Alain Perrin is confident Lyons can surprise Manchester United in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Carlos Tevez's late equaliser earned United a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Stade Gerland, putting them in the driving seat ahead of the return match at Old Trafford in a fortnight's time. But Lyons were the equal of Sir Alex Ferguson's side and Perrin, the former Portsmouth manager, insists the tie is far from over.

"It isn't every day that you get the feeling you should have beaten Manchester United," Perrin said. "The draw puts us in a position to be eliminated but places them in just as uncomfortable a position. They may feel they have already qualified. That can make them lazy, and we can go and surprise them at Old Trafford. One-nil is okay, for example. It will be enough for us to score in the last minute."

The build-up to the game, in France at least, centred around the reported spat between Perrin and Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyons president, at the weekend. Aulas is believed to have had frank talks with Perrin, which included questioning the coach's decision-making, following Lyon's 1-0 defeat to Le Mans on Saturday.

Perrin's credentials have also been questioned following his side's sluggish start to 2008 as they look to claim a record seventh Ligue 1 title in a row. But Aulas was delighted with the way the players reacted in such conditions.

"We had to show we were a good team with a good team spirit," he said. "The preparation was difficult with all the media, who were playing their games and who were trying to destabilise the best team in France. But the team showed they are close to Manchester United and that is good news.

"Qualification will be difficult but it remains possible. It will be an amazing achievement to knock Manchester United out in the return match."

Karim Benzema opened the scoring for Lyons and Patrice Evra, his France team-mate, claims he could one day be as big as Zinedine Zidane.

"Benzema still isn't as well known on the European stage as he is in France, even if Ferguson warned us about him," Evra said. "In the build-up to his goal, he showed he is very strong.

"We don't want to build him up too much in the hope he keeps his feet on the ground but, after Zidane, he will be one of the great French footballers."