When Alex Ferguson addressed Manchester United's fans at Old Trafford in 2013 asking them to support his chosen successor, David Moyes, few would have anticipated what the next decade would be like for the club.

In the final nine years of his near 27 in charge of United, Ferguson won five Premier League titles, three EFL Cups and the Champions League.

The nine seasons following his retirement brought the Red Devils just one FA Cup, one EFL Cup and the Europa League.

That Europa League success in 2017 was the last time United won a trophy of any kind, with a rare gap of six years without silverware for the club with the most league title wins in England.

However, Sunday gives them an opportunity to bring that drought to an end when they face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final, and it could be the latest step on the impressive return to form overseen by Erik ten Hag since his arrival ahead of this season.

The Dutch coach was the eventual replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Ralf Rangnick's interim spell in between, but it's easy to forget how badly things started for Ten Hag.

United's first two games of the season saw them lose 2-1 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion before being thrashed 4-0 at Brentford.

Since then, Ten Hag's side have won 28 of their 37 games in all competitions, scoring 74 goals and conceding just 32, and overall they have a win percentage of 71.8.

Between Ferguson leaving and Ten Hag arriving, United have had Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer as permanent managers, none of whom had a win percentage as high after their first 39 games, with only Mourinho's above 60 per cent (61.5).

In fact, Ten Hag has already won more games than Moyes did in his entire 51 game spell (27).

Interestingly, Ten Hag's United have only scored a few more goals than Mourinho's did in his first 39 games (75-71), and have actually conceded more (38-30).

In terms of goal output, this United team has not outperformed previous ones across their first 39 games by all that much, with Moyes' side scoring 66 and conceding 39, Van Gaal's scoring 68 and conceding 38 and Solskjaer's scoring 58 and letting 43 in.

Ten Hag's side have clearly been more efficient in finding the goals to win games though, forcing those fine margins in their favour that are so often the difference between what is perceived to be success and failure at top clubs.

Statistically, the only noticeably significant difference in Ten Hag's United compared to his predecessors during their overall tenures at the club has come in the intensity of the team's pressing game.

Under the former Ajax boss, United have been winning possession in the final third at an average of 5.5 times per game, compared to Solskjaer's era when it was 4.2, Van Gaal's at 4.1, Mourinho's at 3.9 and Moyes at 2.7.

The trend was developing that way under Rangnick's brief interim spell at 4.7 times per game, but Ten Hag has taken it up another level again this season, making them look more like the aggressive high-octane United people remember under Ferguson.

The addition of Casemiro to the midfield has undoubtedly helped, with the Brazilian one of the best in the world at winning possession and putting pressure on opposition players.

He has produced all-round performances for United though since arriving from Real Madrid, with only Bruno Fernandes (201), Marcus Rashford (153) and Christian Eriksen (116) recording more than his 102 attacking sequence involvements, with all three having played more minutes than him.

In fact, the additions of Casemiro and Eriksen seem to have brought Fernandes back to the form he showed when he first joined from Sporting CP in January 2020.

It is Rashford, though, who has been the undoubted star of the season so far.

The England international scored just five goals in 32 games in 2021-22, but has hit 24 in 37 this season, already his most in a single campaign for United and including 17 goals at Old Trafford, the most at home by a player in a single season for the Red Devils since Wayne Rooney in 2011-12 (19).

United find themselves in a title race after recent stumbles by Arsenal and Manchester City, while also into the FA Cup fifth round and getting past Barcelona in the Europa League play-off round.

The fans are onside again with prospect of new ownership possibly also round the corner, and there generally seems to be a genuine feel-good factor that has been missing outside of some false dawns in recent years.

When Ferguson spoke to the fans in 2013, it would have been hard to imagine a possible EFL Cup win being seen as such a potentially significant moment for such a proud club, but United fans know as well as anyone that one trophy can often lead to more.

