Ronaldo's 30th of the season gave the Reds a tenth straight Champions League win at Old Trafford. Lyon, solid and tactically tight but, to their detriment, unadventurous, set the tone for this game. But United broke the mould – if only once – in a game of few chances.
It’s always difficult to second-guess Sir Alex’s team selection, especially with the multitude of options available to him. But the Reds boss still managed to spring a surprise by picking a side that did not contain three of his most experienced outfield players. Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves both took up places on the bench, while a calf injury ruled Ryan Giggs out.
At the start of the season, it might have been difficult to picture a midfield trio of Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Anderson playing in such a critical last 16 second leg tie. But, that in itself is a signal of how strong United’s squad is.
Crucially, no player in Sir Alex’s front six had played the full 90 minutes against Fulham on Saturday. It’s a freshness that the United boss has sought in recent weeks. The Reds started brightly enough in the opening minutes. With Sir Alex opting again for a 4-5-1 formation, Ronaldo and Nani pressed forward, Rooney worked tirelessly, while Anderson pushed ahead of Fletcher and Carrick.
Karim Benzema again looked dangerous whengiven space, and Juninho had a few early free-kicks to test United’s rearguard. But the Reds, marshalled by Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, looked solid. More and more the game was played out tactically; Lyon content not to concede, looking for a breakaway; United probing for a way through but not going full pelt with a valuable away goal in their armoury. It was less the clichéd chess match, more who blinked first.
Fortunately for United, it was Lyon. The French side failed to clear Anderson’s shot on 42 minutes, and Ronaldo’s delicate touches eight yards out drew him clear of Francois Clerc, and his shot sneaked inside Gregory Coupet’s near post.
Lyon’s game-plan changed very little in the second half, keeping it tight and hoping to snatch a goal on the counter. United chose a similar tactic, hoping to draw Lyon out. After 65 minutes Nani had a shot that arrowed narrowly over, but other than that United were quiet in front of goal until the final 15 minutes. The introduction of Carlos Tevez, United's scorer in the first leg, in place of Anderson may have seemed a bold attacking move. But he was instructed to drop deep and keep possession, providing an outlet on the break.
United, though in control, were not home and dry. Substitute Kader Keita found space in the Reds’ penalty area and struck the post on 74 minutes. But it was a rare breakthrough. The Reds weren’t without chances to put the game out of reach. Rooney latched onto Hatem Ben Arfa’s mystifying back-pass, but he couldn’t beat Coupet. Then Nani burst down the right channel and elected to cross the ball when he should have shot.
With ten minutes remaining, Lyon boss Alain Perrin brought on Fred and went to a more attacking 4-4-2 formation, but in the end their own negativity had worked against them and time ran out. For United this may not have been a resounding victory, but against well-organised and tactically stubborn opponents, it was a professional job well done.
Team Line-ups
Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo (Hargreaves 90), Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Tevez 70), Nani; Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Saha, Park, Scholes, O'Shea.
Booked: Evra, Nani
Olympique Lyonnais: Coupet; Clerc, Squillaci, Cris, Grosso; Govou (Keita 68), Juninho Toulalan, Kallstrom (Fred 79), Ben Arfa; Benzema.
Subs not used: Vercoutre, Bodmer, Delgado, Mounier, Boumsong.
Booked: Grosso, Squillaci