It's honour and glory the great man, he said...

The FA Cup quarter-final is precariously balanced on the precipice. A stonking, superbly see-sawing contest has swung one way and then the other as English football's two most successful and famous clubs have served up an all time classic. 

It is a tie befitting not only of Manchester United against Liverpool, but also of the world's oldest domestic competition. For all those naysayers who no longer value the FA Cup, this has been the epitome of everything it has to offer.

Perched up in the stand bearing the name of our now sadly departed knight of the realm Sir Bobby Charlton, I watch on with one thought uppermost in my mind: here we go again. I was preparing for the mental trauma of that footballing nuance we all love to hate or, maybe, hate to love: the penalty shootout. 

For a man still suffering from Villarreal-induced PTSD, it is all too much to bear. I begin to go through United's five penalty takers in my mind: Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, maybe substitute Christian Eriksen. Perhaps the excellent Diogo Dalot? Scott McTominay? Who will be the hero? Will lady luck smile on us this time? Please, someone somewhere, help us through this. I can barely watch, yet at the same time I'm held completely in thrall.  

Only Manchester United can put you through the wringer the way they did on Sunday. From the ecstasy of McTominay's early opener to agony as Liverpool hit the front and took control of a cup tie that suddenly looked out of our reach.  I experienced the entire gamut of emotions, twice over and back again. It felt like being on a 120-minute rollercoaster: a twisting, turning white knuckle ride with just about everything chucked at you en route. This club, man...

Delight as Antony - a much maligned figure written off as the main example of United's poor recruitment policy - scores with his right peg to drag United, kicking and screaming, into extra time with four minutes left. Despair as Marcus Rashford pulls wide with the goal, and the semi final, at his mercy, and Harvey Elliott put them ahead once more (with the aid of a deflection, just to really rub it in).

I thought that was it. We were done. There seemed no way back. We'd already got out of jail once: twice was too much to ask, surely? Even for a club as renowned for its last gasp acts of derring do as ours. Especially against this Liverpool side. With this manager. A manager who will be leaving in a few short months and his players finding an extra 5% within themselves as a result.

The FA Cup and a season that had promised so much but delivered so little was slipping away. To make matters worse, it seemed as if United would be merely a footnote on Liverpool's road to relentless, quadruple chasing history. 
Yet United dug in and found hallmarks once commonplace but sorely conspicuous in absentia over these last eight months. Fight. Courage. Character. Guts. Resolve. Back we come again as, in the blink of an eye, Rashford makes it 3-3 and this madcap game is thrown wide open once more. Now what? How often do you see one goal in extra-time, never mind two. I barely have time to think as my rapidly diminishing voicebox does it's best to rouse the players for one final big effort. 

Of all the live games I've been to, this is already the most memorable by far. I think of the journey this magnificent club, this huge part of my life for nearly 30 years has taken me on. The good times, and the bad, the rough and the smooth. The memories, the heartbreak, the friends I have made. But on this day I've seen nothing yet. 

And so to the denouement: 3-3, in the final minute of a sensational cup tie up there with the finest Old Trafford has ever seen. Whatever happens, United deserve credit. Written off by all and sundry, we have never given in, defended well when we had to and taken our chances when they've come. Liverpool may be ahead in terms of quality but the Reds have more than played their part in keeping them at bay. We almost won it, we could have lost it: either of those things could still happen. 

It's a strange feeling I can't explain, but football fans get an inkling, a sixth sense almost, that something is about to happen. As the Liverpool corner is swung in, Elliott sticks out an outstretched leg but the ball breaks loose. I get that feeling, somewhere deep inside. What happens next will live with me forever. Amad Diallo, the forgotten man thrown on perhaps more in hope than expectation, gets a foot to the ball. Alejandro Garnacho, United's jet-heeled teenage tyro two years Amad's junior, bursts clear and leads the charge towards Liverpool's penalty area. Old Trafford holds it collective breath as Conor Bradley - inexplicably the only man left covering - backpedals furiously as Garnacho runs. And runs. And runs.

Amad has kept up with his team mate in support and acts as a decoy as Garnacho shepherds the ball into his path. Amad changes his body shape side on to the ball and rolls it across goal beyond the diving Caoimhin Kelleher. For what feels like an eternity, the ball trickles across the famous, iconic turf before kissing the post and rolling in. On ITV, Sam Matterface manages to convey the moment brilliantly: "Amad for the semi final" he purrs succinctly but superbly - five small words that said everything. 

