Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki has criticised Manchester United for their ‘defensive’ approach in the 2-2 Europa League draw on Thursday night.
The French side took the lead in the first half as Tiago Almada’s free-kick managed to skip past Andre Onana. United then pulled level on the stroke of half-time through Leny Yoro before Ruben Amorim’s side appeared to grab a late winner via Joshua Zirkzee’s header in the 88th minute.
However, another error from Onana saw the United goalkeeper spill Corentin Tolisso’s shot, which allowed Cherki to pounce from close range and rescue a draw for Lyon.
The pre-match build-up centered around Onana’s claim that United are a better team than Lyon, an assessment which prompted Nemanja Matric to describe the Cameroon international as one of the worst goalkeepers in United’s history.
But Cherki believes United were ‘afraid’ of Lyon and feels Amorim’s set out to defend in the first leg in France.
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‘We played a full game. We were much better than that team,’ Cherki said.
‘We showed the full extent of our talent. We know Manchester are a good team. We were never afraid of them. We will never be afraid of them.’
When asked about Onana’s pre-match comments, Cherki replied: ‘They got the answer themselves.
‘When you come with two defensive midfielders, there’s no need to say more.
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‘We’ll go there to attack and not to defend like they did here.’
In a separate interview with Canal+, Cherki added: ‘When you see that they come with two defensive midfielders, it’s because they’re particularly afraid of us.
‘I hope they don’t do the same thing there [at Old Trafford].
‘We’re going to go there to play offensively and to prove that we play very good football, with only one goal in mind – victory.’
United host Lyon in the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie next Thursday.
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