Man United fans accuse French police of tear-gassing them after being kept behind in the stadium following 2-2 draw in Lyon

Manchester United fans have accused French police of tear-gassing them in Lyon following their 2-2 Europa League draw.

United will head back to Manchester for the second leg of their European quarter-final clash all square in the tie, having come from behind to initially lead.

Andre Onana, after calling out former Red Devil and current Lyon star Nemanja Matic in the build-up to the game, had a night to forget, first failing to deal with what appeared to be a simple free-kick from Thiago Almanda in a strike that saw the hosts go 1-0 up.

Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee then put the Premier League side ahead, but Onana parried a late effort to allow Rayan Cherki to tap in a stoppage time equaliser to ensure Lyon go to Manchester level.

It was a goal that left United fans frustrated, and their pain grew when they were kept behind late on inside the stadium – as away fans often are in Europe. Mail Sport understands that Chelsea supporters were held in the ground for two hours after the full-time whistle on the back of their 3-0 win over Legia Warszawa on the same night.

But the issues were alleged to have increased for United fans when one supporter shared a post-match video of a number of fans covering their noses, claiming that ‘everyone’ had been tear-gassed in the ground.

Supporters were seen covering their faces and coughing in a video shared on social media

United had conceded a last-minute equaliser in their clash with the French side on Thursday

A video shared by @jaydeblanc on X received thousands of views and was taken inside the Parc Olympique Lyonnais away end.

United fans made up 3,000 of the 59,000-capacity stadium, and many were seen with their shirts over their faces after the full-time whistle.

‘Everyone has been f***ing tear-gassed here,’ a supporter could be seen saying in the video. ‘What the f***ing hell is going on here?

‘How the f***ing hell can they be using tear-gas at a football match?’

Another could be heard saying: ‘That’s what we get as United fans.’ 

As the camera panned round, more and more supporters could be seen covering their noses and mouths as the first fan added: ‘Look at this, this is f***ing disgusting. People are being sick down here, f***ing hell.’

Coughing could also be heard in the background of the video, with other fans on social media also suggesting large sections of fans had been impacted.

As the video progressed, supporters could also be seen rubbing their eyes, covering their faces, and booing. It was said on social media that fans were warned of an hour’s holdback with full access to facilities before police locked off the toilets and concourse and sprayed behind riot shields.

One fan was heard asking: ‘What the f***ing hell is going on here?’ in the social media video

It capped off a rough trip for supporters, who faced travel disruption before the game

United are aiming to qualify for the Champions League by winning this season’s Europa League

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The alleged incident capped off a tough trip for United supporters, with every travelling fan mandated to collect a stadium wristband from the Eurexpo Conference Centre – around 10km away from Lyon’s Groupama Stadium – between 5pm and kick-off.

Lyon’s Metro system also failed before kick off, and transport bosses were forced to quickly put on replacement buses to get fans to the match on time.

French police and Manchester United were both contacted by Mail Sport for comment. United are looking into the matter, while one non-club-related fan page has asked for feedback for fans who attended the game.