Cue some of the greatest scenes Old Trafford has ever witnessed. Cue sheer, utter and unadulterated joy. Bedlam. Hysteria. Scenes of wild jubilation not seen on this scale for many a year. The substitutes and coaching staff race from the bench to join the heaving throng of players and supporters alike. On the touchline, Erik ten Hag cavorts with delight. Inject that sound, the sound of our great theatre in full voice, erupting to it's collective core and roaring to the heavens.  Never have I hugged so many random strangers. The lad behind me has tears in his young eyes. I was not far off. His father throws his arms around me in celebration.  I hug anyone in sight, bellowing to the sky as all those pent up emotions come pouring out. Worry, nerves, excitement, hope, fear, joy, pride, happiness, you name it. It's all there. It's all in that roar into the Old Trafford rafters. This may 'only' have been a quarter final, but it feels like so much more. Winning this game in this manner means so much. Especially given the season we have had. I fall to my knees, like the dejected Liverpool players sprawled on the turf in front of me. I am spent. This is why Sir Bobby Charlton called it the Theatre of Dreams.

For everything I've seen, everything my beloved team has won, this is up there as one of my greatest days supporting this club. That's saying something considering the 20 league titles, the Treble, the 2008 Champions League and all that has come before or since. This club is gonna be the death of me one of these days but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Who writes these scripts? A peripheral figure starved of game time, sent on to rescue a game slipping from our grasp, becomes an instant hero. A 21-year-old forced to the fringes by his manager writes himself into Manchester United folklore forever. The calmest man in the ground scores with almost the last kick to finally settle a totemic, titanic tussle and send United to Wembley. A player with only 13 United appearances to his name with the biggest goal of his career.  

A name to talk about for the rest of time. A young Ivorian to go down in the annals as a man who won his side arguably the greatest FA Cup tie we have ever seen. Against his side's biggest rivals in the final seconds. A lad who sent 400 million across the globe into delirium. As the man who sits high up in the posh seats in the stand that bears his mighty name once said: Football, bloody hell. 

In the chaos, I do not even not notice the red card brandished to the goalscorer. My scarf goes flying. My voice and any semblance of dignity or normality has gone with it. I am lost in a world of tumult, a world where nothing else matters, a world that I feel on top of. I am emotionally exhausted, mentally wrecked. I cannot think straight. Only football, or perhaps, indeed, only Manchester United, can do this to a man. I will never forget this day. Being there in the flesh making memories to cherish and to last a lifetime. Whenever the United vs Liverpool game of 17 March 2024 is mentioned in future, I will be able to say 'I was there'. 

As the Stretford End banner in tribute to United's first Great Scot Sir Matt Busby proudly proclaims: "It's honour and glory, the great man he said, there's nothing on earth like being a Red." 

Farewell David de Gea: 12 years a Red and forever a legend

And so football's worst-kept secret is officially official: David de Gea departs Manchester United after more than a decade between the sticks.

De Gea signed from Atletico Madrid as a rangy, nervous 20-year-old with the task of replacing United's best since Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar (all the very best to him, by the way). A giant of a man in every sense, van der Sar quite literally left big boots to fill and, initially at least, it looked as if Sir Alex Ferguson had dropped a rare clanger in bringing this relatively unknown rookie as his next in line.

Such a wiry, raw and youthful was always going to be an easy target for the drama-hungry English media and so it proved, In truth, some media outlets have never truly left de Gea alone even in the intervening years. 

Yet he leaves Old Trafford with his place in club history assured. Certainly as van der Sar's equal, maybe even his superior. Despite criticism of his distribution and a supposed weakness in commanding his box, de Gea was - and always will be - one of the finest shot stoppers the English game has even seen. 
de Gea has been unfortunate in the fact his United career has run parallel to some of the club's most barren years. With one Premier League, a Europa League, an FA Cup and two League Cups, as well as two runners up medals, five trophies in twelve years isn't so bad. But a keeper the quality of de Gea deserved to be playing in a team existing in the throes of challenging for the biggest prizes in the game. 

For that alone, he deserves a place among United's pantheon of greats. As the last great bastion of Ferguson's title-winning alumni, his departure also marks the passing of one generation to the next. 

