A Luke Shaw own goal in the first half helped Barcelona edge past Manchester United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. Both sides were far from their best in what was a cagey first leg, but it was Barcelona who seized the initiative and got the crucial away goal in the 12th minute when Luis Suarez’ header was deflected into the net off Luke Shaw’s shoulder. When the goal went in, it looked like Barcelona would roll over United, but the Catalans lost their steam quickly after scoring. Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side grew into the game as it went on, but will have only themselves to blame as they failed to make the most of their chances. United had zero shots on target throughout the 90 minutes, which means that they have it all to do in the second leg if they are to make it to the Champions League semi finals. But their miraculous comeback against PSG in the last round will give them plenty of encouragement ahead of their trip to the Camp Nou next week. Here are the player ratings for the Manchester United players from their 1-0 defeat to Barcelona at Old Trafford. David De Gea (7/10) He did not stand a chance with the goal, but De Gea made an important save with his left foot to deny Philippe Coutinho in the 35th minute. The Spaniard did not have much to do in the second half as Barcelona were content with their one goal lead, but he showed great awareness to keep out Jordi Alba’s strike from a tight angle.<doc-sep>For the first twenty minutes, this Champions League quarterfinal match looked like a laugher. Barcelona got their away goal in the 12th minute off an unlucky Luke Shaw deflection and it seemed the rout was on. Starting with three at the back — although, considering Barca had close to 90% possession in the early going, it was more of a 5-3-2 — did not work. Thankfully, once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer switched to a back four, the Reds noticeably improved. With just a bit more composure in front of goal, this could’ve been a totally different result. The second leg should be a good one. David De Gea: 7 Several great saves, highlighted by blocking a Coutinho screamer with his outstretched foot. Not at fault for the own goal. Ashley Young : 3 How he lasted the whole ninety minutes remains the biggest mystery of the night. A performance full of wayward crosses and passes into the box. Solskjaer should’ve hauled Young off at halftime. Victor Lindelöf: 6 A failed clearance set up Coutinho’s chance, but DDG bailed Lindelof out. He played well beyond that one misstep. Chris Smalling : 6 Smalling did, in fact, bring it. He bloodied Messi with a robust challenge in the first half and just generally threw himself about all night long. A few lapses of concentration, but kept the Barcelona frontline quiet. Luke Shaw: 3 Rough night. Out of sorts in a back three, Shaw picked up a quick yellow card for obstructing Messi and deflected Luis Suarez’s header past De Gea. Better after switching to a four-man backline, but he’ll miss the second leg thanks to that caution. Diogo Dalot: 5 Played out of position on the left, but still got on the ball and looked dangerous at times. Dalot’s night, though, will be remembered for his horror miss shortly before the break. He made a total mess of a free header, wasting United’s best chance to score. At the very least, put it on goal and force a save. Scott McTominay: 8 Another strong performance from the 22-year-old. Plus, he showed there’s a bit of on-ball skill to complement his strength and determination. Late on, McTominay fed a nice ball into Martial that required a strong interception by Gerard Pique. Fred: 8 His best performance in a red shirt. As the link between defense and attack, Fred avoided the big mistake — unlike at Wolves — and moved the ball around well. Solid defense on Messi, too. Paul Pogba : 6 A step in the right direction, but still a quiet night for United’s most talented player. Pogba came close to setting Rashford free on the break a few times. In the final minutes, he gave away a needless free kick on the edge of the box that nearly allowed Messi to double Barcelona’s lead. Marcus Rashford: 7 His speed exposed a few cracks in the Barca defense. Whistled a free kick just wide of goal in the 5th minute and delivered an inch-perfect cross onto Dalot’s head for the would-be equalizer. On the downside, no shots on goal. Romelu Lukaku : 5 Disappointing stuff from Big Rom. He didn’t receive much service, but also didn’t provide much movement. Anthony Martial (Sub, 68’): 4 Almost put through on goal, but a poor touch allowed Pique’s recovery. Jesse Lingard (Sub, 74’): 4 The yellow card was his only moment of note. Andreas Pereira (Sub, 85’): 6 Normally don’t score late subs, but Pereira was everywhere during his short time on the pitch. Kept pushing forward until the final whistle.