Manchester United midfielder Fred delivered one of his best performances of the season during the club’s 2-1 comeback win over Barcelona in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Red Devils conceded an early goal at Old Trafford last night after Barcelona were awarded a cheap penalty. David de Gea could not stop Robert Lewandowski’s effort despite getting a hand to it.
The Blaugrana comfortably held on to the advantage until the break, but United returned with a renewed vigour, scoring in the 47th minute with an assured finish from Fred on the edge of the box.
United eventually bagged the winner through Antony in the 73rd minute. Alejandro Garnacho and Fred had their shots blocked within seconds but United were third time lucky with Antony’s brilliant curler.
The club have now progressed to the round of 16 stage of the Europa League after a 4-3 aggregate win. In our opinion, Fred was the man of the match against Barcelona last night.
The Brazilian has not always been consistent with his performances in the United shirt, but he has grown the reputation of standing out in the big matches with key contributions.
Fred scored the vital equaliser after the break yesterday but he was also excellent with his work rate and defensive involvements. He was the perfect foil for Casemiro in midfield.
Over 90 minutes, the 29-year-old had 47 touches. He won an impressive six duels and five tackles while making two clearances. He also won 100% of his take-ons attempted.
Aside from Fred, Antony needs to be appreciated, having looked lively in his first competitive appearance since his leg injury. De Gea was once again influential between the sticks.
The Spanish goalkeeper almost made a goalkeeping blunder in the opening half but made up for it with his world-class save to deny Jules Kounde, minutes before Antony scored.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and SofaScore.com
