Bruno Fernandes put Manchester United's 2-1 comeback win over Barcelona down to a "bouncing" Old Trafford on Thursday.
The hosts went behind in the first half after the Portuguese midfielder conceded a penalty for a tug on Alejandro Balde, with Robert Lewandowski converting for Barca.
But goals from Fred and Antony after the break saw United turn matters around to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory and secure a place in the draw for the last 16.
Erik ten Hag's side were backed by a noisy Old Trafford throughout, and Fernandes was quick to pay tribute to the fans' contribution afterwards.
"The belief in the team is always there," he told BT Sport. "The belief from the fans, for us, is amazing. They [have] pushed us through difficult moments this season.
"They've been with us in the toughest moments. This season, we have been good, really good. This is something different, between them and us.
"We have something special, because they can see we are doing all we can to win games for them. Old Trafford was bouncing, that's why we got the result."
For United, there is limited time to dwell on such a momentous result – their first win over Barcelona since April 2008 – as they turn focus towards Sunday's EFL Cup final against Newcastle United.
With a chance to end the club's six-year silverware drought this weekend, fellow midfielder Fred acknowledges they must refocus quickly to stay on track.
"[It was a] good game today," he added. "[But] we need to keep going. We have a final on Sunday. We need to change our mind [ahead] of the final."
Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Nassr: Bergwijn nets last-gasp winner for leaders
Steven Bergwijn's last-gasp winner earned Al-Ittihad a huge victory in their quest for the Saudi Pro League title, beating Al-Nassr 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.
Karim Benzema had given the hosts a 55th-minute lead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled two minutes later, but Bergwijn struck the decisive blow in second half stoppage time.
In a tepid opening 45 minutes, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Bergwijn and Benzema going closest for the hosts, but unable to trouble Bento.
However, Al-Ittihad got themselves in front shortly after the break when Muhannad Al Shanqiti picked out Benzema, with the Frenchman on hand to tuck the ball home.
But the hosts' joy was short-lived after Angelo saw his effort cleared off the line by Danilo Pereira, before the Brazilian laid the ball back to Ronaldo to level the scoring.
With the game looking to end all square, Al-Ittihad stole the three points at the death as Bergwijn cut inside before curling a right-footed effort into the far-left corner.
The result moved Al-Ittihad three points clear at the summit, though Al-Hilal can go level with them with a win over Al-Raed on Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, stayed in fourth.
Data Debrief: Bergwijn bursts Ronaldo's bubble
Al-Ittihad have often been second best in their encounters with Al-Nassr, but they earned an impressive victory against Ronaldo's side, though it may not have been deserved.
They managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.66 from their 11 shots compared to Al-Nassr's 1.2 from the same number of attempts.
Benzema also ended his goal drought against Al-Nassr, having failed to score against them in his previous game against them. The former Madrid striker ended the game with a team-high xG of 0.36, while also having more shots (seven) and touches in the opposition box (four) than any of his team-mates.
Al-Ittihad have now won their last nine league matches, their second-longest streak in the competition after 10 wins between October 2021 and February 2022, while also triumphing in their eighth-straight home match in the Pro League.
No rest for influential Raphinha, says Barcelona boss Flick
Hansi Flick is unlikely to rest Raphinha for Barcelona's LaLiga match at Real Betis on Saturday.
Flick opted to rest LaLiga top-scorer Robert Lewandowski, who had started 20 straight matches in all competitions, for Barcelona's 5-1 victory at Mallorca in midweek.
Raphinha scored twice in that match, taking his tally of LaLiga goal contributions for the season to 17, a joint-league high alongside Lewandowski.
The former Leeds United attacker has been crucial to Barca's form under Flick, and the former Germany coach claimed Raphinha is a player he cannot afford to rotate.
Flick told reporters: "We need Rapha. When he is available, he will play.
"If he's ready for 90 minutes, then he'll play 90 minutes. So is Lewandowski, who will also play tomorrow."
Barca, who top the LaLiga standings with 37 points, snapped a three-game winless run in the league with the victory over Mallorca.
The Blaugrana will be looking to continue their momentum and face 10th-placed Betis, who are winless in their last four league matches.
"Betis are a very good team, with very experienced players. They are always capable of pressing high up the pitch, that's their style and we have to be careful," Flick said.
"They know how to play and we have to be focused. Manuel [Pellegrini] is a very experienced coach, his teams always play very good football.
"His style is very good, his teams like to have the ball. It's not easy for opponents to play against him."
Betis coach Pellegrini is set to take charge of his 500th game in LaLiga.
The Chilean will become the eighth coach to hit that milestone in the competition.
His teams have scored 762 goals, conceding 592. Pellegrini has won 239 matches, losing 138 and drawing 122.
Across his LaLiga coaching tenure, Pellegrini has recorded a 47.9% win ratio. His best win percentage came at Real Madrid, where he won 81.6% of his matches (31 wins out of 38 games).
However, he has lost 19 LaLiga matches against Barca, suffering more defeats against them than he has any other club.
Nuno expects tough test versus Amorim's Man Utd
While Nuno Espirito Santo remains uncertain how Ruben Amorim will set Manchester United up on Saturday, he expects Nottingham Forest to face a tough test at Old Trafford.
Forest were beaten 3-0 by Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday, their third defeat in their last four games.
However, they remain within touching distance of the top five ahead of a second successive away game in Manchester, where they will face Ruben Amorim's United.
United suffered their first defeat under the former Sporting CP coach on Wednesday, going down 2-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
With Amorim still getting to grips with his new squad, Nuno does not know what tactical challenges to expect but is certain United will present a major challenge.
The former Wolves boss said: "Their results are difficult to predict because Ruben in this moment is changing a lot.
"I think he is trying to get to know players better. The idea is there, we don't know exactly who is going to play, but for sure they have quality players.
"They are quality and have talented players. The shape is there. The personnel and the players... we cannot identify who is going to start, but our approach is always the same.
"Let's focus on the things they have been doing but also let's look at getting the advantage. It is always a tough place to go but let's focus on being positive on the game."
United conceded two goals from corners in their midweek defeat to the Gunners, prompting defender Matthijs de Ligt to demand improvements.
"In the end, we are Manchester United," De Ligt told MUTV. "We lost again and, yeah, it's easy, it's not good enough.
"So, we know that, we will work hard. We have to improve, and in two days or three days is the next game, so that will be a really important one again for us, to show again what we learned from this game and get the three points."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes has been involved in 11 goals in his last 10 appearances at Old Trafford (four goals, seven assists), having a hand in six goals in his last four in the Premier League (two goals, four assists).
He's never scored or assisted in five in a row in the league at Old Trafford, while Marcus Rashford was the last United player to do so overall (seven in 2022-23).
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood
Wood has scored 12 goals in his last 14 away Premier League starts for Nottingham Forest, netting in three in a row before Wednesday's defeat at the Etihad.
He missed a glorious chance while Forest were a goal down last time out and will be determined to atone here.
MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER UNITED WIN
Man United have won six of their seven Premier League home games against Forest, with the exception being a 2-1 loss in December 1994.
They have also scored in all 14 of their Premier League games against Forest, their joint-best 100% scoring record against an opponent in the competition along with Swansea City.
The Red Devils have won 3-0 against Leicester City and 4-0 against Everton in their last two Premier League home games.
They have not scored three or more goals in three consecutive home league games since February 2021, while they last did so while winning each time in December 2018.
With United also beating Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, Amorim has won both of his home games in charge of the side so far – only five managers have won their first three at home with the Red Devils, most recently Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2018-19.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Manchester United – 55.9%
Nottingham Forest – 21.4%
Draw – 22.7%
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