Xavi's face after Manchester United dumped Barcelona out of the Europa League told quite the story.
The Blaugrana boss was pictured staring at his counterpart Erik ten Hag, who had his arms aloft in celebration after his side had just confirmed their place in the next round. For Xavi's Barcelona, however, it was the end of their Europa League journey and he had a face like thunder as a result.
All he could do was glare at Ten Hag, whose greater experience as a manager told in the end while Xavi and his players managed the last knockings of the clash notably poorly.
It looked as if it was going to be a memorable night in Manchester for the LaLiga leaders when Robert Lewandowski stepped up to convert a spot-kick after Bruno Fernandes was deemed to have fouled Alejandro Balde inside United's penalty area.
However, Red Devils midfielder Fred ensured the scoreline was level both on the night and on aggregate when he volleyed home in the 47th minute. 1-1 during the second-leg, 3-3 on aggregate at this point, the tie was perfectly poised for someone to make themselves a hero.
Antony did exactly that. The Brazilian hasn't exactly hit the ground running at Old Trafford, but he's already sealed his place in the hearts of some of the United faithful with such an important goal against a European giant like Barcelona.
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Following the full-time whistle, Xavi could barely hide his anguish in response to his side's elimination, as seen in both his stare at Ten Hag and his comments to the media.
"It's a shame because the team has shown its face and deserved more. They are physically very strong. We could have dominated the game more," he told reporters.
He did go on to praise United and cited 'small differences' that set the two teams apart.
"United were very intense in that second half, they are in very good form at the moment and are very good at home. It is those fine details that made all the difference."
While referencing previous recent defeats in Europe, Xavi insisted that progress has been made, but improvement is the only option with next term in mind.
"The feeling is that we have been much better than last season, but we have lost to Bayern [Munich], Inter [Milan], Manchester. We have not measured up. We have to try to be more competitive and make an important self-criticism to try again next season."
