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Updated February 24, 2023

Manchester United knocked out FC Barcelona

TL;DR

Manchester United have kept their brilliant form at Old Trafford as they knocked out FC Barcelona last night after conceding the first goal.

Manchester United knocked out FC Barcelona

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Manchester United are having a very good time in football. They knocked out FC Barcelona from the UEFA Europa League and secured a place in the round of 16. Since both teams tied in the first leg at Camp Nou, last night's match was do-or-die. However, Manchester United have kept their brilliant form at Old Trafford as they defeated FC Barcelona last night after conceding the first goal.

Match Report and Analysis

Formations: Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag set up his usual 4-2-3-1 formation in the second leg. But he made some positional changes last night. Bruno Fernandes has been playing as an attacking midfielder in this formation, but the manager deployed him as a right-winger. As a result, the manager used Jadon Sancho as an attacking midfielder, and he played the no. 10 role. In the first leg, Lisandro Martinez was on the bench but started last night with Raphael Varane in the defense. As for Barcelona, manager Xavi didn't break his natural 4-3-3 formation against Manchester United. But he missed his two key players, Pedri and Gavi, due to injury and suspension.

Barca dominated the first half

Manchester United could have taken the lead very early in the match. But Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegan denied Bruno Fernandes a powerful shot in the 3rd minute. However, Barcelona eventually took control of the midfield after the first 10 minutes. They kept more possession and tried to create chances. But in the 18th minute, Barcelona were awarded a controversial penalty from where Robert Lewandowski scored. After that, Manchester United tried hard to find the equalizer but failed to score in the first half.

Man United made a dramatic comeback

Erik Ten Hag provided a strong message to the team during the break, and guess what? Man United changed their playing style in the 2nd half. They leveled the scoreline in the very early of the 2nd half. Bruno Fernandes provided a brilliant pass toward Fred, and the Brazilian didn't miss the target. Manchester United had a massive boost after getting the equalizer. They dominated the visitors and highly pushed for the 2nd goal. But it took 73 minutes for the home team to score the 2nd goal. The scorer was also a Brazilian as Antony found the net in the 73rd minute with his powerful shot Barcelona, however, couldn't find the net in the remaining minutes. Therefore, Manchester United won the match and booked a place in the round of 16.

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