UEFA Europa League Tactical Analysis: Manchester United vs Lyon, the making of a classic
Friday, April 18, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Steve Cooper analyses the tactics that underpinned the breathless UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United's 5-4 win against Lyon was perhaps the most dramatic fixture in this season's UEFA Europa League so far.
Tied at 2-2 after an engrossing first leg in France, United surged into a 2-0 lead in front of a loud home crowd before Paulo Fonseca's side scored four goals. Two of those took the tie to extra time; two more left the Lyon players celebrating with their vociferous 3,000-strong travelling support. That was until United scored three times in the final six minutes of extra time amid scenes of joy at Old Trafford to progress 7-6 on aggregate. UEFA Technical Observer Steve Cooper unpicks some of the central themes from an epic game.
Lyon's defensive strategy and how United overcame it
"It was very clear that each Lyon player had a very specific responsibility," explains Cooper. "The two wide players were responsible for United's back three; they matched the box in midfield, so one of the midfielders and one of the attackers matched Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. The two deep midfield players, Paul Akouokou and Jordan Veretout, marked Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho respectively. That allowed the full-backs, Nicolás Tagliafico and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, to be pressing the United wing-backs, which in turn left two centre-backs against Rasmus Højlund: 2v1.
"It was clear that Lyon were well coached on their responsibilities: the idea was to stop any balls, not so much in the high press, but any balls coming into the midfield, to the wing-backs or to Højlund. Lyon could thereby get initial pressure on the ball.
"That was the plan, but as the game unfolded, Fernandes and Garnacho were able to run into their channels as there were big spaces left there because at times the full-backs were pushing on to the wing-backs who were quite deep. There were obvious areas to exploit with longer passes and deep runs.
"What is also interesting for the midfielders marking Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho is that they are not naturally in a defending position. For example, if they have the ball and the ball turned over, they would find themselves in front of Fernandes and Garnacho as opposed to behind them, where normally a defender would be, so they were always recovering to get back into position." This is shown in the video above, where Fernandes loses his marker.
"Because United's wing-backs were at times quite deep, and because there were three centre-backs playing against two pressing players, it was quite easy for one of those five players to have time and space on the ball," Cooper adds. "They could get their head up and play more measured passes into the spaces where Fernandes and Garnacho were making their runs."
The impact of Lyon's changes
With United leading 2-0, Lyon had to do something to get back into the game and stop United gaining momentum. "It wasn't only about Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana coming on; it was also a highly effective change of system," explains Cooper. "Lyon moved from a 4-2-4 to a clear 4-2-3-1, allowing them to have height, with Corentin Tolisso dropping into midfield and Lacazette coming on in the 55th minute as an orthodox No9, linking up with others well. Moving to a 4-2-3-1 allowed Lyon to gain territory and commit more players to attack."
Fofana, who came on at minute 64, offered real width and height on the left, "going into 1v1 duels, putting United on the back foot, creating the crossing situation for the second goal. Because of his threat, United had to double up on him and with that, naturally, a space appeared elsewhere that Lyon could then exploit."
United's dramatic late finish
"Sometimes in football, everything goes out of the window and you must create chaos," says Cooper. "Casemiro, with all that European history and success in knockout football, also took responsibility for the situation. That meant staying calm, keeping belief and positivity and doing something about the situation.
"Casemiro, who won a penalty and then assisted the last two goals, showed all of his experience in the final moments, arriving in positions in the box. He was even fighting with Harry Maguire to be on the end of crosses, because you must take risks and do something different, yet also show brilliance. The technical ability for Kobbie Mainoo's equalising goal amid the chaos was special; a brilliant example of composure, craft and mindset.
"I'd say the same about Maguire's header which won the game and Casemiro's cross. Take out the furore of the situation; it was technique of the very highest level as they fought to create opportunities. And you should not underestimate that Old Trafford atmosphere, the United crowd were good."
The long pass and the deep runs: Some advice from Steve Cooper
"Deeper runs and longer passes are rarely worked on in training, but the long pass is an underrated technique. It's such a difficult thing to do under pressure and at speed.
"The run before the pass is a brilliant asset for an attacking player to have. The move is at its best when the run dictates the pass, not the other way round. It's a brilliant habit to incorporate into training. If the run is a good one and a clear one, then the player on the ball can make the decision when and where to hit the ball.
"Any player can make these long passes. At Old Trafford, it was a Noussair Mazraoui ball for the first goal, but it could have been one of the back five or a midfielder. Diogo Dalot made the pass when Fernandes struck the crossbar and Maguire made a long pass for the second goal. Those came from deep, where there is less pressure on the ball. The long pass ended up being a key factor in the game – and it can be in other games."
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