Manchester United shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
In what was an entertaining play-off round clash between the two European powerhouses, United’s goals came through Marcus Rashford and an own goal from Jules Kounde.
United had 39% possession of the ball compared to the Blaugrana’s enormous 61%.
The Red Devils registered the same number of shots as the Catalan club – 18.
United had five shots on target while Barcelona had eight shots that required David de Gea to swing into action.
As expected, the Spanish giants made more successful passes than Erik ten Hag’s men. Barca had 475 passes with a success rate of 81%.
On the other hand, United made 311 passes with a pass accuracy of 73%.
One of United’s standout performers was Fred.
The Brazilian slotted next to Casemiro in the midfield pivot with Marcel Sabitzer suspended and unavailable for selection.
Fred had 48 touches of the ball to his name in the 90 minutes he was on the pitch for the Red Devils.
The 29-year-old won an incredible seven ground duels in what was a defensively sound performance against Barca’s operators in the middle of the park.
Fred was also immense in his tackling. Out of the six tackles he delved into, the United man came out on top on five occasions.
The United number 17 won two fouls for United.
Beyond the defensive aspect of the game, Fred also made valuable contributions going forward. The midfielder made one key pass and rounded off his showing with an assist for Rashford’s goal.
In what was a high-pressure game in which the stakes were high, Fred gave a good account of himself and made sure he will be in Ten Hag’s thinking for the return leg at Old Trafford in seven days.
