Manchester United were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Olympique Lyonnais in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash on Thursday night, following a late equaliser that cancelled out what looked like a crucial away win.
The Red Devils initially fell behind in the 25th minute after a misjudged intervention from goalkeeper André Onana allowed Lyon’s Thiago Almada to find the net directly from a free-kick. Despite the early setback, Manchester United responded just before half-time through teenage defender Leny Yoro, who scored his first goal for the club to restore parity.
In the second half, United appeared to have turned the game around when Joshua Zirkzee headed in a precise delivery from captain Bruno Fernandes, giving Erik ten Hag’s side a 2-1 lead. However, their advantage was short-lived. In stoppage time, Onana was again at the centre of controversy as he failed to deal with a late strike from Georges Mikautadze, spilling the ball into the path of Rayan Cherki, who capitalised to make it 2-2.
Onana’s performance was heavily scrutinised, especially after a tense pre-match exchange with former United midfielder Nemanja Matic, now playing for Lyon. Matic had criticised Onana as "one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United history," a statement that gained traction following the Cameroonian’s two critical errors on the night.
Despite enjoying spells of dominance and creating several scoring opportunities—particularly through Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund—United were unable to preserve their lead and will return to Old Trafford with work to do in the second leg.
The result leaves the tie finely poised, with both sides eyeing a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
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