Upset and broken more than ever before, I felt like turning my back and walking out on a club I have loved since I was six. Too much pain, too much heartache, too much angst - it didn't seem worth it any more. I was done. I didn't want to go through this any more. As thousands of United fans headed for the exits, I too stormed out my local pub in a fit of pique to give myself space and to come to terms with one of the most heartbreaking losses I've ever had to suffer. It felt like the end of a lifelong relationship. Thanks for the memories Man Utd, but it's time to say goodbye. I should have known better. Sir Alex Ferguson and the halycon days of yesteryear may be long gone, but sometimes - just sometimes - United conjure those memories.
Manchester United's Easter miracle
At this time of year Christians throughout the world celebrate the miracle of new life. The miracle of a man rising from the dead to breathe new life into humanity. A saviour sent from above to rid us of sin.
As this abhorrent collection of wasters stank the place out to snatch defeat from almost certain victory, United needed one such miracle. It seemed not even Jesus could save us. We were, pardon the pun, dead and buried. Yet just when you have seen it all, football finds new ways to make you agape, make you scratch your eyes in wonder - imagine not liking the Beautiful Game. There are people out there who don't like football. From 2-0 up and cruising into the semi finals with 20 minutes to go, to 2-4 down and five minutes away from elimination. There seemed no way back as United were inexplicably pegged back by a Lyon team you would never know were a man down.
Step forward, Harry Maguire - United's very own Messiah. Just like Jesus, he rose when all seemed lost. Maguire, playing as a makeshift centre-forward, dragged United from the dead to bring us back to life and complete his own personal resurrection. Crucified in the press and the public, Maguire completed one of Manchester United's greatest ever comebacks and his own personal redemption arc. With the purgatory of penalties looming - five weeks on from our FA Cup KO from the spot - Maguire's winner will go down in the annals as one of the most extraordinary ever. Now, Sir Jacob Harry, where would you like the statue? You know the thing? I missed it. I missed the winner. Still in a rage, I had gone home and disconnected. I should have known better really.
What on earth happened last night...
It's the morning after the night before. I've had four and a half hours sleep, and my head is on three different planets. Even for a club that has 'seen it all and won the lot' this was something just remarkable. Just about every emotion possible - from nerves to joy to anger to heartbreak to renewed hope and absolute hysteria all in the space of 120-odd minutes. Even for a club defined by generational feats of derring do, this was something else. I have never seen, or felt, anything quite like this before. In those eight minutes, United produced something other worldy, a comeback from above. It didn't feel real. Just like Jesus, I feel as though I could walk on water right now. It was a staggering sequence of chaos and carnage from an alternative reality. This club is special. It's nights like this that remind you why you fell in love with it.
This was only a quarter-final, of course. United's mission is not yet complete. But, dare I say it, is our name on that Europa League trophy? Sometimes as fans you get that feeling. When United beat Liverpool in THAT all timer, and then squeezed out of jail against Coventry in the FA Cup last term, it seemed meant to be. It seemed meant to be we'd go on and beat City in the final. I'm getting the same vibes now. Maybe, just maybe, this is United's year in the Europa League. There is a long way to go and Athletic Bilbao, on the cusp of a final in their home city, will be a difficult challenge.
He'll turn the Reds around, Ruben Amorim...
Ruben Amorim built a fine body of work at Sporting Lisbon before he was plucked from his homeland to replace Erik ten Hag. But it's no secret he has not been able to do the same at Old Trafford. He speaks and carries himself very well but results have not followed. But this night may prove to be one of those seminal turning points every struggling team and manager needs. If Amorim does go on to scale the heights we saw at Sporting at Old Trafford, we will look back on this victory as the night everything changed. It will be a night the magic started, a night Amorim can look to the spirit and character of his side and start to carve out his chapter in United history.
In the long and storied annals of European football at our great theatre, Old Trafford has never witnessed a sight and sound like the immediate aftermath of Maguire's winner.
It was one of our beloved club's greatest ever nights, but it will only matter if we go on to glory in Bilbao...
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