The turning point of de Gea's United career came at Stamford Bridge in those fledgling early days. Ironically a save from compatriot and soon-to-be team-mate Juan Mata as a flying flash of green to paw away Mata's dipping free-kick left incredulous jaws in many a collective lap.

From then on, he was the manager's favourite and our undisputed no.1. That save was voted our greatest ever of the Premier League era and it earned de Gea a spot in that season's Team of the Year.

That would pave the way for what was to follow. At times, de Gea was a one-man showreel, a man who made the seemingly impossible look easy and almost single-handedly kept a floundering United side afloat. Times were bad enough with him there - you just shudder to think how bad things would have been without him. 

With United in a seemingly permanent state of flux following the retirement of Sir Alex, de Gea was the one constant, the one shining light, the man with four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards in five seasons. That simply tells us everything we need to know about how influential, how utterly vital, he was even through some of United's darkest moments. 

Some of his showings defied logic. Think of the now famous game at Arsenal in late 2017 when a record-equalling 14 saves will go down in history as the finest ever by a United keeper. Even as recently as this season, De Gea was keeping opposition forces at bay in remarkable fashion. His simply sensational save when he changed direction in mid-air to tip away Kelechi Iheanacho's point-blank header was voted the best of the season by his peers. Another similar save in the same game, this one from Harvey Barnes, again showcased the very zenith of the man from Madrid.

There will be mixed reactions to the news, including from me. It's always sad to see a legend leave. Especially a man who has done so much for the club and stayed loyal when it would have been easy to jump ship. But, ultimately, the time is right. De Gea's style is simply not compatible with modern day top level football now. Even his biggest assets - his superhuman reflexes, anticipation and fleet of foot - have started to dwindle. Saves which were once routine have now become difficult. His bread and butter is now as sticky as treacle. 

But despite all that, he still won the 2022-23 Golden Glove for the most shutouts in the season. No overseas player has made more appearances than his 545 in all of the long and storied history of this magnificent sporting institution. 

He is seventh on the overall all-time list and has kept more clean sheets (190) than any other United stopper that has come before him - van der Sar, Schmeichel and Stepney et al. The fact he will forever be discussed as among only the most exalted of company is testament indeed to how that callow young keeper we signed in 2011 turned out. 

Thank you for everything, David de Gea. For your service, humility, brilliance, personality and that amazing agility. Some of the saves have to be seen to be believed. It has been an honour. 

The remarkable renaissance of Aaron Wan - Bissaka

When Manchester United travelled to Fulham for their last match before the five-week World Cup hiatus, it seemed almost certain Aaron Wan - Bissaka had played in the red of United for the last time.
Diogo Dalot had started every game in league and cup with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signing AWB restricted to only four minutes off the bench all season, at the end of the Old Trafford win over Liverpool.

With Dalot suspended for the trip to Craven Cottage due to a fifth booking of the season, Wan - Bissaka was United's only available right-back. Erik ten Hag appeared to sound the death knell on the popular if struggling player when the Dutchman selected natural left-back Tyrell Malacia in his stead with Luke Shaw on the opposite flank. When Wan - Bissaka couldn't even get in ten Hag's team ahead of a makeshift stand-in, the writing very much seemed on the proverbial wall. 

A January departure seemed inevitable for a player incompatible with ten Hag's raison d'etre. The Dutchman's high-intensity pressing style requires his centre-backs to play a high line and the full-backs to 'bomb on'. For all his brilliant defensive attributes, Wan - Bissaka simply could not do this. 

Quite what sparked his incredible turnaround we will never know but, whilst Dalot's form, fitness and fortunes have plateaued since the restart, Wan - Bissaka has gone from strength to strength. Dalot was given a torrid time against the pace and talismanic trickery of Alain Saint-Maximin in the League Cup final.

But with Wan - Bissaka introduced at half-time, Saint-Maximin was rendered almost anonymous in the second 45 minutes, so much so he was withdrawn for Jacob Murphy with 12 minutes to play. Despite only playing one half, such was Wan - Bissaka's seminal impact, he was a contender for man of the match. It was probably AWB's finest performance in the Red of United and paved the way for the team to go on and end the six-year trophy drought. 

Dalot's selection at Anfield certainly raised eyebrows and he was picked again as ten Hag named an unchanged side for the Europa League visit of Real Betis on Thursday. Four days on from the Anfield anomaly, United looked in trouble again after Ayoze Perez had cancelled out Marcus Rashford's early opener. But the introduction of Wan - Bissaka once again proved pivotal as United gained the ascendancy and restored the equilibrium, helped in no small part by AWB's devastating deviation between defence and attack. He gave us more defensive authority and played a part in the move which led to captain Bruno Fernandes headed third goal. 

