Manchester United produced a fine win over Barcelona in the Europa League play-off round on Thursday night to keep a possible quadruple chase alive.
Robert Lewandowski put the visitors ahead from the spot on 18 minutes after Bruno Fernandes was adjudged to have fouled Franck Kessie in the area. After a lacklustre first 45 minutes, Fred’s strike put United level two minutes after the break.
Then, Antony made a statement return from injury by bending in the winner on 73 minutes to hand United a historic win. United are the only club in all of Europe’s top five leagues to still be in four competitions ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
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Here are a handful of moments fans may have missed throughout the evening.
Sir Alex’s reaction to Antony winner
Sir Alex Ferguson met with Erik ten Hag this week to dine together and discuss football. United have not won the title since the season he retired, but many feel Ten Hag could be the manager to end that wait.
Sir Alex was as delighted as all United fans inside Old Trafford to see United progress in Europe and let out a joyful reaction when Antony hit the net. The great man gave a little punch of the air as United went into the lead.
Martinez reaction to Varane block
Raphael Varane produced a crucial clearance in stoppage time to stop Robert Lewandowski from finding a late equaliser. The striker had squeezed the ball past De Gea but the covering Varane was able to guide the ball away from the goal line.
The officials eventually deemed the build-up to be offside but the centre-half was not to know that at the time. Either way, Lisandro Martinez gave a passionate celebration to Varane in typical ferocious fashion that prompted a response from the crowd.
Crowd encouragement at half-time
United were underwhelming in the first half and failed to create a concrete opening beyond Fernandes’ third-minute effort when put through one-on-one from the angle. Before the game, Erik ten Hag and several pundits noted that the crowd had a role to play in the tie.
They were raucous in the lead-up to the match but couldn’t suck the ball into the net during the first 45 minutes. But at half-time, as Ten Hag and the players were heading towards the tunnel, the fans gave them a great cheer of encouragement as they prepared for the second period and the Old Trafford faithful were duly rewarded.
Europa League trophy
The Europa League trophy was on display at Old Trafford pre-match. The piece of silverware was spotted on its plinth on the touchline a few hours before kick-off.
United last lifted it in 2017 and came so close to doing so again in 2021 when they lost on penalties to Villarreal. This year’s finalists, which could include United, will face off for the trophy in Budapest, Hungary.
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