Ten Hag said as much at his press conference on Friday, stating: "I see [the season] so far not as a success. It's more the road to hopefully success. It's only success when you win trophies, but on Sunday we have an opportunity to get success."

It did not prove to be a sign of things to come for Van Gaal, who was sacked after winning the FA Cup, or for Mourinho, who could not follow up his EFL Cup and Europa League double.

It feels like there's more substance to this United revival though, and there are few better ways to cement that than by ending their trophy drought at Wembley on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag warned his Manchester United team not to be "distracted" by their "annoying" EFL Cup final opponents Newcastle United.

United face Newcastle in Sunday's Wembley showpiece, bidding for the first major silverware of the English season.

But Ten Hag is not expecting a free-flowing encounter, having noted Newcastle's gamesmanship during the campaign.

"I think it's a great team," Ten Hag said of Newcastle, who held United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League in October.

"It's a clear philosophy about how they play the game. The key word is 'intensity'. They do really well. They're an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way to win."

Asked if he had meant to describe Newcastle as "annoying", Ten Hag confirmed and replied: "They try to annoy you. So, we have to make sure we play our game and focus on our game."

Pressed further on the matter, Ten Hag highlighted Newcastle's perceived time-wasting.

It was the subject of some contention when the Magpies lost at Liverpool early in the season – one of only two Premier League defeats for Eddie Howe's side.

According to Opta data, only Leeds United matches have seen less time with the ball in play than those involving Newcastle. However, Aston Villa lead the way for yellow cards for time-wasting, with 11 to Newcastle's five (Fulham have six).

"They are quite successful with it," Ten Hag said. "It's up to us that there's speed in the game, but we are also dependent on the refereeing as well."

At Anfield, Nick Pope was the subject of some criticism for his role in these tactics, but he will miss Sunday's match through suspension, meaning Loris Karius is in line for a Newcastle debut in their biggest match of the season.

"It's an issue for them that they have to sort. Of course we know it," Ten Hag said. "It's definitely not an advantage.

"We can't influence it; the one who is holding [the gloves] can influence it. We have to test him, it's quite obvious."

Asked if Pope's absence would impact Newcastle's gamesmanship, Ten Hag replied: "I don't know the instructions of the opponents. I cannot influence that.

"We have to make it our game, so focus on the job we have to do, focus on football when the ball is in the game. It's about that, being fully concentrated on that and don't get distracted by whatever is on the pitch.

"We have to focus on the job, find our way and find the moments when we can strike."

Erik ten Hag was unsure on Friday if Marcus Rashford would be fit to feature in the EFL Cup final for Manchester United.

Rashford, the form man both for United and among players across Europe, was substituted with two minutes remaining of Thursday's 2-1 Europa League win over Barcelona.

The England forward had stayed down for a period after tangling with Ronald Araujo and did not move easily when he returned to his feet.

United play Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, but Ten Hag will have to wait to see if he will be able to call on Rashford, who has scored 16 goals since the World Cup break.

"I don't know. The players are now coming in," Ten Hag said. "We have to check the medicals – of course yesterday we did.

"So straight after the game, you can't say. We have to wait for 100 per cent diagnosis."

Ten Hag, who definitively ruled Anthony Martial out of the final, is relishing the opportunity to win his first trophy as United manager.

"It's a great opportunity to get silverware in," he said. "It's about glory and honour in football.

"We deserved to play the final, and now we have a great opportunity to win the cup. We have to put everything in to take that cup to Manchester."

Indeed, despite leading United to third in the Premier League, the last 16 in the Europa League and FA Cup, and the EFL Cup final, Ten Hag does not yet see this as a successful season.

"I see it so far not as a success. It's more the road to hopefully success," he said.

"It's only success when you win trophies, but on Sunday we have an opportunity to get success."

Manchester United have been drawn to face Real Betis in the Europa League's round of 16, while Arsenal will battle Sporting CP for a quarter-final spot.

United came from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory over Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday, and their reward for a 4-3 aggregate triumph over the Blaugrana is a tie against another Spanish opponent.

