Lionel Messi’s inborn bloodlust leaves Manchester United staring down a black hole

A bloody nose for United courtesy of the bloody monstrous Lionel Messi. Bloodied but unbowed, it was Messi who left United with a looser grip on this quarter-final than a dead man’s hand before they play to a finish in the second leg at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. Barca are 1-0 clear heading for home largely because of football's greatest natural born killer.

Allowing Messi time and space on a football pitch is the equivalent of giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank. He does not to be asked twice to drain the life out of unsuspecting victims.

Excerpts from Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 autobiography had been trotted out about the Argentina captain before United’s first competitive meeting with Barcelona since they were filleted 3-1 in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley. They provided a sense of foreboding.

“You need centre-backs who are prepared to drop right on top of Messi, and not worry about what is happening behind them,” said Fergie six years ago. “Ok, he’ll drift away to the side. That’s fine. He’s less of a threat on the side than he is through the centre.

Smalling, who had bellowed "bring it on" before the night began, was certainly true to his word when he went through Messi midway through the first half with as much intent as a drunk heading for Macari’s fish and chip shop, but by then the damage had been done.

Not nearly as much to Messi’s mantelpiece, his eyes and nose a devilish red, as United’s long-term health in this event with the dazed home defence cut to the quick.

On a day when scientists had discovered the first images of a Black Hole light years from here, Messi, light years ahead in what he brings to planet football, looked like he had been a victim of the sweet science.

Yet it is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side who are left staring down a black hole from which there will be no creeping out. Not even if the Holy Trinity travelled back through time.

A 0-0 draw is rightly regarded as a solid result for the home side at this level because of the importance of the clean sheet, but United aspirations of achieving such an outcome looked the stuff of fantasists when they were clubbed over the head on 12 minutes.

A fabulous floated ball from the ongoing Sergio Busquets found Messi on the run entering the centre of the home area. He butchered his first touch, but did not even look up as a telepathic second touch found the unattended Luis Suarez, whose header across goal was deflected into his own rigging via the unfortunate Luke Shaw.

A linesman's flag had appeared to save the home side, but the invaluable VAR refuses to get it wrong at key moments. The video replays showed it was perfectly valid, and Suarez was suddenly racing away to celebrate his first goal at Old Trafford since he nabbed Liverpool’s third in a 3-0 Premier League walloping of United in March 2014.

For a player with a Scouse soul, such moments are orgasmic. Even if Shaw’s own goal deprived him of his first Champions League goal away from home since 2015. No matter. He was giddy as the seasonal Champions League drought continues to blight him.

While Suarez provided much honest toil, Messi was mediocre by his standards yet his interception was so rich because it means United will head abroad to the Liga leaders with about as much credibility as Theresa May.

United will cling to their 3-1 win in Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 after a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the first leg, but it would be an achievement to rival their manager scoring the winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final two decades ago if they can rescue this from here.

For the first time in living memory, United did not have a shot on target at the visiting goal in the Champions League, illustrating a night of mighty effort but little elan.

It was not all bad for the home side. Scott McTominay was absolutely magnificent in the heart of midfield, easily the outstanding home player on show. It also makes one wonder how McTominay, who prospered in midfield aided by Fred and Paul Pogba, was left on the bench when Scotland were being horsed 3-0 by Kazakhstan in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier last month in one of the worst results in the country’s history.

He is one for the future. And the here and now of a perilous situation for United.

"Scott McTominay was fantastic," said Solskjaer. "Every time he plays for us he is improving. He's a great athlete, wins his challenges and is quick on his feet. He started settling us to be fair."

Solskjaer has carried United admirably away from the Jose Mourinho malaise, but domestic bliss counts for little on such a steep trajectory.

“I feel good that we are going away with a decent result, a good taste in the mouth," said the Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.

Not quite a night when Barcelona, playing in fits and starts, sated their bloodlust, but the prey is right where they want it.