It was a remarkable night for Manchester United in the Champions League as their 3-1 away win, clinched in the most dramatic of circumstances Wednesday, ended up putting them in the quarterfinals at Paris Saint-Germain's expense.
The victory was sealed in injury time with a VAR-assisted penalty that Marcus Rashford duly converted to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer & Co. the victory on away goals, which prompted a flurry of social media celebrations from players past and present. And rightly so: Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard were all absent from the matchday squad, which further added to a magnificent night at the Parc des Princes.
Lingard was the first to register his pure, unbridled joy on Instagram:
Jesse Lingard is every Manchester United supporter right now. pic.twitter.com/sbVrYPTx3d
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 6, 2019
This was soon followed by ex-Man United and France legend Patrice Evra, who sat next to the suspended Pogba in the stands ...
Sir Alex Ferguson and Man United chief executive Ed Woodward watched the game side by side, and nearby was United legend Eric Cantona, who very much enjoyed Wednesday's remarkable comeback:
King Eric LOVED that one 😃👑 #MUFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/AU60YtE9up
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 6, 2019
The sweat had barely dried on defender Chris Smalling's brow after a torrid night of marking Kylian Mbappe, but even he had the perfect tweet after a heroic performance:
Unbelievable!! We never give up!! 🔴🔴🔴🔴 #mufc ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WGWYdU7FRr
— Chris Smalling (@ChrisSmalling) March 6, 2019
And last but not least, the oft-criticized Fred, who's struggled to settle at United but played brilliantly in midfield to deny PSG's vaunted attack amid nine Man United injury absences.
This is @ManUtd ! Never gip up! Thanks Good for everything! 🔴⚫️⚪️❤️❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/BLm2kByr9e
— Fred Rodrigues (@Fred08oficial) March 6, 2019
As if that wasn't enough, the legendary player, legendary manager and current golden boy Solskjaer got together for a merry postmatch photo.
Legends. ✊#MUFC pic.twitter.com/l7x74snTs6
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 6, 2019
It's a night United fans will not soon forget, not to mention the boost it might give Solskjaer in his quest to get the manager's job on a permanent basis. But for now, the celebrations are just beginning, and you'd imagine that a lot of Wednesday night's festivities will not be happening in front of a smartphone.
Congrats, United, on a famous European night.