MANCHESTER UNITED fell to a last gasp goal in Switzerland that means they are still not guaranteed qualification to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
It will take a big goals turnaround at Old Trafford next month for CSKA Moscow to deny them, but still United should not be needing the rule book and calculator.
They should have had this game done and dusted against a team they were far superior too. United were certainly in control of the first half here in Switzerland without scoring. Twice they hit the woodwork while reserve goalkeeper Sergio Romero was a mere spectator at the other end. Meanwhile quite what Gareth Southgate has been watching with regards to Chris Smalling is beyond him and everyone else witnessing his performance last night. He was calm itself controlling and playing the ball out from the back.
What more the England manager wants from a centre-back is a mystery because as Smalling said himself on the eve of this game he does have all the attributes. At the other end of the pitch we thought Romelu Lukaku did too. His goal in the 4-1 mauling of Newcastle United on Saturday had ended his short barren spell in front of goal.
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But last night he should really have added to his tally. It was a superb ball from Paul Pogba in the 12th minute that put him through. There was a defender in close attendance but not near enough to put him off his shot, but the shot was poor and the goalkeeper saved.
No matter perhaps at this stage of the competition with qualification from Group A all but guaranteed ahead of this match. Come the next phase and the knockout rounds, however, those chances are going to have to be taken. You wonder whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic, watching on from the bench, would have taken it. My bet is he would.
More chances came United’s way. Marouane Fellaini had a header cleared off the line by Manuel Akanji and another flick header from the big Belgian skimmed the post. Marcus Rojo also hit the woodwork late in the opening period with a long range shot that got a slight deflection and hit the bar. United were on the front foot again straight from the restart with Anthony Martial firing over a cross that Lukaku headed over. The seven changes Mourinho had made from his team that beat Newcastle at the weekend certainly did not look to have an affect on the performance. Athough David De Gea did seem a bit bemused by his exclusion from the match day squad having made the journey to Switzerland.
There was a strange exchange between him and goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro before kick off when De Gea was sat watching the warm up from the sidelines with headphones in.
Louro made a 50 yard dash to him and told him to go down the tunnel. Real Madrid will not doubt be watching with interest.
With CSKA’s victory over the hapless Benfica earlier in the day this was a must win for Basel and they showed the urgency of a side needing all three points after the break.
Renato Steffen had a shot that deflected off Dimitri Oberlin and it needed a good save from Romero to stop the ball going in.
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