Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona: Player ratings as Fred shines for Red Devils

Manchester United have qualified for the Europa League round of 16 after a win over Barcelona in the second leg on Thursday night.

United defeated the LaLiga giants 2-1 in the second leg played at Old Trafford for a 4-3 aggregate victory.

Following the exhilarating 2-2 draw in the first leg at Camp Nou which was watched by 116 million viewers around the world, the second leg provided more entertainment.

Robert Lewandowski’s first-half penalty gave Barcelona the lead at Old Trafford but like in the first leg, the Red Devils came out smoking in the second half as goals from Fred and super sub,  Antony sealed the deal this time.

Here is how the Red Devils rated during the pulsating clash at Old Trafford

David De Gea: 7

The Spaniard started slowly and should have done better with the Lewandowski penalty. However, he did redeem himself in the second half to deny Kounde’s goal-bound header with a superb one-handed save.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6

He was on the pitch for 67 minutes and did just okay during that time before he was taken off for Diogo Dalot as Utd went for the kill. He looked decent on the ball, completing 24 of 29 attempted passes.

Raphael Varane: 7

The former Real Madrid man made a goal-line clearance in added time that preserved United’s lead and did well with his duels.

Lisandro Martinez: 7

The Argentine had a wonderful battle with Lewandowski throughout the encounter and while he couldn't do anything about the penalty, the former Ajax man was up to the task and held his own against the giant Barcelona forward.

Fred: 8

He had a quiet opening half but returned to the second half a possessed man. He scored the equaliser for United and was also involved in the sequence that led to the winner later on.  He was everywhere for the Reds on the night.

Casemiro: 7

A solid presence in the middle of the park as usual for United. When up a yellow card in the second half, it was a moment that summed up his importance to the English side as he effectively stopped a potent Barcelona attack led by Lewandowski.

Jadon Sancho: 5

Not his night at all and it was no surprise to see him taken off later on.

Bruno Fernandes: 7

He gave away the penalty in the first half but atoned for his error with another assist for the ‘Portuguese guy’ who set up Fred for the equaliser.

Marcus Rashford: 6

The in-form forward was another United forward who had a quiet outing considering the form he was in.

Wout Weghorst: 4

Not sure he was on the pitch for the Reds, it will be difficult to convince anyone he played the second leg.

Alejandro Garnacho: 6

He added more bite to the United forward line and caused more problems for Barcelona than the man he replaced.

Antony: 7

Scored the decisive winner and could have added another goal or two or an assist on the night.

Scott McTominay: N/A