Man Utd 0-1 Barcelona: Player Ratings

The Blaugranes earned a valuable 1-0 victory at Old Trafford

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 5/10

With only one shot on target for Manchester United, the Barcelona keeper had little real work to do, apart from a few clearances. A fairly quiet evening for the Barca stopper.

Nelson Semedo: 7/10

Did well to put Diogo Dalot under pressure and prevented Jesse Lingard from making any in-roads with his renowned pace.

Gerard Pique: 9/10

Barca’s rock at the back made a handful of impressive clean tackles from the start of the game and showed consistency throughout. He was able to put the ball out of the reach of speedster Marcus Rashford, and he made a vital clearance after Anthony Martial stormed into the penalty box late in the second half.

Clement Lenglet: 6/10

While Clement Lenglet was able to put the ball out for a throw-in on a number of occasions, he was ultimately overshadowed by a classic Pique performance. Ultimately, while he lacked mistakes, he was ultimately dispensable and paled in comparison to his partner at centre-back.

Jordi Alba: 6/10

Performed his defensive duties admirably and could always be easily located by his team-mates in position. Showed some gusto as he blazed down the left flank on numerous occasions, and set up some dangerous crosses for the Barca front three.

Arthur Melo: 6/10

His role in the match seemed to mostly be that of another cog in the Barca clockwork. While many of his passes contributed to Barca’s control over the flow of the match, he failed to show any true individual brilliance.

Sergio Busquets: 5/10

A lacklustre performance at best for one of Barca’s finest. Made some clumsy challenges, and seems to tire significantly as the match wore on. Not one of his standout moments on the pitch.

Ivan Rakitic: 7/10

Like Arthur, Rakitic’s role also seemed to be limited to that of a supporting role. He still showed more versatility than his midfield counterpart, however, as he raced to close down the United back four whenever they collected the ball, and even managed to regain control momentarily on occasion.

Lionel Messi: 7/10

The Barca captain dominated proceedings from the get-go, and played an active part in influencing the Luke Shaw own goal. Unfortunately, a nasty blow to the face saw Messi thrown off the pace, and he never seemed to fully recover during the second half.

Luis Suarez: 8/10

The Uruguayan was at the heart of majority of Barca’s scoring opportunities, and it was his header that forced the own goal which proved to be the winner.

Substitutes

Philippe Coutinho: 4/10

Looked incredibly unsettled from the start and lacked the confidence to pull of any real skill against the opposition. He also lost possession on a number of occasions. Generally looked to be lacking in confidence and this was reflected in his football.

Arturo Vidal: 6/10

Committed a few reckless fouls, however this was just another show of his enthusiasm from when he first walked on the pitch. He seemed to be topped up with energy, and it was a shame not to see more of him this evening.

Sergi Roberto: 7/10

Despite his appearance being brief, Roberto showed much enthusiasm when it came to bursting down the right wing on the attack, and even provided some clinical passes that could have resulted in close scoring opportunities if not for the Man United defence.

Carles Alena: N/A

Not on the field long enough to form a valid assessment.

Manager: Ernesto Valverde: 7/10

Valverde’s side looked to have gone into the clash with the right mentality, and clearly dominated proceedings in the first half despite being the away team. As the second half kicked off, however, the Blaugranes gradually began to look more fatigued, and Valverde’s substitutions were made too late in the game, when the substitutes had little time to create a game-changing impact.

Team Rating: 7/10

Barca showed clear dominance in the first half, and dominated all aspects of the game from the start. The second half saw the Blaugranes step it down a gear, however consistency at the back helped them hold on for a valuable three points away from home. Despite many moments were concentration seemed to be lacking, the Blaugranes ultimately earned a crucial victory that will make life in the second leg a whole lot easier.

Source: barcablaugranes.com