The combination of Wan - Bissaka and Antony completely nullified the threat of the high flying La Liga side and saw United put the tie to bed even before next week's return in Seville. 

Wan - Bissaka has been the ying to Dalot's yang and surely be now be ahead of his contemporary in the pecking order. Wan - Bissaka has to come in to the team now for the foreseeable future starting with the visit of 19th-placed Southampton on Sunday. 

Could it be ten Hag worked his magic on AWB during the World Cup break when there were no domestic games? Could it be him peaking at the right time given his lack of game time in the first half of the season? Perhaps the talk of a move away proved the turning point. Rumours of a move back to first love Crystal Palace failed to materialise and he has certainly made the most of his second chance.

What I love too is the fact he never complained, he never whinged or threw his toys out the pram. He never aired his frustrations over a lack of game time in public. He has got his head down and remained focused on the job of winning ten Hag over. A certain Cristiano Ronaldo could certainly learn a thing or two.

Dalot has not been right since returning from the World Cup injured and Wan - Bissaka has enjoyed a terrific revival as the main beneficiary. His defensive play has been as solid as ever but there has been a clear uptick in his attacking output too. Although he only has a solitary assist to his name this term, his darting runs from deep, composure on the ball and strong dribbling ability have been notable improvements in his game. Nearly every player has improved under the expert tutelage of the erudite ten Hag but perhaps none more so than AWB. 

He is our best right-back at present and the team looks a much better one with him in it. ten Hag certainly doesn't now need to dip into the transfer market for another right-back such has been Wan - Bissaka's remarkable, heart-warming resurgence. 

Casemiro 10;Martinez 9: Reds star as United win Carabao Cup at Wembley

Manchester United faced their most testing week for many a year but passed with flying colours as we knocked Barcelona out of Europe and then won the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
It may have 'only' been the League Cup, but it was the first trophy of the season and a chance for Erik ten Hag to collect silverware only nine months into the job at Old Trafford. This will act as a springboard, a launchpad to propel United to further success and you can bet this will be merely the first of many. 

Despite having only two days to prepare in comparison to a week for opponents Newcastle, United controlled the final and won at a relative canter. 

Everything ten Hag touches turns to gold: his substitutions work to perfection, his signings have been brilliant and his mentality monstrous. Up ze Reds!

Here is how each played rated as the team roared to a sixth League Cup success.

David de Gea - 8

Had little to do apart from one low save from Allan Saint-Maximin and a late Joelinton header. The clean sheet ensures he has now eclipsed the legendary Peter Schmeichel as the keeper with the most shutouts in the club's illustrious history. A second League Cup win for our Spanish Dave.

Diogo Dalot - 5

Always looked to have a difficult afternoon in store against the pace and trickery of Saint - Maximin. An early booking didn't help his cause and was given a stern examination by Newcastle's dangerman. Subbed at half time - but he has his first Reds winners medal.

Raphael Varane - 8

A defensive masterclass from the World Cup winner and one of the best defenders in world football. Won everything in the air and was calmness personified. Rolls Royce of a player. 

Lisandro Martinez - 9

Last-ditch challenge on Fabian Schar prevented Newcastle from going ahead. Got kicked in the head twice but epitomises this side with his bravery, courage and ability. One of the signings of the season. Easy to see why he is already a cult hero here.

Luke Shaw - 8

First trophy of his career having missed out on the cup double of 2017 under Jose Mourinho. Crossed superbly for the opener and excelled both defensively and going forward. What a season this man is having. Is there a better left back in the country right now?

Casemiro - 10

Put United ahead with a thumping header and ran the game thereafter. Strong, composed, influential on and off the ball and popped up everywhere. His leadership and winning mentality has permeated through this side. A simply magnificent master of his craft. What a player. The perfect performance.

Fred - 7

Picked up a booking in the first half but controlled the game in a Brazil-centre midfield. Energetic and combative as usual, Fred is a reliable big game player and never lets you down. 

Antony - 6

Toyed with Dan Burn on more than one occasion and linked up well with Dalot. Drifted in and out of the game a bit but is so important to the structure and balance of this team. 

