The Red Devils came back from the dead at Old Trafford on Thursday night but is the 5-4 win over Lyon their finest ever fightback?
"Football, bloody hell!" – What is it about Manchester United and epic European nights? When it comes to the Red Devils, one should always expect the unexpected. Even by United's incredibly high standards, though, what unfolded at Old Trafford on Thursday night was beyond belief.
With Ruben Amorim's side trailing Lyon 4-2 with six minutes of extra time remaining, Rio Ferdinand said on commentary for that his old side needed "more than a miracle". Remarkably, that's exactly what they delivered. United scored three times during a ridiculously chaotic conclusion to triumph 5-4 on the night, and 7-6 on aggregate, to progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
It was pure madness. Ferdinand said he'd never seen anything like it, while his former team-mate Darren Fletcher labelled it "one of the most remarkable nights this stadium has ever seen in European competition". But where does it rank among United's most remarkable comebacks in continental competition overall? GOAL counts down the greatest demonstrations of their 'never-say-die' spirit below…
Getty Images Sport7Manchester United 3-2 Atalanta (2021)
United were booed off at half-time in their Champions League group stage meeting with Atalanta at Old Trafford, and the fans' frustration was understandable. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men had performed horribly during the opening 45 minutes and trailed 2-0 at the break to an impressive Atalanta side, who had opened the scoring through Mario Pasalic before Merih Demiral deservedly doubled their advantage.
However, Marcus Rashford breathed new life into the contest with a fine finish eight minutes into the second half before Harry Maguire drew United level with an emphatic strike.
The stage was, thus, perfectly set for Cristiano Ronaldo to steal the show and the Portuguese duly obliged, heading home an 81st-minute winner to spark wild celebrations in the stands.
"We have a habit of doing this at this club," Solskjaer pointed out in his post-match interview on . "The fans are a big part of this club. The singing section there kept the players going with their belief. And that is what you do at Manchester United on a Champions League night."
AdvertisementAFP6Juventus 1-2 Manchester United (2018)
United were atrocious for the majority of their Champions League group stage clash with Juventus. They were lucky to be only trailing to a solitary strike from Cristiano Ronaldo after 85 minutes of play, and only managed to nick a 2-1 win thanks to a fine free-kick from Juan Mata and Alex Sandro's last-gasp own goal.
Jose Mourinho obviously didn't care about the merits of United's victory, though. His primary concern was sticking it to the Juve fans that had been whistling and booing the former Inter coach throughout the game by cupping his ear to the Turin crowd as he swaggered onto the pitch at full-time.
"In a beautiful Italian city, they insulted me for 90 minutes," an unrepentant Mourinho told BT Sport. "I didn't insult them. I just made a little thing. But I know that the millions of Inter fans are happy with that!"
Unfortunately for Mourinho, it was to be his last truly enjoyable night as United manager, as he was sacked just over a month later after a rotten run of form in the Premier League.
Hulton Archive5Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester United (1968)
Ten years on from the horror of the Munich air disaster, United had recovered their former swagger and were one tie away from the European Cup final they had long coveted.
They won the first leg of the semi-final at Old Trafford 1-0, but a one-goal advantage counted little at Santiago Bernabeu against six-time winners Real Madrid.
The Spaniards were leading 3-1 at half-time and were not known for giving up big leads at home. But Matt Busby's side had thick skin, and David Sadler made it 3-2 with a close-range finish to put them in charge on away goals.
Their place in the final was then clinched by a goal from Bill Foulkes, a survivor of the Munich crash. A tearful Bobby Charlton said afterwards: "I can't explain how I feel, except that this is a wonderful night for Manchester United."
Getty Images Sport4Paris Saint-Germain 1-3 Manchester United (2019)
The Parisians had burst United's bubble at Old Trafford in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, winning 2-0 and inflicting the first defeat on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a magical start of 10 wins from his first 11 matches. The defeat was made worse by Paul Pogba being sent off, so no-one gave United a chance at Parc des Princes.
But there's nothing like an early goal to strike fear into opponents, and Romelu Lukaku's second-minute strike did just that. The Belgian then put United back in front after Juan Bernat's equaliser, leaving United one goal from an unlikely victory on away goals.
PSG dominated the second half and should have put the tie beyond doubt, but looked to have done enough as United struggled to get into their area. Yet a hit-and-hope effort from Diogo Dalot changed everything when VAR, which had only just been introduced, spotted a handball from Presnel Kimpembe had blocked his shot.
Marcus Rashford showed nerves of steel to smash home the penalty and complete an incredible comeback that left Rio Ferdinand demanding that Solskjaer be given the United job on a full-time basis.
"Listen, Man Utd might not thank me but get the contract out, put it on the table," the retired centre-back infamously stated. "Let him sign it, let him write whatever numbers he wants to put on there, given what he's done since he's come in. Ole's at the wheel, man. He's doing it."
Later in the month, Solskjaer signed a three-year deal to continue as manager…