Front foot, full throttle and full blooded. This is the Manchester United their supporters have been pining for. The club's comeback was replete by another comeback on an unforgettable evening at Old Trafford.
Lisandro Martinez fell to the turf and beat the badge. Casemiro approached the Scoreboard End, Raphael Varane started the cheerleading. "Frenkie, Frenkie, what's the score?" crowed the United fans.
Varane promised on Wednesday the atmosphere would be electric. Old Trafford was so charged there could have been an electrical storm. Barcelona continues to bring the best out of the 113-year-old stadium.
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Bruno Fernandes snidely pelted the ball at Frenkie de Jong, a possible comeuppance for his inordinate summer saga, and there was as much of a commotion in the press box as there was on the pitch.
Some United supporters quarreled with the Barcelona analysts and one was eventually calmed by a press box regular. Those supporters celebrated euphorically in their faces when Antony's side-footer landed.
1984, 2008 and now 2023. This is another night that will live long in the memory of the United supporters who walked down Warwick Road and onto Sir Matt Busby Way. They may have floated away from the ground. Sir Alex Ferguson, revelling in the atmosphere, clenched his fist.
One-nil down in Barcelona and 1-0 down again in Manchester, United rallied again. In Erik ten Hag, their best decision in a decade, they have an eminent coach who has as much of a difference from the technical area as those on the pitch.
The interval introduction of Antony for Wout Weghorst and the positional changes enhanced United's attack immediately, and their equaliser was just as immediate. Of course, Antony caressed in the winner on what was his seasonal zenith.
Varane celebrated a 90th-minute interception. Whenever a player dared to slump to their haunches during a stoppage, a teammate was on hand to buoy them. Varane and Casemiro, his fellow Madridista warhorse, were colossal again and the latter cleared an added-time chance off the line. The flag was raised but it did not curb the uproarious celebrations as Varane was mobbed by teammates.
It feels a travesty that all this has achieved is a place in the round-of-16 draw on Friday. If United and Barca are to reunite in European competition next season then it must be in the Champions League. But United, once mere fodder, are now a team nobody wants to draw.
As valiant as the players were, this was another vital intervention by Ten Hag. He celebrated Fred's equaliser wildly on the touchline, the goal made sweeter by the instant impact of the Dutchman's proactive management which is having a growing influence.
Fred lingered as his teammates headed towards their own half for the restart and hoisted his arms into the air, feeding off the crowd as United had done at the start of the contest. It was another boy from Brazil who beat Barcelona.
United's European campaigns have ended against Spanish opposition in the last five seasons. This time they are not as predictable.
A year ago against Atletico Madrid, Unitedwasted a gilt-edged chance with the game goalless, conceded softly, were riled by an officious referee, naive against streetwise Spaniards and were ejected.
This United is better in every department. This time, Alejandro Garnacho lured Sergio Busquets into a cynical foul and did not rush to his feet. Casemiro fouled more cynically to halt a Barca breakaway.
The blue and red smoke that billowed from a Catalan flare warmed the chilly night air at kick-off. Two world famous clubs were bound to attract casual matchgoers and two supporters aimlessly wandered into the press box. The denizens ensured it was not a sterile atmosphere.
"We've seen it all, we've won it all, we're Man United and we're never gonna stop," the United supporters bellowed seconds into the game. They are still going for the lot.
The Old Trafford roof is still leaky and it might have required an urgent revamp had Fernandes hit the ball more accurately in his third-minute one-on-one with Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Barcelona's savviness came to the fore following Robert Lewandowski's 18th-minute spotkick as the pace was slowed down to their tempo. They had been overwhelmed by United's early alacrity and United yet Busquets at 34 was as pivotal as when he was 24 prior to Ten Hag's changes.
United were curiously stumped a week on from equalising within two minutes in Camp Nou. Wout Weghorst bustled about the pitch again yet was not a goalscoring threat once more on his 11th successive start and his only goal remains a rebound in the League Cup.
Ten Hag hooked Weghorst at the pause for Antony in a more positional-based attack as Fernandes returned to the No.10 role and Sancho the left wing. The pair combined for Fred to finish less than two minutes into the restart.
To the United supporters, the referee Clement Turpin was more Dick Turpin. Turpin whistled egregiously against both sides and gave Ten Hag and Xavi a talking-to in response to their protestations. Someone needed to give Turpin a talking-to.
Having ignored apparent fouls on Weghorst and Marcus Rashford, he penalised Fernandes for tugging a streetwise Alejandro Balde. Lewandowski's fortuitous conversion that David de Gea gloved preceded another possible free-kick by Ronald Araujo on Luke Shaw. Turpin was subjected to derogatory chants of "Fergie's right, the refs are s---e" and "You Scouse b-----d".
That was an anomaly on a night the raptuorus support enriched another memorable home victory. Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Barcelona have all been beaten at United.
For the first time since his forced divorce, Cristiano Ronaldo's name was chanted by a pocket of United supporters stood next to the Barcelona following who baited him during Clásicos. But United don't need Ronaldo.
The Barcelona analysts vacated their seats before full-time.
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