Barcelona managed to secure a defeat of Manchester United on Wednesday that puts them in the driving seat of their Champions League quarter-final.
Luke Shaw’s early own goal means Barca take a 1-0 advantage back to Camp Nou for the reverse fixture, with the LaLiga giants also benefiting from scoring an away goal.
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Barcelona take a narrow lead back to Catalonia for next week’s second leg
When Shaw diverted Luis Suarez’s header into the back of his own net, it appeared almost certain Barcelona would run riot at Old Trafford.
They were dominating proceedings before the goal, but United grew into the match and started to find some parity – even if they failed to threaten Marc-Andre ter Stegen and ended the game without recording a single shot on target, the first time they have done so in a Champions League home match since 2010/11.
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Nonetheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side did improve, with the defence standing firm and ensuring Barcelona’s victory was not a much more emphatic one.
More than anyone else, Scott McTominay put in the kind of performance to inspire hope among the United faithful.
The young midfielder was superb in the middle of the park, winning the ball, recycling possession, and, most importantly, remaining calm and composed against an elite opposition.
It was considered something of a coming of age performance from McTominay, who, incredibly, received the most praise from L’Equipe.
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The French magazine is notorious for its ruthless player ratings, and the seven handed to McTominay for Wednesday evening’s showing is a true sign of his excellence.
In fact, the rating means McTominay was L’Equipe’s Man of the Match!
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McTominay was rightfully praised after putting in a superb performance
The Scotland international compares favourably to many of his team-mates, and even the victorious Barcelona players.
While a few were given sixes – Fred, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet – the average rating was much lower.
Lionel Messi was handed a 4/10 on a remarkably quiet night for the Argentine superstar, while Paul Pogba continued his run of poor form with a performance voted 3/10 – a rating which made Pogba the worst player on the pitch.
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L’Equipe’s player ratings for Barcelona’s defeat of Manchester United
Manchester United have already had a Champions League miracle this season, overcoming PSG in the most remarkable of circumstances just to reach this stage of the competition.
But now Solskjaer’s side need another if they are to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou and book their place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Unfortunately for the Norwegian, miracles do not come around that often.
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