Philippe Coutinho Defends Manchester United Celebration After Rivaldo Criticism

Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho has defended his celebration against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, having received criticism from former Brazil forward Rivaldo. 

Coutinho was on target for the Blaugrana in their 3-0 win over the Red Devils, helping the team advance into the semi-finals 4-0 on aggregate. 

Having been on the receiving end of criticism from his own supporters at times this season, Coutinho celebrated by putting his fingers in his ears. In a post on Instagram (h/t Metro), the Brazilian said he didn't mean any disrespect by his actions.

"We should never listen to people who will demotivate us because their speeches only deviate us from the real focus we should take," the Barcelona midfielder said on the social media platform. "Never in my life I disrespected anyone, inside or out of football."

The goal scored by Coutinho was a trademark one, as he darted infield on his right foot and fired an excellent shot into the top corner (U.S. only):

Barcelona set up a semi-final showdown with Liverpool. For Coutinho and his current team-mate Luis Suarez, that's set to be a special occasion:

As Metro noted, Rivaldo told Marca he wasn't a fan of the manner in which Coutinho reacted after netting.

"It was not a good gesture," said the former Barcelona and Brazil star. "He scored a great goal, but it’s never good to do something like that to the fans."

The show of emotion from Coutinho made sense, as he's not been the huge success at Barcelona that many expected him to be. Overall, the Brazilian has been inconsistent and has failed to have the same impact on games as he did at Liverpool.

In the main, he has saved his best performances for the Champions League, where he's been a regular creative influence:

With Ousmane Dembele returning to full fitness recently, Coutinho now faces a fight for his first-team berth.

Manager Ernesto Valverde typically fields Sergio Busquets, Arthur and Ivan Rakitic in midfield in big games, meaning there's only one other space in the attacking trio alongside Suarez and Lionel Messi. It's likely to be a straight fight between Coutinho and Dembele for the position.

Rafael Hernandez of Grup14 wants to see more from the club's record signing:

There has been some talk of a possible exit for Coutinho this summer, with Moises Llorens of ESPN FC reporting in March the Blaugrana would be open to a sale if they were to receive an offer in the region of £90 million for the Brazilian.

Tuesday's performance was a positive step for Coutinho though, and if he can help the team towards a Champions League final by getting past his former club, then surely he'll begin to change minds at the Camp Nou.