Manchester United staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Barcelona 2-1 at Old Trafford and progress to the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Robert Lewandowski’s penalty had given Barcelona an early lead, but the home side came back strongly in the second half to score two crucial goals through Fred and substitute Antony.
The game started brightly for United with Bruno Fernandes testing Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a shot in the third minute. However, Fernandes turned villain when he conceded a penalty by fouling Alejandro Balde in the box.
Lewandowski converted the spot-kick despite David de Gea’s best efforts to keep it out. Fernandes had another opportunity to score with a volley from Luke Shaw’s cross, but it did not trouble Ter Stegen.
Fred scored the equaliser for United within two minutes of the second half, after being set up by Fernandes.
The home side piled on the pressure and Barcelona had to rely on some desperate defending to keep the score level. De Gea nearly gifted the visitors a second goal with a misplaced pass, but Casemiro made a crucial tackle to deny Sergi Roberto.
The game’s decisive moment came in the 73rd minute when Antony scored the winner with a beautiful half-volley that found the bottom corner of the net. Barcelona struggled to create clear-cut chances in the latter stages of the game, and United held on for a historic victory over their Spanish opponents.
The victory was United’s first over Barcelona since the Champions League semi-final second leg in April 2008.
Despite Lewandowski’s early goal, United dominated for much of the game and deservedly progressed to the next round of the Europa League.