Lionel Messi received a black eye and a bloodied nose but Manchester United did not lay a glove on Barcelona in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final.
There was not even a shot on target, never mind a goal, for United who nevertheless go to the Nou Camp for next week’s return leg believing they still have a chance. A puncher’s chance, maybe.
After all, they lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain at home in the last round before turning that around so dramatically, although, to be honest, Messi and Co represent a more formidable prospect even if they did not play particularly well here.
The Spanish champions-elect will surely not be as wasteful at home and, while they have not progressed further in the Champions League than the last eight since beating United in the final in 2011, it is now six years and 29 matches since they lost at home in this competition. Going even further back, it is not since 1984 that Barcelona won a first leg 1-0 away from home and went out. And United have to win in Catalonia.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will also go back in time and summon the spirit of 1999 but despite the endeavour against Barcelona, especially in a much-improved second-half, it is now four defeats in five games in all competitions since he was confirmed as United manager.
Fate meant these two sides met a month short of the 20th anniversary of United’s Treble-winning triumph, a campaign that also included two 3-3 draws with Barcelona in the group stage, and of course Solskjaer’s injury-time winning goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final at Camp Nou.
Messi received his facial injuries after being caught in the first-half by the flailing arm of United defender Chris Smalling, his left eye marked and blood dripping from his nose as he was treated.
Smalling had talked about “bringing it on” but United simply did not do enough, although they may feel aggrieved they were not awarded a first-half penalty – it was probably the right call to turn down the claims - while Barcelona’s serial fouler Sergio Busquets was again treated leniently.
United’s best performer was Scott McTominay, and it was a night for the 22-year-old midfielder’s battling qualities. Admirably he was not cowed by the calibre of opposition. It was not a night for the bigger names - Paul Pogba and, in particular, Romelu Lukaku who had the fewest touches on the pitch, just 19 – while Solskjaer’s tactics of starting with a back five simply did not work.
He later conceded that his team looked sloppy and nervous and that, surely, partly stemmed from curiously playing Luke Shaw out of position on the left of a three-man central defence. He looked, and he was, uncomfortable - until a switch was belatedly made - and was booked for a panicky foul on Messi that rules him out of the second leg.
Shaw also scored the only goal; an own goal. It came at the end of a mesmeric, two-minute long passage of play in which every Barcelona player touched the ball, with 48 passes in total, before the final touch came off Shaw. Even then it was confusing as, initially, it was wrongly ruled out for offside before a VAR review overturned the errant flag from the assistant referee and justice was done. United jeers were followed by Barcelona cheers.
The goal owed everything to Messi’s awareness. He is not fully fit, he was fitful, he was far from his best and he received that blow, but it was his clever run that was picked out by Busquets with the forward swivelling to cross and find Luis Suarez who guided a header down. It brushed Shaw’s arm and ended up in the net before Philippe Coutinho could dive in and head it over the goal-line.
As 20 minutes passed, Barcelona had claimed 87 per cent possession with three of their players, Ivan Rakitic, Arthur and Jordi Alba, individually completing more passes than the whole United team. Still they were also strangely careless and could have been punished when McTominay ran onto a pass and turned in the area, going over under Gerard Pique’s challenge, but his fall was exaggerated and the Italian referee was unmoved.
Twice United were indebted to David De Gea – or rather De Gea’s legs as the goalkeeper reacted superbly to block from Coutinho’s powerful, low snap-shot, from a Suarez knock-down, and then was alert to beat out Alba’s angled drive that threatened to beat him at his near post.
The best chance, though, fell to Suarez who ran in behind the United defence to collect Nelson Semedo’s pass. The striker found himself clear on goal but slashed at his shot, sending the ball into the side-netting before scratching his head in disbelief. As well he might.
For United, Diogo Dalot also had to do better when he was picked out by Marcus Rashford but headed across goal, instead of testing Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while the Barcelona goalkeeper was fortunate when he punched a clearance straight to Rashford who completely miscued his volley.
And that, in truth, was it. Anthony Martial made a difference when he came on - he has to start the return leg - and broke through only to be denied by the excellent Pique with a well-timed sliding tackle.
United were far better in the second-half, far more positive and aggressive and urgent, but the fact is they have only scored one goal at home in the Champions League this season and this was the first time they have not had a shot on target in this competition since 2005. Still, with evidence, they believe in miracles, not least Solskjaer, and will go to Spain with hope.