Suddenly, the little Argentine magician was through the middle, and United seemed distracted. Iniesta darted into a pocket of space, releasing the ball down the inside-right channel. Eto’o was off and running, cutting in towards goal, embarrassing Nemanja Vidic with the speed and angle of his attack. Voted player of the year by United’s footballers and fans alike, Vidic has enjoyed a fantastic season but endured a Fernando Torres moment here. As Carrick slid in, as Edwin van der Sar threw himself across, Eto’o flicked the ball with his right foot between the keeper and the post. Disaster. Barcelona were ahead and were not in the mood to surrender the ball, let alone the lead.