We were on the front from from the off and had already had two efforts disallowed when a bizarre own goal gave us the lead. Barcelona were reduced to ten men shortly before the half-time whistle and after the break we made our extra player count, with Estevao Willian and Liam Delap securing a famous victory. Here’s how we did it…

Dictating the contest

Enzo Maresca highlighted after the game that a significant proportion of the team’s preparation had centred on stopping Barcelona having the ball and then circulating it wisely when we held possession. The pre-match plan most certainly paid off.

Let’s focus on the first half, the vast majority of which took place when it was 11 against 11. We had a 49 per cent share of possession and completed just 16 fewer passes than our opponents. However, what is more telling is where those passes were played, principally as a consequence of our success winning possession high up the pitch and quickly moving it forwards, often to wide areas.

Before the break we played significantly more passes in the opposition half than Barcelona (106 to 71), and twice as many in the final third (64 to 32).

It is no surprise, then, that we had more shots in that period (seven to three), more shots inside the box (four to two) and a higher xG (Expected Goals) tally (1.01 to 0.74). In addition, we had more touches in the opposition box (13 to seven) and twice as many entries into the final third – 26 compared to Barca’s 13.

Tellingly, those figures do not include either of Enzo Fernandez’s disallowed goals either. We were good value for our lead at the interval and the lunging, mistimed tackle made by Ronald Araujo exemplified Barcelona’s frustration at not being able to get the foothold in the game they are so accustomed to.

In the second half it was virtually one-way traffic as we dictated the tempo of the game and took advantage of our numerical advantage, keeping Barca at arm’s length and ensuring the final scoreline fairly reflected our dominance.

Going beyond

Another impressive aspect of our performance was the way we asked questions of Barcelona’s notoriously high defensive line.

Hansi Flick’s aggressive strategy caught the eye last term as Barca won La Liga and were only narrowly beaten in the Champions League semi-finals by Inter Milan.

It does however leave space in behind and Maresca’s team selection – with Pedro Neto as the central striker flanked by Estevao Willian and Alejandro Garnacho – suggested he wanted his quickest attackers on the pitch.

It was Neto and our starting No.10, Enzo Fernandez, who were most often running from deep trying to latch on to through balls placed between or either side of Barcelona’s centre-backs.

The full-backs Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella regularly added weight to our attacking numbers by overloading the flanks and opening up space for Estevao and Garnacho in the process. Although it didn’t always work – we were caught offside five times in the first half alone – the bold strategy set the tone for an exciting and dynamic attacking display that worried Barcelona from the first whistle.

Classy, clever and combative Cucu

It was an outstanding collective effort from the Blues but according to UEFA’s technical observers one player stood out above the rest: Marc Cucurella.

The Spaniard had an excellent evening coming up against his compatriot Lamine Yamal. His desire to engage in one-on-one duels unsettled the talented young winger, while he added his usual dynamism to our attack, combining neatly with Fernandez and Garnarcho down our left. One such link-up led to Araujo’s foul on Cucurella that earned an obvious yellow, our full-back too quick and clever for the Barca captain.

Overall, Cucurella won a game-high three tackles, while his 97 touches were more than anyone else managed. He made two interceptions, a joint-high figure, while his seven final-third entries and 12 passes in the final third were the highest figures recorded by any defender on the pitch.

The evening must have felt extra satisfying for Cucurella because he was able to deliver such a high level of performance against the club whose academy he came through, and who let him leave in 2020. Five years down the line, he has firmly established himself as one of the best left-backs in world football.

Estevao!

The performance of Estevao was also crucial to victory and we analysed his performance in our piece here.