Nine weeks after being completely outplayed in the Champions League final, Manchester United finally experienced the winning feeling against Barcelona.
Michael Owen secured victory 14 minutes from time in front of a record 81,807 at Washington's FedEx Field, not long after Thiago had pulled Barca level with a magnificent curling strike.
Nani had put Sir Alex Ferguson's men into a first-half lead with a neat finish and Owen's clip over Victor Valdes after collecting Tom Cleverley's neat pass ensured United ended their five-match US tour with a 100% record.
It had been suggested the game represented some kind of revenge mission for the Red Devils.
That was not possible given Ferguson retained only three members of his starting line-up from that miserable May night.
Pep Guardiola's side was more recognisable, with six players keeping their places, and three of the other five, including Lionel Messi, were not available due to their recent stints at Copa America.
Wayne Rooney scored United's goal at Wembley and he should have put the Premier League champions in front when he met Nani's low cross at the near post but prodded wide.
Rafael was replaced by twin brother Fabio after failing to recover from a knock sustained in a crunching tackle on Seydou Keita.
It did not disrupt United too much though and when Danny Welbeck collected possession just inside the Barcelona half, Nani timed his run to perfection, sprinting onto the through ball, then dispatching his shot through the legs of Valdes.
Ibrahim Afellay should have done better than drag his shot across the face of David de Gea's goal after being set up 10 minutes before the break.
Indeed, De Gea had been relatively unemployed on his first significant appearance since his £18million summer arrival from Atletico Madrid.
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