Bruno Fernandes - 7

Absolutely tireless performance as he defied fatigue to cover every blade of grass. He plays 90 minutes three times a week but his level never drops. Neat and tidy without having a seminal impact on the game.

Marcus Rashford - 7

Was an injury doubt coming into the final and United's talismanic figurehead was not at his dynamic and explosive best. That said, he still got his goal and has now won four major honours with his boyhood club. 

Wout Weghorst - 6

A decent performance from the loan frontman. Played a part in the second goal by assisting Rashford and nearly scored himself with a screamer. His best work came from a deeper role - his pressing is relentless and his work rate insatiable. 

Substitutes

Aaron Wan - Bissaka (for Dalot ht) - 8

An absolute colossus against ASM in the second half. Never gave him a sniff, got forward superbly and would be a contender for man of the match had he played the full 90.

Scott McTominay (for Weghorst 69) - 6

Came on to re-energise the midfield and kept things ticking over. Solid if unspectacular

Marcel Sabitzer (for Fred 69) - 7

A very impressive cameo. Came on at a time when Newcastle were pressing and helped to restore the equilibrium. I like the look of him.

Jadon Sancho (for Antony 83) - 6

Had little time to impose himself on the match but made a few darting runs in the closing stages

Harry Maguire (for Rashford 88) - N/A

Came on to lift the trophy but had no time to make an impact

Manager

Erik ten Hag - 10

Got everything right with his substitutions, game management and preparation. You simply cannot fault him. Bald is best. 

Manchester United end trophy drought and scratch six year itch

Manchester United ended a trophy drought spanning six years and over 2,000 days with victory in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Against a Newcastle side on an even longer run without success, Erik ten Hag's mentality monsters delivered the Dutchman's first piece of silverware at Old Trafford at the first opportunity, only nine months into the job. 
It rounded off a memorable week with the might of Barcelona sent packing from the Europa League on a thunderous Thursday at Old Trafford. Manchester United haven't had a few days as good as this for quite some while. 

ten Hag has the look and feel of a transformative manager and now has a trophy as tangible reward for the speed and manner in which he has turned United around. 

The erudite Dutchman's potent mix of discipline and tactical awareness makes this feel like a very different Manchester United to the one that stumbled blindly in the dark under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick. But those dark moments, some of the darkest we have ever known, make this slice of silverware all the more worthwhile. We've waited a long time for this. Not as long as valiantly vanquished Newcastle in fairness, but not since the late sixties and early seventies have United fans witnessed such a drought. 

But that monkey is off our backs now. The itch is well and truly scratched. Six months out from sinking without trace in that 4-0 defeat at Brentford, what odds would you have got on this? What would the odds have been of United sitting comfortably in the top four, winning the first trophy of the season as the only club in Europe still in with a chance of landing all four major competitions? 

It's true ten Hag's predecessors Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho also delivered silverware during their stints in the United hotseat, but neither felt sustainable. They were nice to win at the time, but we knew van Gaal was on his way out and Mourinho's short-termism meant it seemed like the end of the journey. 

This time, it feels different. This is only just the start. This League Cup victory is surely merely the first of many. You cannot help but make comparisons to the United vintage of 2006. Back then, the Reds were transitioning between eras as one great side ceded and another was created. A young team with early-twenty-somethings Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and the new arrivals Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra won this very trophy with a 4-0 win over Wigan.
The following season, Sir Alex's finest surged to the first of a Premier League three peat, before the Double followed in 2008. In short, that League Cup success paved the way for a new era of dominance. That side needed a trophy and, once it got one, it could not stop winning. That League Cup win may have felt underwhelming at the time, but proved a catalyst for greater things, instilling confidence and a winning mentality into a young, ambitious group of players who would become serial winners. 

The League Cup was Pep Guardiola's first trophy in England and so it is fitting a man who learned his trade under the City boss, a disciple of the nuances of the Beautiful Game, has followed suit. His United forerunner but three, Jose Mourinho, also sparked his silver-plated managerial years on these shores with three three handled trophy. Ridicule and mock it if you want, call it the Mickey Mouse trophy is you want, but no one said that when City won it four years in a row, or indeed when Liverpool themselves did so last season. It is not top of the priority list but it's a start and better than nothing. 

