Andre Onana made two big mistakes as Manchester United drew 2-2 in their Europa League quarter-final first leg match against Lyon on Thursday evening. The Cameroonian, who has come under-fire after making a plethora of errors since signing for the Red Devils, was at fault for Thiago Almada's 25th minute opener as he misjudged a cross.
United battled back, with Leny Yoro's strike and a late goal from Joshua Zirkzee looking like United would come away from France with the victory. However, Lyon restored parity with virtually the last kick of the game, courtesy of another Onana error.
The ball fell to Georges Mikautadze inside the box and his shot was parried by United's number one straight into the path of Rayan Cherki, who made no mistake from close range, ensuring the game ended 2-2.
Nemanja Matic's Post After Andre Onana's Mistakes Goes Viral
The Serbian was involved in a social media spat with Onana ahead of the game
Onana's performance was even more significant given he was involved in a big spat with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic ahead of the game. The war of words started when Onana claimed that United were 'way better' than Lyon.
That irked the former United midfielder, who responded by claiming that Onana should be careful with what he says as he is 'one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United history'.
“If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United history, you need to take care what you are talking [about]. If David de Gea or Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar said that, then I would question myself. But if you are, statistically, one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s modern history, he needs to show that before he says. So, we will see.”
Onana was quick to respond to Matic's words as he mocked him for failing to win a trophy during his time at United. He wrote: "At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same."
It was Matic who got the last laugh, though. The 36-year-old, who was an unused substitute for the match at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, took to social media after the match and his post has gone viral. He posted an image of his son with a plethora of United shirts, including that of their third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
While the shirts in the picture all belonged to Matic's ex-teammates at United, football fans have interpreted the post as a way of hitting back at United's number one, given his son was posing next to Heaton's shirt and not Onana's.
"Elite-tier hating", one wrote, while another said: "Noted, never disrespect Matic." A fan stated: "Top tier hating here. Game's back", while another claimed: "Matic is an even better hater than footballer, and he was one of the world's best in his prime."
United will welcome Lyon to Old Trafford for the second leg on Thursday April 17. Onana, if he is picked, will no doubt be looking to prove his critics wrong and turn in a much, much better performance.
- James Stroud
