Edwin van der Sar: Did well with a testing, but eminently saveable Messi effort early on and was not made to pay for a potentially dangerous spill at Eto'o's feet. 6/10
Owen Hargreaves: A compliment to the England international that he was not much noticed in his lesser-favoured right-back position. Never abandoned his post. 7
Wes Brown: A less visible presence than his partner at the heart of United's defence but rarely allowed Barca more than scraps and stood firm when required. Countless important clearances. 8
Rio Ferdinand: Captain for the day and an-always busy performance. Was not at his best immediately after the goal but did not noticeably miss Nemanja Vidic and stepped it up as time dwindled. 7
Patrice Evra: His tactics virtually amounted to all-out attack in the first hour, a risky strategy which seemed to give Messi the space he craved. But the Frenchman was a force going forward and Messi did not exploit the gaps too often. 8
Park Ji-Sung: Gave his usual industrious display, harrying and haranguing at every opportunity. Provided a couple of great crosses and now looks every bit a Champions League finalist. 8
Paul Scholes: His rocket of a goal will go down as all-time career highlight. That was a rare foray forward on a day when the veteran otherwise played the role of puppet-master from the centre of the field. 8
Nani: Controlled the ball brilliantly on occasion and was a willing outlet further up the field. Missed a decent chance. 7
Michael Carrick: Faded slightly in the second period after a first-half performance which approached his very best work. Mindful of his duties and good vision in his passing. 7
Cristiano Ronaldo: Could have been lost had he kept up his ill-suited line-leading duties from the first leg but was his team's leader in the final third. A mature performance lacking in its usual Hollywood finish but effective nonetheless. 8
Carlos Tevez: Playing in a somewhat unfamiliar foraging role but done well to claim scraps of possession. Looked dangerous when the ball ran for him and eager to reclaim when it did not. 8
Substitutes:
Ryan Giggs (on 75): Appears to have aged this season but a steady hand in what was a curiously chanceless closing 15 minutes. 6
Darren Fletcher (on 75): Played for nuisance value with moderate effect. Involved in a scarcely credible penalty shout. 6
Mikael Silvestre (on 90): No chance to make an impact. 5
BARCELONA
Victor Valdes: A regular worry for his defence, seemingly indiscriminate in his array of punching, flapping and spilling. No chance for the the opener but could easily have seen his own mistakes punished. 5
Gianluca Zambrotta: Solely culpable for Scholes' stunning goal with a poor pass into no-man's land. Worn thin by Evra's constant surging and booked for his trouble. 4
Carles Puyol: Appears to understand that Barcelona do not win football matches because of their centre-halves and settled in for a night of satisfactory, but not imposing, defending. 6
Gabriel Milito: Looked unnerved whenever he came nose to nose with Ronaldo. Otherwise, like Puyol, put in a satisfactory - but not dominant - showing. 6
Eric Abidal: Constantly out of his comfort zone, treated possession criminally lightly and fortunate not to be shown up. 5
Yaya Toure: An important figure for Barca, Toure is their most physically imposing player. A reliable figure, if stretched slightly by the formidable workload he was afforded by the less active displays of his fellow midfielders. 7
Xavi: Bits and pieces match for the Catalonian. Made his presence known but for little tangible reward. 6
Deco: Doesn't look entirely at ease playing behind a front three but had a couple of dangerous long strikes. Surprisingly made some important defensive contributions. 7
Andres Iniesta: Measured in possession and happy to release others - not a trait all of his team-mates share. Outshone the headline acts Messi and Eto'o for long periods and was surprisingly sacrificed for Henry. 8
Samuel Eto'o: An off-colour performance from one of the world's undisputed best strikers. He failed to occupy or attack the central areas where his skills would best have been used. 6
Lionel Messi: Eager to exploit the space left by the onrushing Evra and stretched Van der Sar after 20 minutes. Possibly waited for the ball to come to him too often when he should have chased the game. 7
Substitutes:
Thierry Henry (on 60): Looked a shadow of the match-winner who graced English pitches in his time at Arsenal. Has the magic gone or the motivation? 6
Bojan Krkic (on 72): Comes over as an exhilarating presence but is still young and suffered from a less-than-urgent attitude from Barca in the closing minutes. 6
Eidur Gudjohnsen (on 88): No late dramatics after the most belated of introductions. 5