Having not lifted any silverware since winning this competition in 2017, United are in the hunt for four trophies this term, though Erik ten Hag's men will be tested by a side sat fifth in LaLiga.

Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini has faced United on four previous occasions in European competitions, with all four games finishing goalless during his time with Villarreal (in the 2005-06 and 2008-09 Champions League group stages).

Premier League leaders Arsenal will face Sporting after Ruben Amorim's team thrashed Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs.

Sporting have progressed from each of their previous six ties against English teams in the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, with all six coming against different teams.

The other standout last-16 ties see Juventus meet Freiburg, while Jose Mourinho's Roma will take on Real Sociedad as they bid to follow up last season's inaugural Europa Conference League triumph.  

Feyenoord, who Roma beat in the final of that competition, have been paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, while surprise Bundesliga challengers Union Berlin will face Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise.

Six-time winners Sevilla – the most successful club in UEFA Cup/Europa League history – will face Fenerbahce, while Bayer Leverkusen will take on Ferencvaros. 

The first legs of the last-16 ties will take place on March 9, with the group-stage winners hosting the return fixtures one week later. 

Europa League last-16 draw in full

Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Juventus v Freiburg
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Sporting CP v Arsenal
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise

Miguel Almiron has signed a new contract at Newcastle United and hopes to have further cause to celebrate after the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

Almiron joined Newcastle from Atlanta United in January 2019, signing a five-and-a-half-year deal that was to expire at the end of next season.

Signed by Rafael Benitez, who soon left the club, Almiron initially struggled to replicate the form that had made him such a star in MLS.

His first Premier League goal did not come until December 2019, and he had netted only nine times in the competition heading into this campaign.

But Almiron has been a key man in an impressive Newcastle team under Eddie Howe, and is their top scorer with 10 goals in the league.

He has earned a three-and-a-half-year contract that will add two years to his previous agreement and keep him on Tyneside until 2026.

Newcastle are fifth in the Premier League, with a game in hand over fourth-placed Tottenham, and will face Manchester United in a Wembley final this weekend.

For Almiron, apart from the extension, playing a role in the club's first domestic cup win in 68 years would be reward for years of toil.

"The truth is that I've worked really hard since I came to Newcastle to improve my level and to be where I am at the moment," he said upon signing his contract.

"I also thank the staff and my team-mates, who have helped me a lot during these four years. I think this is a reward for that hard work, and I am very happy.

"On Sunday, we have a very important match, and while the new contract makes me really happy, the most important thing is that we celebrate this contract with a victory on Sunday."

Almiron is yet to score in the EFL Cup this season but provided assists in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

The rapid rise of Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae has not gone unnoticed, with Manchester United reportedly investigating a potential transfer for the end of the season.

Kim, 26, played in Korea and China until he was 24 years old, eventually catching the eye of Fenerbahce, who purchased him for a €3million fee.

After one season in Turkey, Napoli scooped him up for €18m, and he has played a big part in their best season in the 21st century. He has played in 22 of runaway leaders Napoli's 23 Serie A matches this campaign, starting all of them.

The powerfully-built defender has emerged as one of the league's top talents, and unfortunately for Napoli, he has a surprisingly affordable release clause in his contract.

TOP STORY – MANCHESTER UNITED DISCUSS ACTIVATING KIM'S RELEASE CLAUSE

According to Calciomercato, United have been targeting Kim for months, and have been in contact with his agents to gauge his interest in a potential Premier League move.

Kim reportedly has a £44m (€50m) release clause in his contract, but Napoli officials are desperate to award him a new contract to at least raise that figure to their valuation of £61m (€70m).

United are expected to make him a primary target at the end of the season.

ROUND-UP

– Football London is reporting Arsenal have made 24-year-old West Ham midfielder Declan Rice their top target after acknowledging they will not be in the running for Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham.

