Gary Lineker and Jamie Carragher lead the plaudits as 'astonishing' Joe Hart provides heroic performance against Barcelona

The goalkeeper put in phenomenal display

Joe Hart saves from Neymar (GETTY IMAGES)

Barcelona defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the Champions League tonight to knock the English side out, but it would have been far more had it not been for the heroics of City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

In total the England No 1 made 10 saves at the Nou Camp, the most by any goalkeeper in the Champions League this season.

Having won the first leg 2-1 three weeks ago, after Spanish club ran out 1-0 winners at home last night thanks to Ivan Rakitic's goal.

Other than that it was pretty much one-way traffic, with Hart making miraculous saves time and time again.

Having collected a sweeping ball from Lionel Messi, the Croatian was coolness personified to cushion it with Hart's imposing frame closing in, before elegantly dinking an effort over the England No1, brushing the crossbar on it's way in. The technique was velvet soft, and this was vintage Barcelona.

THE BEST REACTION TO HART'S DISPLAY

Carragher said on Sky Sports: "You can think of great goalkeeping performances but you always want to do it at the top level and the top level is against the top men, Suarez, Neymar, Messi, three of the best strikers in world football, maybe the best player in world football, and it's a night he'll never forget."

Defeat comes as another blow to City manager Manuel Pellegrini who, having seen his side fall further behind in the Premier League title race following defeat at Burnley, has come up short on Europe's grand stage once again.