MANCHESTER United dragged their season out of the ashes in quite extraordinary fashion as they scored twice in stoppage time of extra time to complete a staggering comeback from 4-2 down against 10-man Lyon at Old Trafford.
United appeared to be heading out of the competition in the worst possible manner as they tossed away a two-goal lead in the space of seven minutes before conceding twice in extra time.
Supporters were streaming for the exits in their droves but Bruno Fernandes breathed new life into United when he converted a penalty seven minutes from time after a video assistant referee intervention for a foul on Casemiro that had initially gone unpunished.
With Old Trafford a cauldron of noise, Kobbie Mainoo somehow kept his cool to curl an equaliser into the corner of the Lyon goal as the tie entered its final minute.
That was extraordinary. But there was no inclination to settle for penalties from the hosts.
In front of legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was watching on from the stands, United produced an ending right out of his 1999 Champions League-winning playbook as Casemiro lifted the ball into the penalty area and makeshift centre-forward Harry Maguire rose to send it arcing into the corner.
Cue pandemonium as substitutes, the substituted and anyone else who could get there joined in the celebrations.
It was up there with the most famous games this stadium has ever seen and means Ruben Amorim’s side now face a semi-final with Athletic Bilbao.
Sometimes, it is pointless trying to make sense of this game.
Ferguson’s famous ‘Football, Bloody Hell’ comment after the 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, which featured two injury-time goals to win it, sprang to mind as Maguire headed off down the tunnel at the end of the game.
Amorim responded to his goal by chasing off down the touchline, just as Jose Mourinho famously did when Porto won in this stadium in 2004. Rio Ferdinand, commentating for TNT Sport, was shown jumping up and down with delight.
Most United fans would have felt the same.
In the cold light of day, United still have a semi-final to play – and, possibly, an all-English final with Tottenham – before they can claim a Champions League place by winning the Europa League and grabbing some silverware to at least make this desperate campaign a success.
But it will be a while before the memories of what happened fade.
The plans are to replace this stadium, that is over 100 years old and has played host to the Busby Babes, the Holy Trinity of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, double and Treble winners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
This team are not a patch on those. But this single game stands alongside any those illustrious predecessors produced as one of the very best.