– According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal will have to battle Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United to secure 18-year-old Real Valladolid full-back Ivan Fresneda in the next transfer window, with his £26.5m (€30m) release clause drawing plenty of interest.

– Chelsea will allow midfielder Mason Mount to leave before the beginning of next season if he does not agree to a new contract, per The Athletic.

– Sport Witness is reporting Everton had a £22m (€25m) offer for 25-year-old Udinese forward Beto rejected late in the January window, and it is believed they could return with an improved bid. 

– According to Football Insider, Tottenham are viewed as the favourites to land 26-year-old Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, who will be allowed to leave the club if he does not sign an extension.

The suggestion Manchester United are enduring a trophy drought might feel frankly offensive to followers of Newcastle United, their EFL Cup final opponents.

When Newcastle last won a domestic cup, the 1955 FA Cup, they had twice as many major honours to their name (10) as Man United (five).

Since then, though, the side from Old Trafford have won 17 league titles, 15 domestic cups and five major European competitions.

In the same period, Newcastle have celebrated success only in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – a competition not recognised by UEFA.

Newcastle can end their 68-year wait for a domestic triumph on Sunday but must beat these most familiar of foes, for Man United have done more than most to extend that barren run on Tyneside.

Before this season, the Magpies' last semi-final was a 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Man United in 2005. Their last final was a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to the same opposition in 1999.

Those are counted among seven cup meetings between the sides since 1955, of which Man United have won six, including a 4-0 victory in the 1996 Community Shield.

That, like the 1999 FA Cup final, contributes to Newcastle's eight-game losing streak at Wembley – a record – having won on each of their first five trips to the national stadium.

Even in the league, Newcastle's best two campaigns since 1955 have seen them finish as runners-up to Man United. They have not finished above Man United since 1976-77.

This looked like being a season in which that sequence at least could be ended, but Newcastle have slipped below Man United and out of the top four since their semi-final win over Southampton.

In fact, only Aston Villa and Leeds United have collected fewer points than Newcastle in that time, while no Premier League team have earned as many as Man United.

Eddie Howe's men have understandably been distracted by their looming Wembley date, for which there could hardly be more fitting opponents.

"We're pleased the final's here. I didn't want the wait to be any longer," Howe said after Saturday's defeat to Liverpool, adding: "I wouldn't criticise the players in terms of focusing on the final ahead of the Premier League, but the talk of it has been there."

Yet even before this final, Man United have managed to hurt Newcastle again.

Nick Pope's red card in the Liverpool game saw him ruled out of Sunday's match, and Martin Dubravka cannot play either after spending the first half of the season out on loan at Man United of all teams.

Having played twice in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford, Dubravka is cup-tied and will receive a winners' medal only if his Newcastle team-mates lose. They will be relying instead on Loris Karius, making his debut for the club.

Even had Dubravka been available, Pope would be a big miss. He is so key to the way Newcastle play – with a high line but a slow defence – ironically due to his ability to do the thing that saw him sent off.

Pope leads the Premier League in keeper sweepings (24), mopping up passes in behind the back line effectively when not comically handling the ball outside his area.

No goalkeeper in the country then might have been better suited to combatting Man United's approach, which relies heavily on the speed of Marcus Rashford. They rank joint-first for fast breaks (22), joint-second for shots from fast breaks (16) and first for goals from fast breaks (seven), with Rashford scoring two of those.

Karius, now tasked with stopping Rashford, last appeared for an English club in another final, making two awful errors for Liverpool in their 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid after sustaining a concussion.

His potential redemption tale in this showpiece adds another layer of narrative that was scarcely needed.

"It would be a magnificent chance for him to rewrite the story of his career," said Howe, while Dubravka added: "It's like the script from a movie. So incredible."

It is not a plot twist anyone involved with Newcastle would have chosen – except perhaps for those following the club this season for a documentary series. "Now we want a happy ending," said Dubravka.

Bruno Guimaraes is at least back from suspension to help with that, although so too is Brazil team-mate Casemiro in the Man United camp.

