‘Football, bloody hell!’ Internet reacts as Man Utd stun PSG in Champions League

The internet echoed with Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous words of “football bloody hell” as Manchester United pulled off a sensational win against PSG in Paris to reach the Champions League quarterfinal.

Behind 2-0 on aggregate after the first leg at Old Trafford, and with an absentee list of 10 senior players either injured or suspended, United overcame PSG 3-1 at the Parc des Princes as Romelu Lukaku scored twice and Marcus Rashford netted an injury time penalty to send them through on away goals.

It was a barely believable climax to a tie that had seemed done and dusted at the half-way stage.

But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now at the wheel for United – hero of another of the club’s astonishing comebacks in the Champions League final in 1999 – the team found incredible reserves of belief to defeat a PSG team including the prodigious talents of Kylian Mbappe.

And it was a result that left the internet in a state of shock.

Statistically, United became the first team in Champions League history to advance after a 2-0 home defeat from the first leg of a knockout tie.

Among the PSG ranks was former United winger Angel Di Maria, who had tormented his old team in the first leg – even picking up a plastic beer bottle thrown from the crowd and pretending to drink it in celebration.

That was not lost on United fans, who took karmic pleasure in returning the gesture after the second leg reversal of fortunes.

The French side were missing Brazilian ace Neymar through injury, but he flew back from the Rio carnival to watch the game – only to look on in disbelief in the closing stages.

Indeed, PSG were left to rue what had been another stunning turnaround at their expense, as was the case against Barcelona almost two years ago to the day.

For United, among the army of players out injured was Jesse Lingard, but the forward shared his delight at the winner from teammate Rashford - who he affectionately nicknames "beans." 

The suspended Paul Pogba was at the Parc des Princes, alongside former United defender and fellow Frenchman Patrice Evra. A video showed their wild delight at United's surprise win.

United’s Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – already a legend from his playing days – has still lost just a solitary game in charge since he stepped in on a temporary basis following Jose Mourinho’s exit in December.

The win over PSG further strengthened his claims to get the Old Trafford role full time.

United’s greatest ever manager Sir Alex Ferguson was in Paris, having traveled with the squad. And some online echoed his famous words after United claimed a famous late, late win in the Champions League final 20 years ago.

“Football, bloody hell,” the Scot had succinctly said at the time - and it was as fitting on Wednesday night in Paris as it was back then.