Barcelona 3-0 Manchester United: Hits and Flops

Barcelona stormed into the semi-finals of UEFA Champions League after thrashing Manchester United 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate, courtesy to a stunning display from their blue-eyed-boy Lionel Messi.

It was always going to a monumental task for the Red Devils after last week’s 1-0 Old Trafford defeat. However, Solskjær men started the game very brightly as Rashford came really close and hit the crossbar within the first minute mark.

Although, their task got almost impossible after conceding an early goal with just 16 minutes on the clock, courtesy to a brilliant strike from Barcelona talisman, Lionel Messi which David de Gea had no chance of saving.

Then again, Lionel Messi doubled the lead for Barcelona at 20th minute mark from a howler of a mistake from Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.

Coutinho rounded of Barcelona’s triumph after adding the third at the 60th minute mark after a trade mark Coutinho finish which found the top left corner of De Gea’s goal.

With this very win, The Catalan giants extended their European record of not losing a single tie at home since 2013. Barcelona also broke their quarter-final curse as they failed in previous three occasions.

Here are the five hits and flops from last night’s encounter between these two heavyweights of Europe.

#5 Hit: Philippe Coutinho

FC Barcelona v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final: Second Leg

The former Liverpool starlet got a lot of sticks from the Blaugrana faithfuls in recent times but this time on, against his old enemies, Coutinho once again showed his class after scoring a stunner from the outside of the box which De Gea had no chance of saving.

In the first half, Coutinho’s linkup play with the likes of Suárez, Messi and Jordi Alba was outstanding. The composure he showed on the ball, was a bare reminder to everybody why Barcelona paid such a huge sum of money to bring the Brazilian midfielder to the Camp Nou.

Lastly, the way Coutinho celebrated after the goal was a direct message to his critics that you just cannot write off a player with this kind of caliber.

#4 Flop: Paul Pogba

Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba will go down as a flop against Barcelona as he failed to make a statement on the night. Pogba was a shadow of himself throughout the course of 90 minutes.

The midfield phenom’s only meaningful contribution was at the first minute of the game, where it was his through ball which Rashford failed to convert. Pogba’s impact on the game was next to nil as he failed miserably to get a grip of the game.

Pogba ended the game with 0 tackle’s won and with 0 interception in the whole game. After having such a good time since the arrival Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba’s performance in the Catalan capital more resembled his poor run of form under Manchester United's previous manager Jose Mourinho.

Both Solskjaer and Manchester United supporters will be hugely disappointed after last night’s dreadful performance from the Frenchman.

#3 Hit: Arthur Melo

FC Barcelona v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga

Without a doubt Arthur was the most influential player in the midfield for the Catalan giants last night. The way he pulled the strings in the middle of the park was one of the many reasons why Barcelona outplayed the Red Devils.

Arthur has become such an influential part in Barcelona’s system since his arrival from Gremio back in the summer. He has been the missing link that Barcelona was trying to find out, after Xavi’s retirement.

Arthur showed flashes of his brilliance and bossed the midfield throughout the course of 90 minutes. His constant approach towards the ball and his ever availability has made a huge difference for Barcelona last night.

Although, Arthur struggled sometimes in the first leg at Old Trafford against the muscular structure of Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba, but this time on, the Brazilian midfield sensation had the last laugh over his competitors. Arthur is a real diamond in the making and Barcelona can consider themselves very lucky to find a player of his quality

#2 Flop: David de Gea

Manchester United and Spanish international goalkeeper David de Gea made a howler of a mistake against Barcelona last night which led to Barcelona's second goal on the night and from there it became almost impossible for the away side to mastermind a comeback.

It was Messi’s trickling right footed strike which De Gea failed to collect and went through him into the bottom corner. It was a real bonus for the Barcelona captain as he hardly expected to score with that attempt.

The last time De Gea made a similar kind of mistake, was against Portugal back in the 2018 Russia World Cup group leg tie where he failed to stop a weekly timed shot from the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who eventually got a hat-trick on that night.

However, David de Gea will be hugely disappointed after his effort as he has been extremely reliable between the sticks over the last few years or so. The Spain international has saved the Red Devils several times from the jaws of defeat and made saves which can only other dreams of.

#1 Hit: Lionel Messi

Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has once again pulled off another man of the match performance when his team needed him the most.

It was Messi who opened the scoring for Barcelona with just 16 minutes on the clock and made the first dent at Manchester United’s hope of making a historic comeback.

Then again Messi doubled the lead and put the tie to bed. With two goals last night, Messi has now scored a staggering amount of 24 goals in just 32 appearances against the English sides in the UEFA Champions League.

Messi is also the top scorer of this year’s UEFA Champions League with 10 goals in just 8 appearances for the five-time European Champions.

Another Messi masterclass ensured Barcelona to secure the semi-final berth where they will face either Liverpool or Porto, but with Messi in this kind of mood, Barcelona fans now can dream of lifting the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the last 3 years.