The former Real Madrid midfielder, like Rashford, provides a very physical threat, but of comparable concern to Newcastle and to Karius might be the considerable mental hurdles they must clear to finally bring silverware back to St James' Park.

Erik ten Hag encouraged Manchester United to exude greater belief and courage prior to their inspired turnaround against Barcelona at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils came from behind to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over the runaway LaLiga leaders on aggregate and book their place in the last 16 of the competition.

United endured a difficult first half as they fell behind to Robert Lewandowski's penalty and registered just two shots on target, while they could have trailed 2-0 on the night had Casemiro not thwarted Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessie on the stroke of half-time. 

Ten Hag made a substitute at the break for a second successive match, having also done so against Leicester City on Sunday, introducing Antony in favour of Wout Weghorst.

It proved an inspired move as the hosts appeared invigorated upon the contest's resumption. Fred levelled the tie, before Antony struck the winner 17 minutes from time.

"I emphasised the belief. It was too flat [in the] first half," Ten Hag told reporters his post-match press conference. "We had our spare man Casemiro [who] we didn't use enough. Aaron Wan-Bissaka had a lot of space on the right side, we didn't use [him] enough.

"I think in the pressing, we could be more brave. So, that is what we emphasised. The second was to make the sub with Antony, who brought more speed in the play and who brings belief on the pitch.

"In the squad, you need different types and profiles and when your time is there, you have to be ready and contribute with the team. You can't win trophies with 11 [players], especially not nowadays. You need that squad and rotation.

"This is another step because when you can beat Barcelona – one of the best teams in this moment in Europe – your belief can be really strong, because then I think you are able to beat anyone.

"It was a magnificent night. I think it is brilliant when you can beat Barcelona – eight points ahead of Real Madrid in LaLiga – and we have seen this week Real Madrid playing [in their 5-2 win [over Liverpool]. We did a magnificent performance."

Erik ten Hag saluted his "resilient" Manchester United side following their dramatic comeback victory over Barcelona in the Europa League.

Following a pulsating 2-2 draw at Camp Nou last week, the Red Devils fell behind on aggregate to Robert Lewandowski's first-half penalty at Old Trafford.

But Ten Hag's side turned the tie on its head after the break with goals from Fred and substitute Antony sending the hosts through to the last 16 of the competition.

It also marked the first time since defeat by Granada in April 2021 that the Blaugrana had lost having led at half-time.

When asked if this was his biggest win since taking charge, the Dutchman told BT Sport: "Yes, I think so. We've had some good wins – Liverpool, Arsenal at home. Barcelona is the leader of LaLiga, eight points ahead of Real Madrid. To beat them, it's a big win.

"I think we have some great personalities in the team, like Rapha [Varane] and Licha [Lisandro Martinez], they don't fear anyone. Even when you get setbacks, they move on, they carry on, and they are resilient. They want to get a result.

"Even when you concede a penalty, you have to go on; you can turn around such games. When you win a big game like this – after [being] 1-0 down and a difficult situation – I think this is a good bit of motivation in the season."

Following Antony's winner, United have now had 19 goals scored by substitutes in all competitions this season, the most by any side from the big five European leagues.

Alejandro Garnacho also looked dangerous following his introduction, his blocked effort leading to the decisive strike, and Ten Hag hailed the impact of both players.

"We know if we can bring Antony and Garnacho on and get over in the right areas, you get speed, you get running behind, you get dribbles, and you get belief," the manager added.

"They are both so brave; they don't fear anyone. They just take players on, and I think that gives a boost to the whole team."

On Fred, who levelled the tie, he said: "What he does really well is make the runs behind in the right moment, he has good timing. Getting behind the Barcelona midfielders was part of our game plan. I think it was really effective."

Sergio Busquets acknowledged Barcelona are "angry" after their Europa League exit to Manchester United, but insists it will not affect their domestic form.

