A commendable display was not enough for Ole Solskjaer’s Manchester United as they will have their task cut out when they will face Barcelona in the second leg at the Camp Nou. The Red Devils were beaten only by an own goal from Luke Shaw but did put up a great fight against the mighty Catalans.
It was from Luis Suarez’s header which was set up by Lionel Messi which broke the deadlock in the game and handed Barcelona with a very crucial away goal. However, later it was adjudged that the ball was deflected off Luke Shaw resulting in an own goal.
United looked like they were in for a long night but the Red Devils responded well with time and got a foothold in the fixture. However, they weren’t clinical enough to find the back of the net and the came closest when Dalot found himself on the end of a cross from Rashford and the young fullback should have done a lot better with the header from close range at the 40th-minute mark.
It will be interesting to see how Solskjaer’s men will lineup against Barcelona in Spain considering their scintillating form at the Camp Nou.
Scott McTominay probably the best player on the pitch
Out of all the big names in both sides which included players like Messi, Suarez, Pogba etc it was Manchester United academy graduate Mctominay who stepped up a notch and gave his best performance ever since donning the United shirt. He was exceptional in shielding the ball and complimented his midfield partner Fred really well. He kept the Barcelona midfield in check and also when toe-to-toe with Messi at times. It was a gallant effort from a man who is destined for more such nights in the red of Manchester United in Europe.
Messi not at his best
A lot was expected from Barcelona as a whole and even from Lionel Messi who is in scintillating form. However, the Argentine magician failed to turn up against Manchester United with Ernesto Valverde’s pragmatic approach to see out the lead did not help his cause either. He also had a bloody nose after a tussle with Chris Smalling and it can also be a hindrance on his play. Although he wasn’t that poor either. It was Messi’s beautiful ball that set up Luis Suarez for the opening goal which was later judged as an own goal. All in all considering his stature and current form a lot is expected from Messi in the second leg.
Tie not over yet for Manchester United
Despite being a goal down Solskjaer’s men showed a different level of fight in their ranks against the Catalans. However, they weren’t clinical enough to show for their efforts. The best chance came to Dalot from a Rashford cross as the full back headed wide from close range. The Red Devils, if they want to progress to the next round, must think of breaking the Barcelona defence and testing Marc Andre Ter Stegen as they could not muster up a single shot on goal throughout the game.
It is not over yet for the Red Devils but they have another mountain to climb and with the believed Solskajer’s puts in his men he has the confidence of them turning it at Camp Nou however it will a lot tougher job than the one they did against PSG in last round.
