Key events
Full time: Lyon 2-2 Man Utd
Well that escalated slowly. A relatively cagey match exploded into life at the death, with late goals at both ends. Man Utd will still be favourites going next week’s second leg, but that Cherki goal is a huge blow.
90+6 min Robbie Savage thinks that was another mistake by Onana. I’d like to see it again. Tolisso’s shot was straight at him but it was well struck and came through a crowd. Maybe he should have held it, I don’t know. Either way, Cherki’s finish was gorgeous.
Man Utd just couldn’t get the ball away and eventually the pressure told. Tolisso’s shot was spilled by Onana and Cherki reacted first to flick a beautiful finish over Onana.
GOAL! Lyon 2-2 Man Utd (Cherki 90+5)
Lyon’s main man has given them fresh hope!
90+4 min Mainoo takes a yellow card for the team with a cynical pull on Lacazette.
90+4 min Mainoo’s awareness and use of the ball have been superb since he came on. He does the little things so well, most notably the header to Fernandes in the build-up to the goal.
90+1 min Fernandes attempt a carbon copy of the goal with another excellent flipped cross. This time Mata gets in front of Zirkzee at the far post and heads behind for a corner.
90 min Five minutes of added time. I’d need to see Zirkzee’s goal again to know how much fortune, if any, was involved. Not that he or United will care.
Lindelof droves a long pass towards Fernandes that was cut out 20 yards from goal. Mainoo reacted smartly to head the ball back to Fernandes, who teased a superb curling cross towards Zirkzee at the far post. Zirkzee leapt with Mata and powered a header above the leaping Perri.
Replays show Mata got a slight headed touch onto the head of Zirkzee, though I’m not sure how much it changed the flight of the ball.
GOAL! Lyon 1-2 Man Utd (Zirkzee 88)
Joshua Zirkzee has scored a priceless goal!
86 min: Chance for Lacazette! Cherki, who is finally showing his quality, runs at Dorgu and picks out Lacazette in space near the edge of the area. Lacazette takes a touch and curls a poor effort over the bar. “Unacceptable,” says the TNT Sports commentator Robbie Savage, or Savigol as he was known during his playing days.
83 min: Double substitution for Man Utd Kobbie Mainoo, back after two months out, and Victor Lindelof replace Alejandro Garnacho and Harry Maguire.
82 min Almada, on the right, plays a fine pass infield to Cherki. He takes it neatly in his stride before driving over from 20 yards.
80 min: Just wide from Casemiro! Fernandes curls an outswinging corner towards Casemiro, who plants a header this far wide of the near post. It was a good effort, but for a player of his quality…
79 min Fernandes does superbly to find Dorgu on the left. He curls an early cross towards Garnacho, who does well to get in front of his man and force a volley into the ground. The ball kicks up and is tipped over by Perri. A comfortable save in the end.
78 min: Aggro klaxon! Tagliafico fouls Mount and the two players square up. Mount pushes Tagliafico and eventually, after a bit of posturing from both sets of players, the two men are booked. I’m not sure whether Tagliafico’s yellow card was for the foul or whether he also pushed Mount. The blaze in his eyes suggest he’d like to do a whole lo more than push Mount.
76 min For the first time all night the match is lurching from end to end. That suits Lyon more than Man Utd, even if it comes with risk. I don’t think this will end 1-1.
75 min Tagliafico wins a corner for Lyon, who would really rather like a second goal to take to Manchester. Not this time: the corner is headed away at the near post by Fernandes.
73 min “With Khvicha, Mikautadze and, dare I say it, Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze (who is at a mid-table Championship club, but would sit comfortably in most Premier League teams for my money), Georgia have some serious attacking players,” says Mac Millings. . When was the last time such a small nation had such an array of forward talent? Wales 35 years ago or so?”
I guess it depends how you define ‘small nation’. If it’s on population you could pick Croatia at various points in the last 30 years.
71 min: Man Utd substitution Mason Mount comes on for Manuel Ugarte, which suggests Bruno Fernandes will move deeper alongside Casemiro.
69 min Mazraoui makes a vital block from Mikautadze’s shot, which came after a good run from Maitland-Niles, and United break three on three. Garnacho carries the ball 60 yards but then plays a really poor pass across the field towards Fernandes. That was a big chance.
65 min What a fine player Mikautadze is. He controls a shin-high cross from the left on the half turn, scurries towards goal and pokes a shot that deflects past the far post off Maguire. The referee doesn’t see the touch off Maguire and gives a goalkick.
64 min: Big chance for Lyon! Tolisso plays a short one-two with Lacazette, swerves elegantly away from Ugarte and Mazraoui but then forces a shot straight at Onana from 15 yards. It was lovely play to create the chance, particularly the way he dummied the sliding Mazraoui; replays suggest the ball got slightly stuck under his feet which is why his shot went straight at Onana.
64 min Fernandes’s corner is headed away, Lyon threaten to break but United get back into their defensive shape very quickly.
63 min: Man Utd substitution Ugarte finds Garnacho, who runs at Niakhate to win another Man Utd corner. Before the corner is taken, Joshua Zirkzee replaces Rasmus Hojlund.
61 min Leny Yoro runs forward from the back, uses Hojlund by not using him and drives not far wide from 25 yards. The keeper had it covered but it was a nice bit of enterprise from Yoro.
58 min That Mikautadze run aside, United have quietly had the better of the second half. But you’d expect Lyon to have a spell of pressure sooner rather than later.
56 min The Lyon keeper Perri looks nervous on set-pieces. He doesn’t come for an awkward inswinging corner from Fernandes that is headed across goal and wide by a Lyon defender. The second corner leads to a bit of a scramble before being cleared.
54 min The touch from Mikautadze at the start of that move was lovely. He allowed a pass from the left to run across his body, dummying Mazraoui in the process; then, in the same movement, he knocked the ball through Mazraoui’s legs and ran round the other side to collect the ball.
I’m not doing it justice, it was silky and ingenious. Go and find a video. AND WATCH KVARATSKHELIA’S GOAL FHS.
53 min: Chance for Lacazette! Mikautadeze beats Mazraoui all ends up with a brilliant touch just outside the area. Then he slips Garnacho, gets to the byline and clips a cross that is shanked wide on the volley by Lacazette. That was a pretty good chance.
53 min Ugarte is booked for a foul on Mikautadze.
