There was speculation about Marcus Rashford’s return to form, with talks of him rediscovering the skills and confidence he’d misplaced. Rumors circulated that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was committed to reviving Rashford, encouraging him to take on defenders more frequently and becoming equally threatening when crossing with either foot.

On Thursday evening, however, evidence of this transformation was hard to spot. Rashford had a few sharp early interactions before starting to get caught in dead ends, consistently blocked by Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier. A fleeting moment of promise in the first half ended with the ball rolling out of play.

Yet, his demeanor suggested a change. From the moment he stepped onto the field, it was clear he had gained something vital in Catalonia, and his commitment to intensive Spanish lessons, taken several times weekly, surpassed mere politeness.

His header, marking his arrival, was astonishing—executed with exceptional power and precision from Jules Kounde’s cross, giving Barcelona the lead and sending the 27-year-old skidding across the pitch, surrounded by his teammates in orange jerseys. However, it was his brilliant 20-yard shot, evading Sandro Tonali and soaring in off the crossbar’s underside, that truly marked the night.

This was a live display challenging the notion that we too quickly dismiss players as lost causes. Changing countries and distancing from negative influences were crucial for Rashford. While Ruben Amorim had treated him with disdain, Flick bestowed genuine professional respect. His header made him the first English player to score for Barcelona since Lineker in 1989.

For Newcastle, considering Rashford, seen as ‘damaged goods,’ was never an option. Yet, how they could have benefited from him on a night where their longing for enduring success in European competitions was palpable both visually and audibly.

‘Back in black and white’ proclaimed a mighty banner created to mark their team’s return to Europe’s high table. A monumental magpie tifo incorporate a mock back page of Faustino Asprilla’s against Barcelona on that glorious night in 1997 when the Colombian sent this opposition packing from Tyneside.

But the creative talent of the ‘Wor Flags’ group, and the feverish maelstrom just before kick off – which will not be matched by anything in the Champions League this side of Christmas – can only take a team so far.

For 15 minutes, that cauldron was fuel for Newcastle, flying at Barcelona in a way which left them looking like they did not know what had hit them. The sight of Anthony Elanga pressing Gerard Martin hard in those early moments brought the house down – his concession of a throw-in an irrelevance. Yet the fuel and the fervour are finite when there is no Asprilla, no Alexander Isak, no Nick Woltemade, for that matter, to deliver on it.

Elanga can say without fear of contradiction today that he was the fastest man across the turf when Barcelona arrived in town but when he’d torn up the right flank and delivered low across the box, there was no one to deliver on it, in the way that Asprilla did when Keith Gillespie crossed for him, 28 years ago.

The goal opened up for Harvey Barnes when he shaped to receive the best of Elanga’s deliveries, barely 20 minutes in. The 27-year-old slid his shot at Joan Garcia. Just as he did when Sandro Tonali, operating at the access of a one-two, sent him in. 

This was the chance for this front line to prove something, with Woltemade left on the bench, but the maniacal crowd were doused with anaemic finishing. It was the onrushing Anthony Gordon who looked ready to seize the night when Elanga beat Martin and pulled a ball back for him. With the goal gaping, he shot and missed the ball completely.

Eddie Howe headed back to his hutch, head in arms. Of course, this club have advanced. The last time Raphinha, on Barcelona’s left, played in this stadium, he scored for Leeds United in the penultimate game of the wretched Steve Bruce era. 

But this stage is a measure of where Newcastle are going under Saudi ownership. Howe said before this match that wants his club to go a step further than conjuring isolated ‘magical nights.’ We await evidence that they have enough for that. They were well beaten.

Tonali was the one delivering the kind of football that can take Newcastle on. He was the anchor and the visionary from the beginning. The one who ‘saw the pictures’, as former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness used to say. A moment just beyond the interval story. 

Tonali advanced through midfield, playing with his head up and despatching the pass which Elanga did not anticipate. Elanga protested with him, not cognisant of the fact that the two of them are on a different level.

Newcastle pulled a goal back – Gordon converting substitute Jacob Murphy’s cross. But Rashford was the one walking with the wide acres with the look of a man who felt he owned the place and this stage.