Harry Maguire admits Lyon celebration helped inspire incredible Man Utd comeback

Harry Maguire said the sight of Lyon's players celebrating like they had won served to inspire epic comeback win. United blew a 2-0 lead to trail 4-2 at Old Trafford, before scoring three goals in the last seven minutes of extra-time to

The incredible finale saw United side book a semi-final tie with Athletic Bilbao and keep alive their hopes of ending a shambolic season on a high by winning a trophy. Maguire, who scored the 121st minute winner, said it was the “maddest game” he has ever played and claimed Lyon's players celebrating as though they were through was all the motivation United needed.

“I think it was the 109th minute when they scored their fourth goal,” said Maguire. “I think they thought they'd won it, the way they were celebrating.

“That gave us more of an incentive to turn the game around. The worst feeling was that we felt like we'd thrown it away at that moment and wondering how we managed to get ourselves into that situation.”

Trailing 4-2 in extra-time, United skipper scored from the penalty spot, with equalising and Maguire landing the knockout blow to leave Lyon's players out for the count.

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“It was a game that was full of emotion and the strangest, maddest game I've ever played in or witnessed, to be honest,” said Maguire. “I think the lads showed great spirit and fight to dig in and turn it around at the end. It was an incredible feeling to score the winner in such an important game.

“I've had some amazing moments at this club. I've been here six years and had some great times - some bad times as well. I think that game pretty much summed up my time at this club, to be honest.

“I don't know how I would have felt if I had come in after a 4-2 defeat – it's not even worth trying to think about that. We showed great spirit at that moment [trailing 4-2] because, I don't know how everyone else felt, but I'm sure they felt really disappointed and maybe like we'd let everyone down.”

Despite their euphoria at going through in such dramatic style, Maguire conceded United are only in the semi-finals and a long way from lifting the trophy in Bilbao on May 21.

“Listen, we're only in the semi-final and we're playing Athletic Bilbao” said Maguire. “I don't know if people are saying they're the favourites to win the competition, but we'll go into it with great belief to win the game.

“But we're only in the semi-final, so we don't want to get carried away in terms of talking about winning the competition.

“Of course, though, moments like this are something that the fans can go home with and there were probably people in the stands for whom it might have been their first game and they go home with a great memory of Old Trafford.

“This season it's been so difficult for everyone involved, all the fans, all the players, the staff. It's been nowhere near good enough and when you get moments like that and you create memories like that, it's so important for the fans to go home with a smile on their faces.”

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