Xavi's side saw their European exploits come to an end for the season after they let a one-goal lead slip at Old Trafford in a 2-1 loss to the Premier League side.

With Erik ten Hag's men taking a 4-3 aggregate victory across both legs, it marks another disappointing to end to a continental campaign for the Blaugrana.

Barca remain top of LaLiga and in the hunt for Copa del Rey success though, and while Busquets touched on the sting of defeat, he was adamant they will be fine.

"In terms of spirit, it does take its toll," he told Movistar+. "We are angry, but the team is aware of where that comes from.

"We are good in the league, but in Europe, we lack that little point. We must aspire to win everything. We are on the right path, and I'm sure [this] won't take its toll on the team."

Defeat in the Europa League marked a second exit from a continental competition this season, with Barca having dropped into the second-tier competition from the Champions League.

In a group that also included Bayern Munich and Inter, they only managed a pair of wins over Viktoria Plzen, but Busquets shut down suggestions this latest result represents a similar failure.

"They have been different eliminations," he added. "In the Champions League, a lot of things happened that were incredible. We weren't good in some games.

"Today is different. This was a tie against one of the best teams in the Premier League. Defeat could happen."

Xavi felt Barcelona "deserved more" from Thursday's defeat at Manchester United after Antony's 73rd-minute strike dumped his team out of the Europa League at Old Trafford.

Following a thrilling 2-2 draw at Camp Nou last week, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty after Bruno Fernandes hauled down Alejandro Balde to put Barca ahead at half-time of the second leg.

But Fred equalised shortly after the interval, and Antony struck with less than 20 minutes to play to send United through 4-3 on aggregate and knock Xavi's side out of the competition.

It was Barca's first defeat against the Red Devils since 2008, and the first time in 38 matches in all competitions that they had lost a game after leading at half-time.

Xavi believes his players' efforts at Old Trafford warranted more than they received, telling Movistar+ after the match: "In such evenly matched knockout matches, details are important. I think we deserved something more.

"The goal to make it 1-1 hurt us. We lost a ball and they equalised. They put more intensity and we lost more duels in the second half. 

"It has been an even tie. There have even been moments in which we have been very comfortable.

"This is a big disappointment but we have to focus on the competitions we have left. We had a great rival in front of us."

Despite Barca having now been knocked out of both the Europa League and Champions League this season, Xavi says this season's continental efforts have been an improvement on last campaign, when they were again knocked out of Europe's premier competition before succumbing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final eight.

"We have been better than last year," Xavi explained. "The message is a bit like when they eliminated us in the Champions League. This year we have competed against Bayern [Munich], against Inter.

"We have been better. We have competed in this tie.

"You have to be very self-critical and think about what needs to be improved. We may not be satisfied, but there has been an exponential change compared to last year.

"Next year we have to improve. They are big teams and it is hard to compete. Next year we will come back stronger."

Asked whether new signings are needed for Barca to compete at the top level again, Xavi replied: "Soon we'll see if we can sign [players]. What is clear is that we haven't competed for two years."

Bruno Fernandes put Manchester United's 2-1 comeback win over Barcelona down to a "bouncing" Old Trafford on Thursday.

The hosts went behind in the first half after the Portuguese midfielder conceded a penalty for a tug on Alejandro Balde, with Robert Lewandowski converting for Barca.

But goals from Fred and Antony after the break saw United turn matters around to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory and secure a place in the draw for the last 16.

Erik ten Hag's side were backed by a noisy Old Trafford throughout, and Fernandes was quick to pay tribute to the fans' contribution afterwards.

"The belief in the team is always there," he told BT Sport. "The belief from the fans, for us, is amazing. They [have] pushed us through difficult moments this season.

"They've been with us in the toughest moments. This season, we have been good, really good. This is something different, between them and us.

"We have something special, because they can see we are doing all we can to win games for them. Old Trafford was bouncing, that's why we got the result."

For United, there is limited time to dwell on such a momentous result – their first win over Barcelona since April 2008 – as they turn focus towards Sunday's EFL Cup final against Newcastle United.