Now of course it is probably a stretch to suggest history will repeat. Pre-eminence such as we enjoyed then is rare now, and the margins so fine. But it will give these players the belief that greater things like ahead. Spearheaded by serial winners Casemiro and Raphael Varane, the first taste of a trophy will leave the group wanting more. Of United's matchday squad for the final, only David de Gea and Marcus Rashford had won a trophy with the club. Others like Varane, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Fred had won elsewhere but not since coming to Old Trafford. For Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan - Bissaka and Scott McTominay to name but four, all this was new. 

ten Hag himself will not stop here. There were no elaborate celebrations: the team returned to the North West at 10pm on Sunday to return to training ahead of West Ham's FA Cup visit on Wednesday. With the League Cup now safely stored in the cabinet, United will not rest on their laurels. There remains the chance of a quadruple. We are still in the FA Cup with only City left as one of the 'big' six and ten Hag's United are surely now favourites to win the Europa League. Something special is building at Old Trafford. 

European giants serve up a cinematic thriller

Someone at UEFA had a very warped sense of humour when Manchester United and Barcelona were drawn together in the Europa League.
Yet, from the moment Xavi's La Liga champions-elect dropped out of the Champions League, there seemed a sense of fate, a sense of inevitability, that these two mighty monoliths would be pitted against each other.

The cynic in me wondered whether it was always UEFA's plan, to make sure Barcelona didn't get out of their group and then to engineer a situation where we would meet them: what better way of marketing the Europa League and increasing their viewing figures. The fact this was the first tie drawn out with minimal effort only added to my suspicions. 

Paul Scholes thumps home that goal in 2008.

A game fit for the final was, instead, merely a play-off, a passage into the last 16 of Europe's second-tier tournament. Whilst it epitomised quite how far these two giants had fallen - twelve years on from a Wembley meeting in the Champions League final - one thing was certain: this would surely be the most hotly anticipated Europa League match-up of all time. 

The hype and sense of occasion for this one far outstripped anything we will see in the Champions League this year. Indeed, perhaps only December's World Cup final, Messrs Messi and Mbappe and all, came close on the excitement scale. It is unlikely you will see a better spectacle even at the very apex of Europe's top table this season. 

Indeed, when United - heads bowed and with tails firmly between the legs - stalked off that pitch as beaten finalists in 2011, no one would have believed you if you had said this would be a second-tier knockout playoff game twelve years on. Both teams are striving to once again rescale the heights of those heady days and, on this evidence, are firmly on track to do so. 

And so the stage was set: two of the world's biggest and most successful historic sides in a heavyweight duel, like two heavyweight boxers renewing acquaintances after a decade in the doldrums. Whilst the tie may have lacked quite the same stellar, star-studded and A-list names associated with this storied fixture, merely the mention of Manchester United and Barcelona is enough to set collective pulses racing. 

This was a heavyweight collision for the ages, two giants coming together in front of the world to recreate the halcyon days of yesteryear: football royalty par excellence. Thursday's thriller did not disappoint to produce a simply stunning, magnificent match in which two of the continent's most in-form sides went at it hammer and tong over 92 captivating and mesmerising minutes -  a Champions League work of art on loan in the Europa League. United had chances, and some big ones too: Wout Weghorst should have scored when one on one, Marc - Andre ter Stegen tipped wide from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho could also have netted. 

Although the first half was scoreless, it was still fascinating. Xavi deployed the wonderfully named Ronald Araujo at right-back, a ploy he used against Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior. The Barcelona manager had expected his United counterpart to utilise our main threat, Rashford, on the left. But instead, Sancho was out there with Fernandes stationed on the right and our no.10 down the middle. 

Barcelona more than played their own part in arguably the best game of the season so far. Ultimately, a draw was probably the fairest outcome but the Reds will be confident of completing the mission back on terra firma next week having flexed their muscles and gone about our business in an emphatic fashion here. Throw in the fact the Old Trafford fortress will be rocking, Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer are back from suspension and the fact Barcelona are without Gavi and Pedri, and you can see why United and Erik ten Hag will be delighted with their night's work. Of course, the job is not done yet but we've cleared the hardest hurdle and will be marginal favourites at a ground where we're unbeaten since September.
It is the epitome of just how far this side has come we're disappointed with a draw at the Nou Camp only six months on from the Brighton and Brentford eviscerations. That, more than anything, speaks volumes of the impact ten Hag has had. 

