Erik ten Hag believes his side can beat any team after beating Barcelona 2-1 on Thursday to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League 4-3 on aggregate.

At Old Trafford, Robert Lewandowski’s early penalty gave Barcelona the perfect start.

However, the La Liga leaders fell again on the European stage as Fred equalized early in the second half, followed by Antony’s best performance since arriving in Manchester from Ajax.

“Magnificent night,” said Ten Hag, who has transformed United’s fortunes in his first season in charge.

“That is another step because when you can beat Barcelona, your belief can be really strong because you are then able to beat anyone.”

The fact that two of the continent’s titans were facing off at this stage of Europe’s second-tier competition indicated that both had fallen on hard times in recent years.

United, however, remain in pursuit of trophies on four fronts while riding the crest of a wave.

Sunday’s League Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle could end a six-year trophy drought for the Red Devils.

But they saved nothing for their biggest European victory since eliminating Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League quarterfinals in dramatic fashion in 2019.

“I think we have some great personalities in this team,” added Ten Hag.

“Everyone has such a strong belief in this team, you can see it. With the subs they bring energy and quality, they bring a different dynamic in games.”

United are now 18 games unbeaten at Old Trafford dating back to September, but they were forced to come from behind twice in this match.

Photo by EPA/Adam Vaughan