With a chance to end the club's six-year silverware drought this weekend, fellow midfielder Fred acknowledges they must refocus quickly to stay on track.

"[It was a] good game today," he added. "[But] we need to keep going. We have a final on Sunday. We need to change our mind [ahead] of the final."

Antony was the hero as Manchester United progressed to the Europa League last 16 thanks to a 2-1 win over Barcelona at Old Trafford that secured a 4-3 aggregate success.

Robert Lewandowski put the Blaugrana ahead with an 18th-minute penalty following a pulsating 2-2 draw at Camp Nou last week.

But Fred equalised early in the second half, before substitute Antony completed the turnaround for Erik ten Hag’s side 17 minutes from time.

The Red Devils held on for their first victory over Barca since the narrow 1-0 win in the Champions League semi-final second leg in April 2008.

Casemiro released Bruno Fernandes in the third minute for the latter to test Marc-Andre ter Stegen during a bright start for United. 

But having almost been the hero at one end, Fernandes became the villain at the other when he hauled down Alejandro Balde in the penalty area, Lewandowski converting the subsequent spot-kick despite David de Gea's best efforts.

The United goalkeeper almost gifted Barca a second before half-time, his loose pass intercepted by Sergi Roberto, but Casemiro made vital blocks to deny him and Franck Kessie.

The hosts capitalised on their good fortune within two minutes of the restart, Fernandes feeding Fred, who drilled a low shot beyond Ter Stegen's dive.

United carried the greater threat but were almost caught by a sucker punch, with De Gea showcasing wonderful reflexes to tip away Jules Kounde's header.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag's side deservedly completed the comeback.

The ball ricocheted to Antony, who neatly guided into the bottom-left corner, and a late Raphael Varane block to deny Lewandowski ensured the Brazilian's strike was decisive.

Josko Gvardiol is hot property around Europe and he boosted his stocks with the equaliser in RB Leipzig's 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old centre-back is contracted with Leipzig until 2027, although he reportedly has an exit clause in his deal, worth €110 million.

Leipzig head coach Marco Rose was adamant after Wednesday's game that Gvardiol will remain with the club next season.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL KEEN ON LEIPZIG STAR GVARDIOL

Liverpool will look to bolster their defensive options with a move for Gvardiol, claims Fabrizio Romano.

The Croatia international has been targetted by Chelsea and he only enhanced his reputation during the 2022 World Cup. He has also been linked with City and Real Madrid.

Gvardiol has previously indicated he would be love to join the Reds, potentially offering Jurgen Klopp's side an edge in the race to sign him. 

ROUND-UP

– Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all keeping tabs on Kylian Mbappe's situation at Paris Saint-Germain, claims Football Insider. Speculation continues to swirl that Mbappe, who is contracted through the end of the 2024-25 season, is unhappy at PSG.

– Chelsea are interested in a move for Dinamo Moscow 19-year-old midfielder Arsen Zakharyan, according to CaughtOffside.

– Fichajes say Juventus are considering a move to sign Real Betis forward Borja Iglesias amid worries Dusan Vlahovic could depart at the end of the season.

– Napoli will challenge PSG in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, reports CalcioMercato.

– Manchester United are plotting a double swoop for Leicester City midfield duo James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, according to Football Transfers.

– Raphael Guerreiro is set to exit Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season as a free agent, reports Nicolo Schira.

A lot's been said and written about the various ways Erik ten Hag has changed Manchester United's trajectory since his appointment last April.

His signings have made an impact; he's started to build an identity; players appear to be improving; he's getting results on the pitch.

But beyond those areas, last week's 2-2 draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Europa League felt like an example of how much Ten Hag has changed the attitude of the club already.

It was a significant departure from what most fans – of United or otherwise – have come to expect from away games in European knockout ties against the biggest clubs on the continent.

