Onana's Costly Errors Result In Thrilling 2-2 Draw For Manchester United Against Lyon

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Andre Onana's errors were pivotal in Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Lyon during the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. His earlier comments about United's superiority backfired as his mistakes led to Lyon's goals. Thiago Almada's free-kick and Rayan Cherki's late equaliser highlighted Onana's struggles, overshadowing Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee's efforts to secure a win.

United manager Ruben Amorim appreciated his team's resilience after Onana's initial blunder. Yoro capitalised on Manuel Ugarte’s misdirected volley to score his debut goal for the club. Despite Lyon missing opportunities through Alexander Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, United found success on the counter-attack, with Zirkzee heading in from Bruno Fernandes' precise cross.

Onana’s performance drew criticism, notably from Nemanja Matic, who harshly labelled him as United’s worst goalkeeper. Since last season, Onana has made eight errors leading to goals, more than any other Premier League goalkeeper. His comments before the match only added pressure, making his mistakes even more glaring.

The match statistics showed a close contest, with United having three fewer shots than Lyon and an expected goals tally of 1.22 compared to Lyon’s 1.52. Despite this, Lyon felt deserving of at least a draw, especially after Onana’s late error gifted Cherki an easy finish.

Lyon remains winless against Manchester United in five competitive matches. Their record against Barcelona is worse, having faced them eight times without victory. The draw at Old Trafford leaves both teams with everything to play for in the second leg.

Onana’s day was further marred when he failed to handle Georges Mikautadze’s shot properly, allowing Cherki to score easily. This mistake ensured that the tie remains balanced heading into the return fixture at Old Trafford.