Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the return leg of the Champions League semi-finals tonight at Old Trafford put the English side through to the final for the third time in their history. Barça did not manage a single goal in the 180 minutes of the tie, which finished with an aggregate score of 1-0.

The key moment of the night came 14 minutes into the game when Zambrotta gave a sloppy ball away to Scholes, who fired a great shot from outside the penalty area to beat Valdés near the upper left corner of the net. United saw their confidence increase after the goal and, while not playing the best of their games, enjoyed notable scoring chances in the remainder of the match. Barcelona had the control of the game in stints, but they never really looked solid and threatening enough to win the tie.

Lionel Messi played the 90 minutes and was the only Barça attacker who put the opposition’s defence in real trouble. Leo ran at defenders tirelessly, made some fine dribbles and came close to shooting positions a few times, but in the end none of his attempts were fruitful.

The second consecutive trophyless season for Barça means that significant changes will surely take place in the summer. Meanwhile, the team’s only objective will be to finish second on the domestic league; they currently occupy the third position, four points behind Villarreal, with four games to go.