Manchester United defeat Barcelona in a thrilling 2-1 Old Trafford victory

Manchester United book their places in the last 16 of the Europa League as they edge Barcelana in a European classic.

In a game that would not look out of place in a Champions League final, Manchester United and Barcelona did not disappoint — as the pair tend not to do when they meet on the European stage.

Old Trafford was rocking, and the Barcelona fans also played their part. At the start of the match, the visitors’ flares were a form of intent from the Blaugrana faithful. 

If the two sides’ names didn’t convince you that this wasn’t a tie of high importance, the supporters made sure any lack of conviction was mere. 

As for the game, it started with a chaotic calmness. Two teams were fighting for control of the match early on.

The first chance would come from United, with Casemiro picking up a loose Barcelona ball and picking out Bruno Fernandes with a lofted through ball that penetrated the visitors’ backline. Fernandes could not convert, with his low-driven effort being denied by the onrushing Marc-André ter Stegen, who saved comfortably with his legs. 

The game chaos was not tamed by either side, and any potential game plan from either manager was starting to look redundant due to the ever-changing state of the game. 

The unfolding nature that the game was transpiring into was there for either side to take, and so Barca did. 

The fashioned roaring started to descend as Barca’s attacking movement built up; Raphinha picked out on his habitual right-hand side and dribbled with fierce intent, and saw his cross floated away by Raphaël Varane, but the Frenchmen’s clearance could go no further than the incoming Alejandro Balde, who was brought down by the mere contact of Fernandes — and it was a penalty to Barca. 

The penalty was debatable, but someone of Fernandes’ experience and know-how should be more clever in a situation like that. 

The ref’s mind was made up, and the visitors were 12 yards away from taking a crucial lead in this tie. 

Robert Lewandowski, with all his experience and quality, looked nervous. His stuttered run-up before taking the penalty- a run-up synonymous with striking fear in most goalkeepers within European football- did so again. David de Gea was not far from making a sensational save, but the ball crept in off the post. 

The lead gave Barcelona the impetus they lacked in the first leg, and for the rest of the second half, they had United on backfoot for much of the first half. 

Frenkie de Jong, embroiled in a transfer saga with United in the summer, was the primary linchpin that Barcelona built much of their control. 

In the first half, an attack that had looked revitalised in recent weeks seemed utterly flat. 

It’s clear that Ten Hag noticed this, and his first change of the game, Wout Weghorst off, who underwhelmed in his more traditional tole of centre-forward, Antony on. 

An immediate change in United’s attacking approach was evident from the offset of the second half. It wasn’t just the substitutions that the Ten Hag made, but the personnel changes saw United’s threat start to shape a presence. 

Rashford moved into the more central role, Fernandes shifted into the middle — United’s two most effective attacking options were more involved. Fred,  an unlikely source for goals on big occasions, changed that. 

Fernandes was involved in shaping the pass for Fred to pass in, with Ter Stegen unable to get it down quickly enough. 

The momentum swung back into the hosts’ favour, and they took advantage of the acres of space behind the Barca defence. 

A ball played over the top to Antony — made Barca aware of the threat United poses in transition if they weren’t familiar already. 

A melee was embroiled from Fernandes’ intentional ‘attack’ with the ball against Frenkie de Jong, and Old Trafford was back rocking and chanting their captain’s name on the night. 

It was clear more than ever on the night that Ten Hag’s men were feeding off the exhilarated Old Trafford crowd. The crowd could sense it; the players could smell it; it was coming. 

Fernandes was working it well in and around the corner, finding Garnacho, a host of shots would follow, but the decisive one was tucked away in wonderfully finished by the substitute, Antony. His curling effort into the far left corner completed the comeback the whole stadium could feel coming.

The eventual carnage comes with a side chasing a goal in the dying moments of a game; Barcelona was hurling any attacking chance towards United’s box. 

But United, in the combative fashion that they’ve adopted this season, dealing with every single chance. 

As the United players were heading and kicking every ball, so was the crowd — with them from the start until the end.