MANCHESTER, England :Harry Maguire scored in the dying seconds of extra time to help Manchester United snatch a place in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday with a sensational 7-6 aggregate victory over Olympique Lyonnais in their quarter-final clash.
A thrilling second leg tie was taken into extra time after United threw away a two-goal lead on the night to be pegged back to 2-2 after 90 minutes, with goals from Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette putting Lyon on the verge of the semi-finals at a stunned Old Trafford.
However, United made their numerical advantage, given to them after Corentin Tolisso’s late red card in normal time, count. Maguire sent Old Trafford into delirium with his 121st-minute header which sealed a 5-4 victory in the second leg.
It was the hosts who took an early lead, Manuel Ugarte slotting home 10 minutes in after a fine team move, before Diogo Dalot added a second just before the break to double hosts’s lead.
As the minutes ticked on, however, the nerves crept in and two goals in six second-half minutes from Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico drew the match, and left the tie level in sensational fashion.
Tolisso’s late sending off swung the momentum back in United’s favour, but Cherki’s fine strike and Lacazzette’s coolly-taken penalty seemingly settled the exhilarating contest.
Fernandes’ spot kick straight down the other end gave home supporters hope of another dramatic finale, before Kobbie Mainoo levelled the tie with what appeared to be the last kick, only for Maguire to have the final say.
United are now the first team in history to score two goals in the 120th minute of a major European match, as they storm into the last four to face Athletic Bilbao.
“I felt like the fourth goal for them was a sucker punch but that we’d get chances to get back into it,” Maguire told TNT Sport. “It fell to myself and thankfully I scored, it was an amazing feeling.
“An incredible game, we made really hard work of it.”
Old Trafford has not been a happy place this season especially in the Premier League. Long-regarded as one of the toughest places in England to visit, seven of United’s 14 league defeats this season have come on their home patch.
FAST START
Their record in Europe, however, remains much more formidable. Lyon travelled to Manchester looking to register only the second away win at Old Trafford in 30 Europa League encounters.
Nothing could have prepared supporters for a night of drama on this scale, however.
The team who had conceded first 19 times in the Premier League this season needed a fast start to breathe life into their crucial clash and Ugarte converted Alejandro Garnacho’s low cross to nearly lift the roof off Old Trafford’s famous Stretford End.
After Dalot’s well-taken second, Garnacho wasted a glorious opportunity to kill off the contest early in the second half, with that miss costly as the nerves set in, some tentative defending allowing Tolisso in to get Lyon back in it.
Tagliafico was then on hand to fire home from a tight angle past United’s returning goalkeeper Andre Onana, the Argentine defender’s former teammate at Ajax.
Tolisso’s red card, after picking up two yellows, lifted Old Trafford once more, but it was Lyon who looked more dangerous in the first period of extra time.
Cherki is very much Lyon’s dangerman and his brilliance put the visitors in front for the first time, before Lacazette had the away side’s substitutes storming the pitch.
Casemiro’s tumble in the penalty area gave Fernandes the chance to give United hope, with substitute Mainoo’s superb finish sensationally levelling the match up once more.
Maguire was not done there, as he headed home Casemiro’s cross to spark scenes of joy this stadium has been longing for – the first time there has been a winner this late in Europa League history.
“The only negative point I might make is we celebrated too much when our fourth goal went in,” Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca said. “We shouldn’t really celebrate until the very end of the match.”
