Skinner: An opportunity to grow

“So I adapted it at half-time, got a bit more ball possession. But please don’t forget you’re playing probably a team that is expected to win the Champions League. We’re Manchester United and everybody wears that heavy badge, but I’m proud of what the players achieved tonight and it’s a lot of opportunity for us to grow from it.”

Skinner said that two outstanding goals from Melchie Dumornay in the closing stages were the “difference”, with small margins at stake for the first 80 minutes until Lyon began extending the lead.

“It’s not as easy as just going and attacking them, but I’d like to see us be more aggressive with the ball. I felt first half we rushed a little bit when we were in possession. Second half we took a little bit more time, responsibility, and that’s what you’ve got to be if you’re playing against Lyon,” he said.

“But it’s the first time we’ve played against Lyon. So, you know, you’ve got to learn on the fly and I think there’s some learnings that we’ll take from this game to help us move forward.”