<doc-sep>Find out how each of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men fared in our player ratings after Manchester United lost 1-0 to Barcelona at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Well that was anti-climactic, wasn’t it? Neither Manchester United nor Barcelona were at their best during the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men went 1-0 down to the Catalan side in the 12th minute after a Luis Suarez shot that was going wide was diverted in by Luke Shaw’s shoulder. United never recovered from the own goal even though they had plenty of good patches of possession – which never amounted to anything. Barcelona looked nervy throughout the game but United never took advantage of their sloppy play, ending the game without a single shot on target. Now the Red Devils face the difficult prospect of facing Barcelona at Camp Nou in the second leg, hoping they can overturn their 1-0 deficit. Goalkeeper David de Gea – 7 Can’t really be blamed for not keeping a clean sheet. Made a great save with his feet to deny Philippe Coutinho, as well as a few more routine ones.<doc-sep>Who flourished? Who struggled? We rate the players as Barcelona conquered Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday. MANCHESTER UNITED David de Gea: 7 When called upon De Gea answered in his usual fashion. On 36 minutes he produced a splendid save with his feet to deny Luis Suarez then thwarted Jorda Alba when Barcelona put their foot down. Ashley Young: 4 Wasteful would be an understatement. He squandered possession 30 times - twice as many as any other United player. At this level, Young looked way below the standard required from an attacking full-back in the modern era, especially when comparing him with his opposite number Nelson Semedo, who was Barcelona's brightest spark. Chris Smalling: 7 Looked fully up for this one and clattered Lionel Messi midway through the first half which did take the edge off Barcelona for the remainder of the encounter. Suarez knew he was in a game up against the United centre-back. Image: Chris Smalling put in a solid showing Victor Lindelof: 6 A little lackadaisical at times up against a nippy front line. Improved after the break but does not inspire confidence that he's the long-term answer in this position for United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Luke Shaw: 6 Unfortunate to have his name on the scoresheet after his deflection from Suarez's header took the ball past De Gea. He was disciplined in his defensive work but rarely was given the licence to roam forward. Image: Luke Shaw (centre) looks on as his deflection from a Luis Suarez header creeps in to the Manchester United net Diogo Dalot: 7 This will have been a great experience for the talented youngster, who played on the left-hand side of a four man midfield. The 20-year-old was neat and tidy with the ball while also providing his front-men with good service, unlike most of his team-mates. Scott McTominay: 7 Busy and full of aggression without really getting seriously involved in the game. Like Dalot, he's a player that has a bright future under Solskjaer. Fred: 6 A big night for the much-maligned Brazilian and he showed good energy but was not particularly dominant against a Barcelona midfield that were strolling in second gear for large parts. Paul Pogba: 6 In tight games like this, players of his quality should be making the difference yet he went missing for the majority. Fired a couple of fantastic passes to Rashford but the home fans would have expected more. Image: Paul Pogba had a quiet evening Romelu Lukaku: 4 Poor hold-up play on his part restricted United's ability to build their attacks, especially in the early period which was dominated by Barcelona. His substitution for Anthony Martial was met with cheers from some sections of the home crowd. Image: Romelu Lukaku struggled to make an impact Marcus Rashford: 6 The service into him was non-existent. He bubbled towards the centre of the game on a couple of occasions but his long-range shooting let him down with all four of them woefully off target. Subs Anthony Martial: 6 Given a chance to play through the middle with Rashford for 30 minutes but failed to get involved. Jesse Lingard: N/A Andreas Pereira: N/A BARCELONA Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7 A clean sheet but he was not called into action against a toothless United attack. Nelson Semedo: 8 His direct approach down the flank provided a great outlet and carried the quality to feed his attackers. Gerard Pique: 8 Looked a class act back at Old Trafford. Produced one of a few important tackles - this particular one on Martial - with the clock ticking down. Image: Gerard Pique put on brilliant showing back at Old Trafford Clement Lenglet: 5 A very nervy showing from a player that has been earning rave reviews domestically. Rashford should take plenty of confidence from this battle ahead of the second-leg. Jordi Alba: 7 Full of energy and quality. Pushed United back. Sergio Busquets: 6 Constantly fouling in the first half and was perhaps lucky not to pick up a second booking for three fouls that looked yellow card worthy. Image: Paul Pogba and Sergio Busquets had a good battle in the middle of the park Ivan Rakitic: 7 Classy. Kept things ticking over in midfield. Arthur: 6 Moved the ball stylishly down Barcelona's left with Philippe Coutinho and Alba without ever having a major influence on the game. Luis Suarez: 7 On the end of some verbal treatment from the home galleries and Smalling coped well with his threat. However, it was his header that proved the difference. Image: Luis Suarez was his usual busy self Philippe Coutinho: 6 Some silky flicks and close control