Philippe Coutinho confirmed Manchester United's exit from the Champions League on Tuesday night with a trademark long-range goal to make it 3-0 to Barcelona, 4-0 on aggregate.
Barcelona had taken the lead in the first half through Lionel Messi, who scored two goals in the space of five minutes before even a quarter of the game had passed.
Phil Jones got tied in knots, Ashley Young showed why he should probably be playing in the Championship, and Barcelona showed why they are favourites to lift the trophy in June.
Coutinho, though, he had to show why Barça paid the big bucks for him, having been subjected to a lot of whistles throughout his time at Barcelona which has been... up and down.
His goal tonight reminded the Barcelona fans of his talent, though they wish he'd show it more often.
And his celebration, sticking his fingers in his ears, was a not so subtle message to his haters.
Here's the goal.
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1118248528566992898
And here's the celebration.
https://twitter.com/Ioritzetxebest/status/1118249188389789697
When he was taken off as a substitute, Coutinho was given a standing ovation - a nice change from the usual grumbles.
https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1118247888822374402
Sunday’s Premier League action begins at St James’ Park! Sunday the 22nd of March is a major day in the 2026 footballing calendar. Beginning with the Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland, the day’s proceedings also include a major relegation battle between Spurs and Nottingham Forest. Then, finally at 4.30pm, begins the Carabao Cup Final. […]
This week on your favourite horse racing podcast, The Paddock, we’re joined by Oli Bell, Rishi Persad, Tom Stanley and a post-Cheltenham Dan Skelton. The panel dives straight into a festival debrief, including Dan’s winners at the festival and UK trainers closing the gap on Ireland. Dan also takes us through the not so small […]
It’s been described as ‘The Voice’ for football A European football team has turned to launching a competition to sign an amateur footballer after being banned from making transfers. It’s the nightmare scenario for many clubs, being banned from signing any players which can be a death sentence for many clubs in modern football. While […]