Guillermo Varela never was going to stop Philippe Coutinho from putting Liverpool into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League when the moment of truth came.
Coutinho scored a sensational solo goal Thursday for Liverpool in its Europa League Round of 16 draw with Manchester United.
The Reds were trailing 1-0 in the 45th minute when Coutinho ran onto a pass from Daniel Sturridge, left Varela, Manchester United’s young fullback, for dead and dinked his shot over goalkeeper David de Gea.
Coutinho, Liverpool’s player of the season in 2014-15 and a favorite among fans, broke his goal-less drought in Europe in a stunning fashion.
Coutinho’s goal gave Liverpool a 3-1 aggregate lead in the two-game series that ultimately proved insurmountable.
Thumbnail photo via Jon Super/The Associated Press
