Manchester United was dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after suffering a 3-0 defeat in the second leg of the quarter-final tie against Barcelona. The La Liga giants were leading the tie 1-0 thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal at Old Trafford and comfortably made it through to the last four of the competition after two Lionel Messi goals and one stunner from Philippe Coutinho.
1. Messi Finally Scores In the Quarter Final after six years
Lionel Messi ended his goalscoring drought in the quarterfinals of the Champions League as he grabbed a brace against the English opposition. Two goals in less than five minutes in the first period of the game gave Barcelona a firm grip on the tie. However, quite surprisingly, Messi had gone without scoring a goal in his last 12 games in the Champions League quarter-final stages with his last goal coming against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain back in 2013.
2. David De Gea’s Poor Form
The Manchester United shot-stopper has proven time and again that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. But David De Gea’s run of poor form this season is constantly being a cause of concern for Manchester United. The Spaniard made a few howlers back in the summer when he was playing for his national team in the World Cup at Russia. And this season he is constantly making blunders between the sticks for United. Messi’s second goal was something bizarre from the 29-year-old as he let the ball slip through between under his hands and eventually allow Barcelona a pathway into the semifinals of the Champions League.
3. Manchester United Need Signings
Manchester United’s defensive line was taken apart by Barcelona tonight and it clearly shows that the English giants need reinforcements in the summer transfer window. Even in attack, United didn’t create many chances apart from Marcus Rashford’s effort that hit the bar early on in the game. Not many players wearing the Red Devils jersey would be deemed good enough to win titles and European trophies.
4. Barcelona Make It To The Semi-Finals
For the first time in three years, Barcelona has made it to the semifinals of the Champions League. The La Liga giants were knocked out by Atletico Madrid, Juventus, and AS Roma over the last three seasons before the semifinals and it was a major frustration for the Catalonian side. Victory against Manchester United ensured that Barcelona will take part in the last four of the competition and they are also in the hunt for another treble.
5. Coutinho Silences Doubters
Former Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons ever since joining Barcelona over 18 months ago from Merseyside. However, after failing to justify his £142m price tag, the Brazilian scored an absolute screamer to put the tie beyond Manchester United as he curled in an effort from over 20 yards out. His celebration was one to prove to all the doubters that he is not really paying attention or listening to their comments or opinions.
