THE NOTEBOOK: Marcus Rashford rises to the challenge again as Fred produces an all-action display at the Nou Camp… while Erik ten Tag surpassed Pep Guardiola with weird move to play Wout Weghorst in MIDFIELD
Marcus Rashford lit up the Nou Camp as Manchester United and Barcelona played out a rip-roaring 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League knockout play-off clash.
These global giants fought for Champions League glory in the 2009 and 2011 finals, but recent travails mean they are playing away from the continent’s top table as they continue their respective rebuilds.
Thursday’s eagerly-anticipated meeting lived up to the billing as Rashford scored his 22nd goal of the season and fizzed in the cross that Jules Kounde turned into his own goal as United responded superbly to Marcos Alonso’s 50th-minute opener for Barcelona.
United shone in Spain but Raphinha’s cross found its way into the net to peg them back and sparked a breathless conclusion to a wild tie, setting up a mouth-watering return fixture at Old Trafford next week.
Here, Sportsmail’s ROB DRAPER takes a look at some of the things you may have missed from the Nou Camp.
Marcus Rashford lit up the Nou Camp as Manchester United drew with Barcelona
Rashford rises to the challenge again
What a difference a year makes. In February 2022, Marcus Rashford had scored five goals — he did not find the net again for the rest of the season — and looked a player in decline and unable to live up to his youthful promise or combine his campaigning with top football performances.
But if you can tear it up in the Nou Camp, then you have joined a band of elite players.
Rashford took the centre forward mantle here and instilled fear into a Barca backline that has been near impregnable of late.
The confidence with which he drilled his opener past Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the near post was exhilarating.
He then left Raphinha standing — almost literally — to set up the second. Many players wilt here. Not Rashford.
Sport focuses on Euro tie
Details were leaked about a €1.4million (£1.2m) payment Barca made to the vice-president of the refs’ committee on Thursday.
‘Barcagate!’ and ‘Scandal!’ were the front-page headlines in Madrid.
In Barcelona, the focus was elsewhere.
‘This could be a magical night!’ read Sport’s front page.
Fred’s heatmap shows he was everywhere
All-action Fred
United midfielder Fred produced an all-action display at the Nou Camp and his OPTA heatmap shows just how much ground he covered.
The Brazilian midfielder won more duels (seven) than any of his team but also demonstrated his creative side when he set up their opening goal with a great pass to find Rashford.
First since Lampard
Marcus Rashford became the first Englishman to score at the Nou Camp for an English side since Frank Lampard in October 2006.
It was the first goal Manchester United have scored at this ground since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s famous winner in the 1999 Champions League final.
Rashford moves on to 22 goals for the season, which equals his best scoring campaign.
An heavyweight duel
The local press might have styled it as a duel of champions in the Europa League’s last 32, which was pushing it for sixth in the Premier League last season versus the team who finished 13 points behind Real Madrid.
But we knew what they meant: this is the kind of heavyweight match about which the European Super League conspirators dream.
Ten Hag surpasses Pep with weird move
Any weird positional change Pep Guardiola can do, Erik ten Tag can do better.
Not content with turning Luke Shaw into a centre back, on Thursday night he had Wout Weghorst in midfield alongside Fred, the plan being to utilise Rashford’s pace in central areas — especially against Marcos Alonso.
Man United boss Erik ten Tag played Wout Weghorst in midfield against Barcelona
Fred produced an all-action display in Manchester United’s midfield as they impressed
It looked an uneasy experiment early on, with Bruno Fernandes out wide on the right and Jadon Sancho on the left.
But after 25 minutes, United found their feet and with the most workmanlike midfield duo in football, Ten Hag’s tactical tweak began to make sense.
Certainly they held their own against Franck Kessie, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri (and later Sergi Roberto) in the Barca midfield to dominate periods of the game, even if they inevitably lost the possession contest.
Weghorst still has to work on his finishing, though. That chance on 27 minutes when he was clean through should have been 1-0.