Update: ‘Way they were celebrating’ – Harry Maguire aims cheeky dig at Lyon after sealing Man United comeback News

Man Utd are in to the Europa League semi-finals after an incredible comeback against Lyon saw them score three times in seven minutes at the end of extra-time.

Harry Maguire labelled Manchester United’s epic Europa League comeback against Lyon as the “strangest, maddest game” he had ever been involved in after scoring the dramatic winner that raised the roof at Old Trafford.

The centre-back headed in in stoppage time to seal a 5-4 win on the night that sent United through to the semi-finals and set up a date with Athletic Bilbao in May. United had been 4-2 down just seven minutes earlier and could see their final chance of salvaging something from this season slipping through their fingers.

But Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot and Kobbie Mainoo made it 6-6 on aggregate before Maguire’s show-stopping moment. It was his 15th goal for the club and his third in injury-time this season, and he described it as an “incredible feeling” after sparking bedlam on the pitch and in the stands.

“I’ve had some amazing moments at this club, been here six years now, and I’ve had some great times, some bad times as well,” he said. “I think that game pretty much summed up my time at this club!

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

United looked out of it when Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty put Lyon on the brink of the last four, after Rayan Cherki had scored at the end of the first half of extra time.

Maguire sank to his haunches after the former Arsenal striker scored, but he still didn’t feel the game was gone, instead pointing to Lyon’s wild celebrations for both of their extra-time goals as evidence that the Ligue 1 side did feel they had the tie locked down.

“I still thought there was a lot of time on the clock, I think it was the 109th minute when they scored the fourth,” he said. “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.

“I think the worst feeling was that we felt we’d thrown it away, rather than lost the game at that moment, and how we managed to get ourselves into that situation. Because even going into extra-time at 2-2, the momentum was back with us with the sending off, we shouldn’t end up in that situation, we’ve got to do far better than that if we want to win this competition.”

Winning the Europa League would put a gloss on United’s dreadful season and secure unexpected entry into next season’s Champions League. That makes the stakes high for every knockout tie, and while victory against Lyon will go down in the annals of Old Trafford folklore, Maguire knows they have to repeat the feat against Athletic Bilbao now.

“We’re only in the semi-final, we’re playing Athletic Bilbao. I don’t know if people are saying they’re the favourites to win the competition, but we’ll go into it with a great belief to win the game,” the 32-year-old said.

“But we’re only in the semi-final, so we don’t want to get carried away in terms of winning the competition. But, of course, moments like this is something that the fans can go home and there were people probably there in the stands tonight, it might have been their first game or whatever, 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 just been nowhere near good enough and when you get moments like that, and memories you create like that, I think it’s so important for the fans to go home with a smile on their faces.”

Maguire was critical of the two goals United conceded in extra time despite having a man advantage and described them as “criminal.” With the tie slipping away, he was moved up front and had a decisive impact.

“You guys can see that we’re probably short on attackers. The squad, tonight, if we’ve got two attackers in the squad in Garners [Garnacho] and Rasmus and they give everything out there,” he said.

“I think Garners was on his last legs and he was up and down the pitch numerous times. So I think we are short on attackers, we lost Josh, so if he asks me to go up there, I’m willing to go up there, I do see myself as a threat and I do feel like I can to score a goal up there.”