Marcus Rashford just OWNED Barcelona! Winners & losers as Man Utd star continues imperious form in Europa League classic

Who else?

Rashford was relatively quiet in the first half, but exploded in the second. He grabbed United's equaliser with a nice run and neat finish — beating Ter Stegen at his near post. The forward was also vital in the visitors' second, evading Raphinha before seeing his cross deflected off a helpless Jules Kounde and into the net.

Rashford could've scored one or two more, but Ter Stegen denied him a couple of times from close range. Barca manager Xavi mentioned before the game that Rashford needed to be contained. His team couldn't live up to that challenge.

Rough.

Xavi got it wrong on Thursday by starting Kounde at centre-back, while pushing Ronald Araujo out to the right. But it doesn't excuse Kounde's sub-par night. The France international distributed poorly, was slow in his decision making, and gave up an unfortunate own goal. He's been excellent so far this year, and this showing is likely an outlier. But if Kounde hadn't been off the pace, Barca might be going to Old Trafford with a lead. A switch to right-back is badly needed for the good of the team.

Was this the Brazilian's first big Barca performance? On a day where Lewandowski faltered and Pedri was forced off with an injury, Raphinha needed to provide a spark. And he obliged, terrorising a struggling Tyrell Malacia. The former Leeds winger got himself a crucial goal, too, ensuring that it's still all to play for at Old Trafford next week.

There's a chance Ousmane Dembele could be back in the fold by then, but Raphinha might have done enough to retain his spot in the side - or at least give Xavi something to think about.

With Sergio Busquets and Ousmane Dembele already sidelined, Xavi did not need another injury to a starter. So much for that. Pedri came off late in the first half with an apparent thigh problem. Worryingly, there didn't appear to be any contact involved in his injury, either.

Barcelona released a statement saying the player would need further tests to determine the extent of the injury. They will hope that their star man won't be out for too long - especially with Gavi now suspended for the second leg after picking up a needless yellow card.

How badly United missed their Brazilian midfielder. Casemiro is serving a three-game domestic suspension after being sent off in the Red Devils' Premier League contest with Crystal Palace in early February. Fortunately for the Red Devils, he was able to play on Thursday outside of domestic restrictions and showed just how important he is to the team.

Casemiro wasn't perfect - he gave away a couple of silly fouls and almost turned the ball into his own net - but he established the kind of midfield control that Man Utd have lacked in recent weeks. His work rate and defensive instincts put United well in charge in the second half, and are a major reason why his side left Camp Nou with a draw.

Wan-Bissaka has been regularly maligned for his lack of on-ball quality since he joined United in 2019. But he appeared to have turned things around under new manager Erik Ten Hag, with a series of solid performances at right-back that kept him at the club through the January window.

However, the Wan-Bissaka of old reared his head on Thursday. He was lacking on the ball, and too often slowed the game down when Man Utd looked to break. Wan-Bissaka also made a few uncharacteristic defensive errors, and failed to track Alonso on Barca's opener. It was a night to forget for a player who appeared to have turned things around.