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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Clarke

Barcelona duo give verdict on former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho's Manchester United message

Former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho made a huge impact for Barcelona against Manchester United by scoring a wonder goal on Tuesday evening.

Barcelona already had the Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie dead and buried at 2-0 before the Brazilian's beautiful long-range shot with his right foot fired past David de Gea from 30 yards out.

That completed a 3-0 victory at the Camp Nou and a 4-0 success over two legs against Man Utd.

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But it was Coutinho's celebration which earned headlines post-match as he put his fingers to his ears, something which was a clear message to Barcelona fans after recent criticism.

Rather than criticise Coutinho for the 'ballsy' celebration, the likes of Sergio Busquets and Clement Lenglet defended the playmaker.

Lenglet explained: "I do not care about the celebration, what matters to me is the goal. Coutinho is a great player, he has balls."

Busquets added: "I did not see anything. I know he celebrated with anger, with desire.

"It was an important goal for him after the criticism he has received. He is a world-class player."

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