Erik Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, stated after his team defeated Barcelona 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the round of 16 of the Europa League 4-3 on aggregate: “Manchester United should fear no one in their desire to win four trophies.”
At Old Trafford, Barca enjoyed the ideal start thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s early penalty.
On the European stage, however, the La Liga leaders were once more defeated when Fred equalised early in the second half before Antony produced his most memorable performance since moving to Manchester from Ajax.
Ten Hag, who has improved United’s fortunes in his first season as manager, stated, “Magnificent night.
“That is another stage because when you can beat Barcelona, your belief may be incredibly great because you can then beat anyone,” the coach said.
During this stage of the second tier tournament in Europe, two of the continent’s titans were competing against each other, showing that both had experienced recent financial hardship.
Nonetheless, United are still pursuing trophies on four fronts and are currently riding the crest of a wave.
When they take on Newcastle in the League Cup final on Sunday, the Red Devils might break a six-year trophy drought.
They didn’t hold back, though, as they defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2019 to claim their biggest European victory since.
Ten Hag continued, “I think this team has some wonderful characters.
“You can see how much everyone believes in this team. They change the dynamic of games by bringing energy and quality with the subs.
Even though United has gone 18 games at Old Trafford without losing (dating back to September), they had to come from behind twice in this match.
Barca’s defeat was “different”
Back in October, when they were eliminated from the Champions League group stage by Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, Barcelona was unbeaten in all competitions.
The Catalans once again failed in a crucial European test despite their local upsurge under Xavi Hernandez to unseat Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona also lost in the group stages of the Champions League last year before falling to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
The way I felt this season was really different from previous, stated Xavi. “We have competed in every game this year, with the exception of Bayern at home.
“We have lost because of little technicalities. We need to grow and learn from our errors.
Even with the opening goal being a gift, the visitors were unable to capitalise on it.
French referee Clement Turpin enraged Old Trafford by pointing to the spot after Bruno Fernandes recklessly extended his arm to catch Alejandro Balde.
Lewandowski’s penalty was stopped by David De Gea, but on the eighteenth minute, the ball bounced in off the post.
During halftime, Ten Hag replied by switching out the ineffective Wout Weghorst for Antony, and within two minutes, the necessary reaction was obtained.
With Fernandes back in his preferred centre midfield position, Fred was found and blasted low past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Jules Kounde’s header from a clear distance was deflected over by David De Gea at the crucial moment, saving United from having the momentum shift back towards the Catalan giants.
After moving from Ajax for £86 million ($104 million), Antony has played the flatter to deceive since being reunited with Ten Hag.
But, 17 minutes from the finish line, the Brazilian produced a performance deserving of that price tag for the victor.
After Fred and Alejandro Garnacho had their shots stopped, the opportunity presented itself for Antony to curl the ball over Ter Stegen’s extended arm.
AFP