Barcelona may be on course for a 27th Spanish title, eight points clear having conceded only seven goals in the league all season, but, great rivals Real Madrid, aside, rarely will they have witnessed an opposition side come to the fabled Nou Camp and play like this. At times, they simply could not live with a sensational and swashbuckling wave of white. United pressed high and hassled Barcelona into submission. We played them off the park at times and, although we understandably tired in the closing minutes, Xavi's men will have been the team more relieved to hear the whistle. 

For this United team is now one with the Dutchman's paw prints all over it. Resilient, relentless, together and capable of scoring at will. We are better organised, more confident both individually and as a team, we keep our shape effectively and our press is devastating. 

His ideas are left-field but who are we to question when they always seem to work? He had Weghorst in central midfield: while the Burnley loanee offered little attacking threat he contributed so much to the cause. Weghorst is doing a job for now; we need an upgrade in the summer but ten Hag is both delivering and rebuilding. 

ten Hag has reinvigorated and revitalised nearly everyone in a United shirt through simplicity and clarity. His methods work and he is a disciplinarian but fair with it. The players know where they stand and respect him for it. 

As the old adage says, the sequel is rarely better than the original but it's all to play for under the lights at Old Trafford as a huge week beckons for United. 

League Cup semi final 2nd leg: Young Reds side to start against Forest

 Erik ten Hag is expected to give several of his fringe players the chance to shine as United welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford.
Barring a cataclysmic catastrophe, the Reds will face Newcastle at Wembley on 26 March as we hold a three-goal advantage from the first leg; no side has ever recovered from such a deficit and - with United unbeaten at home since September - the odds are firmly weighted in favour of ten Hag's side.

This game presents an ideal opportunity to rotate and give youth a run-out but will ten Hag continue with his tendency to select strong sides? 

With that in mind, and with the team in the middle of a hectic run of fixtures, here is how we think the Reds will line up at OT this evening.

In goal, David de Gea is likely to be given the night off so expect either Tom Heaton or Jack Butland to get the nod. We think the on-loan Palace keeper Jack Butland is set to make his debut. Why bother signing him if you don't play him in games like this? It will certainly be a night to cherish for either one of United's back up stoppers to get a rare chance to play in a semi final under the lights at Old Trafford.

Butland will line up behind a defence of Aaron Wan - Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams. 
Diogo Dalot is still sidelined so AWB will continue his run of games. It's possible Williams plays at right-back with Tyrell Malacia on the left, but there is no reason to think ten Hag will give AWB a breather. He has been good recently and so starts in our predicted side. 
It might seem unwise to risk injury when the tie is already won, but Varane has been rotated out for the first leg of this one and the cup tie with Reading. Varane will play against Palace on Saturday but we don't want him going into it with no minutes for a fortnight, so it makes sense to start with the Frenchman here. 
Alongside him, the skipper gets another 90 minutes under his belt having come in from the cold to perform well against Championship opposition. 
Luke Shaw is still absent and Malacia needs a rest, so Williams is set for his first start of the season at left-back. As mentioned, he could fill in for AWB at right-back with the young Dutchman in his stead but we think Malacia will get the night off. 

In front of them, our options are limited. Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen are injured and Casemiro needs a rest. Fred is almost a certainty to start after impressing from the bench of late, with teenager Kobbie Mainoo to be handed a second senior start. Mainoo played against Charlton in the quarter-finals and ten Hag is a keen admirer so there's no reason why he shouldn't be in from the start again for this one. 

Facundo Pellistri has impressed me in his fleeting, two-game cameos so far so I'd really like to see him in from the start. Jadon Sancho will return to the squad but is likely to be on the bench after three months out and Antony will also be rested. That paves the way for the talented young Argentine to step in lieu of his more established senior colleagues. 

With Bruno Fernandes rested and no one else to come in, 19-year-old Zidane Iqbal comes in for his first senior start. His only first-team appearance so far came in the last minute of last season's dead rubber group stage match with Young Boys but the Old Trafford stage is calling for United's first-ever British-born South Asian.

On the left, Anthony Elanga failed to secure a loan move during the transfer window despite a whole host of clubs scrapping for his signature. The Swede will be a valuable squad player for United under ten Hag and should get a rare chance to impress his manager here. 

Up top, Alejandro Garnacho is due a run-out and with Anthony Martial set to be on the bench, Wout Weghorst can also be rested to allow the young Argentine a start. 

So there we have it: a rotated Reds side focused on youth but, with an unassailable lead already, it's the perfect time to give our senior men a long-awaited and much-needed breather.