Manchester United pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history and their achievements were acknowledged when they touched down back in England.
United were beaten 2-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 first leg at Old Trafford but beat the French champions 3-1 in Paris to progress to the quarter-finals on away goals.
Never in 106 attempts in Europe’s elite club competition had a team progressed in a knockout tie after a 2-0 home defeat, but Marcus Rashford’s last-gasp penalty put Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side through in the most dramatic fashion as the tie finished level at 3-3.
The United squad arrived back at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Thursday morning and were joined by legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Upon arriving at the airport, the manager and his players received a round of applause from the armed police on duty.
Solskjaer, meanwhile, said his team always believed they could pull off a remarkable comeback against PSG to reach the Champions League last-eight.
“We always believed, that’s the thing,” Solskjaer told reporters. “We set out the plan and it wasn’t about the ball.
“The plan was to get the first goal, be in the game with 10 minutes to go.”
“It’s been a fantastic time with the players and staff I got working with me. I’m going to enjoy this job as long as I have it, I’m gonna smile.”
Romelu Lukaku put United ahead after two minutes and although PSG equalised, the Belgian grabbed his second before half time and Rashford’s stoppage-time penalty sealed a famous win.
It continued United’s remarkable transformation since Solskjaer took over as interim manager from Jose Mourinho in December and the Norwegian looks increasingly likely to get the job on a permanent basis.