Unless you support say Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City or even Barca, there's a degree of acceptance that your team is going to spend much of the game under pressure when you face one of Europe's behemoths away from home.

This won't be lost on United fans. Even before the departure of the peerless Alex Ferguson in 2013, they would often set up with a view to halting the opponent rather than outplaying them, hence the importance of hard-working players like Park Ji-sung and Darren Fletcher.

In more recent years, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's use of counter-attacking tactics brought mixed results. While they helped the shock 2019 Champions League elimination of Paris Saint-Germain in one of the competition's most remarkable comebacks ever, United were then comfortably seen off by Barca 4-0 on aggregate in the next round.

Jose Mourinho's United were similarly pragmatic even though they never really came up against that same standard of opposition in Europe. His only Champions League knockout tie in charge of United was against Sevilla, who knocked the Red Devils out in the round of 16.

Of course, appearing to display something of an inferiority complex away from home isn't anything new, and it's certainly not specific to European competition – United have produced many performances some might perceive to be "negative" domestically in the past 10 years or so.

Either way, the manner of their display at Camp Nou was undoubtedly a refreshing change of pace.

United were the more dangerous and more competent side for long stretches of the game. Sure, Barca had the majority of the ball, as you'd expect, but Ten Hag's men seemed to have more purpose and direction when they had it.

They managed 18 shots last week at Camp Nou. Since the start of the 2003-04 season, United have only had more attempts away from Old Trafford in a European knockout game four times – those occasions were against Schalke, LASK, Sevilla and Copenhagen.

It bears mentioning that Barca had the same amount of shots, so this wasn't about United being dominant per se, rather having the attitude, belief and mentality to go to Camp Nou and not just assume the role of the proverbial lamb to the slaughter.

When facing Barca, you accept they will have a greater share of the ball, and generally speaking that brings shots, chances. But United were able to hurt their hosts without needing to control possession.

Their shots were worth 2.2 expected goals (xG) to Barca's 1.1. In the time that this data is available (since 2013-14), United have only recorded more xG in European knockout games away from Old Trafford seven times.

Again, these opponents were sides like Granada, Anderlecht, LASK and Copenhagen. Granted, their 2.1 away to PSG in 2019 looks good on paper, but Marcus Rashford's crucial penalty obviously accounts for a massive chunk of that, and United only managed five shots on that occasion. It was smash and grab.

United's high xG at Camp Nou was partly linked to their high number of touches (32) in the Barca box. Opta data in this metric goes back as far as the 2006-07 season, and since then they have only had more touches in the opposition's area four times in European knockout games away from Old Trafford.

Those were recorded against Villarreal, Sevilla, Schalke and Copenhagen.

Of course, trying to determine which of United's opponents have been of a similar standard to this current Barca side is subjective. Similarly, it's fair to ask how good Xavi's team actually are. But you could argue that, in the time this metric has been recorded, United never had more than 19 touches in the area of opponents at the level of Barca when not at Old Trafford.

In the 2008 final against Chelsea, United had 19. Away to Real Madrid in February 2013, they had 17. At Camp Nou in April 2019, they managed 12. The only club of a comparable stature to Barca against whom the Red Devils have broken that 20-touch barrier was Milan in March 2021, but that Rossoneri side wasn't a particularly impressive team; this Barca side is currently eight points clear of the Real Madrid team that pulverised Liverpool at Anfield earlier this week.

While United were slightly disappointed not to beat Barca last week, it was still possibly their most impressive performance in Europe for well over a decade.

They were positive, purposeful and generally threatening. There was no sign of fear or intimidation.

There were few negative aspects of the performance, and so in a way it perfectly encapsulated Ten Hag's tenure so far. The Dutchman's United had already played well against – and beaten – good teams, but being the better side at Camp Nou against Barcelona is a bit different.

Four trophies are still technically up for grabs for United this term. While a quadruple is surely beyond them, another positive performance – and result – at Old Trafford on Thursday will be the biggest statement of ambition and progress yet for Ten Hag.