helped Barcelona edge ahead in the early stages. You feel he will have a greater influence at the Nou Camp when Barca decide to put their foot down. 2:37 Lionel Messi's the greatest footballer of all time, according to pundits Ally McCoist and Matt Murray. Lionel Messi: 7 Many will have wanted to see more from 'the messiah' on just his second Champions League visit to Old Trafford. Saying that, he played a huge part in the opening goal. Perhaps, he was knocked out of his stride by a thumping Smalling challenge that drew blood on his nose. It's odds-on he will up his game in the second leg. Image: Lionel Messi was left bloodied and bruised by Chris Smalling Subs Arturo Vidal: 5 Looked agitated in midfield and picked up a needless booking. Sergi Roberto: N/A Carles Alena: N/A If you're reading on skysports.com comment below to get involved in the debate, but please adhere to our House Rules. If you wish to report any comment, simply click on the down arrow next to the offending comment and click 'Report'.<doc-sep>
Player ratings as Barcelona beat Man United to take control of Champions League tie Manchester United 0 Barcelona 1. Here's how we rated the players: Manchester United David De Gea - 7 He made a brilliant save to deny Coutinho and it would be difficult to fault him for Barcelona's opener. Ashley Young - 4 The United captain struggled, his passing was loose, and he failed to get to grips with Barcelona's front-three. His delivery in the final third was wayward. Chris Smalling - 6 He made several blocks, clearances and interceptions to keep the score down, and was generally solid. Victor Lindelof - 5 Improved after a shaky start when he looked bamboozled by Barca. Luke Shaw - 5 Only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will know for sure why he played Shaw as a central defender against one of the best attacking trios in world football. It didn't really work. Shaw looked lost in the first half, and was all at sea for Barcelona's goal. Fred - 6 He worked hard, covered a lot of ground and won the ball back several times. Scott McTominay - 7.5 The Scottish midfielder rose to the occasion. He was productive in possession and read the game well. Maybe Mourinho was on to something when he promoted McTominay to the first-team. United's best player on the night. Paul Pogba - 5 Some nice touches, but little end product or impact on the game. The French midfielder became less influential as the match progressed, drifting further and further from proceedings. Diogo Dalot - 5 The young Portuguese full-back was playing as a left winger and it didn't work. Dalot can't be faulted for effort, and he's a talented player, but he's not a wide forward and should not have been used in the position. Romelu Lukaku - 4 This was the Lukaku United fans witnessed under Mourinho in big games. The Belgian striker was completely isolated - he had just 19 touches in the game, the fewest of any United outfield player. Marcus Rashford - 4 He had a few efforts on goal, but some of his decision-making was questionable. Erratic. Substitutes Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira - N/A. Not on long enough to rate. Barcelona Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6.5 Never asked to make a save but excellent with the ball at his feet, the Barcelona goalkeeper was precise with his passing and a calm presence at the back. Nelson Semedo - 7 The Barca full-back was granted the freedom of the right wing in the first half as United sat deep in a back-five and he made light work of Dalot. Semedo was an attacking outlet throughout and could have had an assist after playing Suarez in on goal with a clever pass. Gerrard Pique - 8 A composed performance from the central defender that peaked when he outsprinted Marcus Rashford to recover the ball and cut out a United attack. No player made more clearances in the game (9). Clement Lenglet - 6.5 The French central defender didn't have much to do but coped well with United's limited threat. Jordi Alba - 6.5 An attacking outlet and neat in possession, the Spanish full-back was also solid defensively. Sergio Busquets - 7.5 Busquets' ball over the top of United's defence started the move that led to his team's goal and he barely hit a stray pass all night. Ivan Rakitic - 7 Full of energy and he hardly ever lost the ball, the Croatian midfielder also coped well with United's physical approach. Arthur - 6.5 Neat in possession but faded from the game in the second half before being substituted. Lionel Messi - 7.5 The Barcelona genius set-up Suarez for the opening goal with a wonderful deft pass to the back post. Otherwise, it was a quiet night by his staggering standards. Luis Suarez - 7.5 He almost scored his first away goal in the Champions League since September 2015, but Suarez's header was deflected into the net by Shaw. The Barcelona forward could have scored with a chance in the second half but hit the side-netting when one on one with De Gea. His hold-up play and combinations with Messi were very good though, and he kept the United defence occupied throughout. Phillipe Coutinho - 6.5 Some nice touches and passes but it was largely a quiet night for the former Liverpool playmaker. Substitutes Arturo Vidal - 5 Ran around a lot, jumped into challenges and got booked.