who responded to the Cameroonian’s claim that United were better than their French opponents by branding him one of the worst goalkeeper’s in the club’s history.
Onana had pointed out that, unlike Matic, he has won a trophy at United, but you have to back up these boasts and it’s fair to say it backfired on the United keeper.
Although he exuded calm and confidence when bringing the ball out of his goal to a cacophony of boos from the French fans inside the Groupama Stadium, he wasn’t quite so self assured when it came to keeping it out of the net.
United had soaked up the early pressure and even created a couple of openings for Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes when he made his first mistake of the evening in the 25th minute.
Noussair Mazraoui fouled Nicolas Tagliafico and Almada delivered an inswinger from the left touchline. Onana was clearly expecting someone to get a touch on the ball and it bounced inside his inside post.
It was not unlike the goal he conceded to Ipswich’s Jaden Philogene in similar circumstances at Old Trafford in February. Indeed, no Premier League keeper has made more mistakes that have cost his team goals in all competitions this season than Onana’s eight.
A penny for Matic’s thoughts or perhaps United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sat in the stands here with Joel and Avram Glazer, who named Onana as one of the players he suggested either wasn’t good enough or overpaid in a series of interviews last month.
‘He is probably wishing he kept his mouth shut, it’s a really bad mistake,’ former United midfielder Paul Scholes told TNT Sports (check). ‘I’m not sure what the keeper is trying to do, the ball bounces right in front of him – it’s an awful mistake.’
United were certainly on the ropes as the noise inside the Groupama Stadium rose another few decibels. Diogo Dalot was booked for a late challenge on Tagliafico and it needed a fantastic interception tackle by Mazraoui in first half injury-time to prevent Georges Mikautadze setting up a second goal that would have left United with an uphill battle.
But they were level with the last action of the half. Goalkeeper Lucas Perri palmed away Fernandes’ freekick and Manuel Ugarte hooked the ball back into the box for Yoro to nod it in from close-range.
Mikautadze caused United no end of problems and no sooner had Ugarte been booked for fouling him than the Georgia international left Mazraoui for dead and crossed for substitute Alexandre Lacazette to volley wide before Clorentin Tolisso fired straight at Onana from 10 yards after tricking his way past Ugarte and Yoro.
Unforgivably, Alejandro Garnacho then over-hit a pass to Fernandes when it looked like United would score on the break, and then saw an effort kept out by Perri at point-blank range.
But it looked like United had won when Zirkzee, on for the ineffective Hojlund, struck in the 88th minute.
Fernandes clipped a cross towards the back post and Zirkzee had drifted away from his marker Clinton Mata just enough to guide a header beyond goalkeeper Perri.
But Lyon weren’t done and neither was Onana. He saved Mikautadze’s shot in the fifth minute of added time but allowed the ball to get away from him and Cherki pounced to dink it over him with a clever finish to equalise with the last kick of the game – the latest goal United have ever conceded in this competition.
‘We are really disappointed’ said Amorim. ‘We should have taken the one-goal advantage but the next game is at home and we will try and win it.’
Still, the United boss would have settled for this result before kick-off, and it’s one that nudges his team a little closer to the final in Bilbao next month. Advantage United.
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