Manchester United v Lyon – Maguire heads winner as United come back from the dead to nick wild thriller

Before the ball comes in; the ref tells him off, then Bruno's delivery is cleared. United pick it up again, Hojlund holds up and slips Bruno through on the edge... and he dithers! I'm surprised he didn't get a man on, and Tolisso gets back to tackle.

Who crosses into Niakhate, winning a corner.

Then loses possession or momentum. Maguire lumps one down the line for Garnacho, who gets ot it before Veretout ... only to be swiftlyunloaded by the same player.

They've come to have a go, judging by these first few minutes; Mikautadze tries a flick but United pick it up, Yoro charges forward, and now it's the home side trying to build pressure.

Who was well out of the way – it was perhaps a little performative, but the crowd lap up Big Haitch nevertheless.

But Casemiro's sweep forward is too heavy. A few weeks ago I'd not have expcted him to start games like these, but Amorim has found a way of limiting his running to benefit from his anticipation.

United attack the Stretford End in the first half, something they've done recently to somehow resolve their attacking ineptitude.

This feels like a big game.

And here they come!

There's a really good racket inside Old Trafford. The fans know the team need help.

Back shortly.

He played really well in Lyon – I really like the way he floats and darts, plus his touch and imagination are lovely. As the central centre-back, Harry Maguire will be mainly responsible for him, and will feel responsible to turn up tonight as one of the senior players.

He thinks United did well last week but can do better, and some players can't start, hence the unchanged team.

Onana, he says, is professional and has to focus on doing a good job; Lyon have a Portuguese coach so will change something though will mainly play similarly. In France, they left United on the ball at the back, defending deeper, so fans might have to be patient. Which is a very elegant way of saying this could be a terrible game.

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, as well as exclusive Premier League games across the 2024-25 season.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

We'll never know if Altay Bayindir would've played tonight had he not had a baddun at Newcastle. But Amorim goes for Onana, who I guess he thinks is capable of hitting the higher level. Long term, his performance last week was probably the final, final straw; it's a shame how little we've seen of the playmaking for which he was bought.

Julien Laurens said Lyon felt they'd missed an opportunity last week. I was surprised to hear that, given both goals came from goalie errors and one with almost the last kick of the game.

Real talk: neither side thinks the other is any use, but sort of knows the same is so of itself.

Lyon's front three are excellent. They'll want to exploit the space in behind United's wing-backs, and I'd not be surprised if they're frequently left upfield when the rest of the team are defending. Given Casemiro and Ugarte in front of three centre-backs, I imagine they'll be sending their full-backs forward to get around the sides.

Scored a beautiful goal last week but otherwise struggled to get into the game. He may get a little more space today, because United will feel obliged to force the pace – though any side with three centre-backs, two defensive midfielders in front of that, and two wing-backs who are really defenders, can be difficult to penetrate. I'd not be at all surprised if he enjoys the open spaces there to be found at Old Trafford.

Europe is slower and less physical than the Premier League and he's improved through the season. But somehow, Rasmus Hojlund will need to find the best version of himself, and he is capable. His United goals are of an almost uniformly high standard and many of them he created for himself. Now, though, after a near-total absence of quality service – it must also be said that his movement and anticipation are frequently poor – he is bereft of confidence.