Manchester United vs Lyon facts

The 2017 UEFA Europa League winners Manchester United welcome Lyon to Old Trafford for the second leg of their quarter-final with the tie level at 2-2 following an engrossing opening match in France.

Lyon took the lead after 25 minutes of the first leg, Thiago Almada's free-kick curling inside the far post, but centre-back Leny Yoro headed the visitors level before the break. United substitute Joshua Zirkzee looked to have won it for Ruben Amorim’s side when he headed in at the back post with two minutes remaining only for Rayan Cherki to equalise deep into added time.

Previous meetings

Matches 5
Manchester United wins 2
Lyon wins 0
Draws 3
Manchester United goals 8
Lyon goals 6

2004/05 Champions League group stage
Lyon 2-2 Manchester United
Manchester United 2-1 Lyon
United came from two goals down on Matchday 1 in France thanks to two second-half goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutch striker was again on target at Old Trafford, getting the winner after Gary Neville's opener had been cancelled out by Mahamadou Diarra.

2007/08 Champions League round of 16
Lyon 1-1 Manchester United
Manchester United 1-0 Lyon
Carlos Tévez cancelled out Karim Benzema's goal for the home side in Lyon before a Cristiano Ronaldo strike settled the tie at Old Trafford, United going on to lift the trophy.

Form guide

Manchester United

Record vs French clubs: W16 D11 L4 F43 A24
Home record vs French clubs: W10 D3 L2

Prior to the first leg United had previously faced French opposition in the 2020/21 Champions League group stage, winning 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain on Matchday 1 but losing 1-3 at Old Trafford on Matchday 5.

The Red Devils have won seven of their last eight two-legged ties against French teams including the last five since an away-goals defeat against Monaco in the 1997/98 Champions League quarter-finals (0-0 a, 1-1 h). The only previous time they have met a team from France in the UEFA Cup/Europa League was in the 2016/17 round of 16, a 4-0 aggregate defeat of Saint-Étienne (3-0 h, 1-0 a).

United have lost only four of their 31 European matches against French teams.

The English side finished third in the league phase with five wins and three defeats, making them the only team to remain unbeaten. That led them to a round of 16 tie against Real Sociedad, a 1-1 draw in Spain followed by a 4-1 home victory in which Bruno Fernandes scored what is still the only hat-trick in this season's Europa League.

This is United's 28th UEFA competition quarter-final tie, a new English record; they previously shared the mark with Liverpool. This is their sixth appearance in a UEFA Cup/Europa League quarter-final, their fifth in the Europa League era and their fourth in six seasons.

The Manchester club have won 13 of their last 14 two-legged ties in the Europa League, the exception a 2-5 aggregate quarter-final loss to eventual winners Sevilla two seasons ago.

United have lost just one of their last 22 Europa League matches (W14 D7) and just one of their last 12 European quarter-final matches at Old Trafford (W8 D3).

Fernandes has scored 24 goals in the Europa League, more than any other Portuguese player.

The Red Devils have progressed on 14 of the 20 occasions they drew the first leg of a UEFA competition tie away from home. They have only drawn 2-2 away only once previously, in the knockout phase play-off of the 2022/23 Europa League against Barcelona, when they won 2-1 at home.

United's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L3:
4-5 v Videoton, 1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-final
3-4 v Torpedo Moskva, 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round
6-5 v Chelsea, 2007/08 Champions League final
10-11 v Villarreal, 2020/21 Europa League final

Lyon

Record vs English clubs: W7 D10 L7 F32 A31
Away record vs English clubs: W5 D2 L5

Lyon last faced a Premier League side at this stage of the 2021/22 Europa League, losing 1-4 on aggregate to West Ham (1-1 a, 0-3 h) in what was their third straight two-legged defeat against teams from England.

The French club are unbeaten in their last four visits to England, winning three in a row prior to the 1-1 draw with West Ham. Home and away they have suffered only one defeat in the last nine (W4 D4).

Lyon finished sixth in the league phase (W4 D3 L1) and faced FCSB in the round of 16, winning the first leg 3-1 in Bucharest thanks to two late goals from Malick Fofana. Two goals each from Georges Mikautadze and Ernest Nuamah in the return sealed a 7-1 aggregate victory.

This is OL's fifth UEFA Cup/Europa League quarter-final, equalling Marseille's French record. They have only progressed in one of their previous four, beating Beşiktaş on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw (2-1 h, 1-2 a) in 2016/17.

Lyon have lost only one of their 11 Europa League matches this season (W6 D4) and are unbeaten in eight.

Rayan Cherki has eight assists in this season's Europa League, two more than any other player.

Lyon have lost on all nine previous occasions they have drawn the first leg at home in UEFA competition, most recently in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 against Barcelona (0-0 h, 1-4 a). They have never previously drawn 2-2 in a home first leg.

At the end of January Lyon parted ways with head coach Pierre Sage, replacing him with Paulo Fonseca.

Lyon's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
2-4 v PSV Eindhoven, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-final
3-4 v APOEL, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16
7-6 v Beşiktaş, 2016/17 UEFA Europa League quarter-final

Links and trivia

Lyon's Nemanja Matić played 189 games for United between 2017 and 2022, scoring four goals.

Matić also spent two spells with Chelsea between 2009 and 2010 and then again from 2014 to 2017, winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

Matić and Amorim were Benfica team-mates in 2011/12 and 2013/14.

Fonseca was Yoro's coach at LOSC Lille between 2022 and 2024.

Have played together:
André Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt & Nicolás Tagliafico (Ajax 2018–22)
Joshua Zirkzee & Corentin Tolisso (Bayern München 2020/21)

Have also played in England:
Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal 2017–22)
Lucas Perri (Crystal Palace 2019)
Moussa Niakhaté (Nottingham Forest 2022–24)
Duje Ćaleta-Car (Southampton 2022/23)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal 2003–23, Ipswich 2015/16 loan, West Brom 2021 loan, Southampton 2022/23 loan)
Jordan Veretout (Aston Villa 2015/16)

Have played in France:
Leny Yoro (LOSC Lille 2017–24)
Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain 2023/24)

International team-mates:
Casemiro & Abner (Brazil)
Lisandro Martínez & Nicolás Tagliafico, Thiago Almada (Argentina)
Amad Diallo & Paul Akouokou (Ivory Coast)
Leny Yoro & Rayan Cherki (France U23)