5.9 and 6.8-rated Reds blasted as ‘letdowns’ in ‘all-too-familiar’ Utd story in Lyon, they need to be replaced

Manchester United will play on their home turf next Thursday, with everything on the line in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Olympique Lyonnais.

Had it not been for a second goalkeeping error on the night, the Reds would’ve finished the first half of the tie with a 2-1 advantage to defend – and subsequently add to – next time out. However, sloppiness at the back from Andre Onana rarely goes unpunished by the opponent’s forwards, with Thiago Almada and Rayan Cherki becoming the latest attackers to capitalise against a howler-prone shot-stopper.

In line with that, United’s lack of clinicality up front never aids their case. Rasmus Hojlund was preferred over Joshua Zirkzee in France and, in the 63 minutes he played, had just 10 touches in total, as well as one shot on target. He won zero of his three aerial fuels attempted, lost possession three times, and committed one foul.

The Dane earned himself a 6.8 Sofascore rating, which, if anything, is a little generous.

Onana and Hojlund branded ‘letdowns’ after lacklustre Lyon showings

Onana was the lowest-rated player on the pitch with a 5.9 rating, proving he couldn’t walk the walk after talking the talk following his pre-game admission that United were ‘way better’ than Lyon. He then hit back at Nemanja Matic via social media after the ex-Red labelled him ‘one of the worst goalkeepers’ in United’s history. 

I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent.

We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud.

At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same. pic.twitter.com/3easLRIz3d

— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) April 9, 2025

When reacting to the first-half’s affairs on X/Twitter, both Onana and Hojlund were indirectly called out for letting their teammates down by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst. 

“That was an all-too-familiar story for #mufc until the last touch of the half. The goalkeeper was a letdown and the striker was a letdown. It took a striker’s finish from a defender to equalise. A potentially huge goal from [Leny] Yoro,”he said.