Manchester United moved to within touching distance of the last-16 stage of the Champions League courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Benfica at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
United entered the match knowing that a win would see them qualify for the round of 16 if third-placed CSKA Moscow failed to beat second-placed Basel in Group A’s other fixture in Switzerland.
The Red Devils kept to their end of the bargain with a two-goal success, but Basel lost 2-1 at home to CSKA meaning that United still need a point from their final two matches to be sure of a spot in the next round.
Anthony Martial had a 15th-minute penalty saved by Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar, but United led late in the first period when Nemanja Matic’s strike hit the post before bouncing into the back of the net off Svilar.
Daley Blind then netted from the penalty spot in the 78th minute after substitute Marcus Rashford had been hacked to the ground inside the box.
Below are four talking points from the clash at Old Trafford.
Lukaku now six games without a goal for United
United boss Jose Mourinho launched a tenacious defence of Romelu Lukaku during his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon. After a run of five games without a goal, questions were being asked of the Belgian international.
The 24-year-old was unfairly criticised following the Tottenham Hotspur game at the weekend. He might not have scored, but hit the post with a fine header, and assisted Martial for the only goal at Old Trafford. Lukaku would not have needed to be told that a run of five games without a goal was not something that should occur too often for a United centre-forward.
Lukaku would have been desperate to return to the scoresheet ahead of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, but he could not find the back of the net against Benfica. It took him until the 30th minute to test the away side’s goalkeeper, before he headed a Martial cross just over the Benfica goal moments later. Lukaku was then denied by Svilar late in the first half as he drew a blank in the first 45 minutes.
The striker continued to show a good attitude in the second period as he chased down a number of lost causes, although his touch deserted him. United had two penalties against Benfica, but Lukaku took neither after his miss against Leicester City in the Premier League earlier this season.
McTominay impresses on full European debut
Scott McTominay made his Champions League debut in the reverse match in Lisbon – appearing as a very late substitute. He was handed his full debut on Tuesday, however, as Ander Herrera dropped out of the team.
The 20-year-old, who recently signed a new long-term contract, has benefited from the injuries to Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba, and he has now made four first-team appearances for United this season. It is clear that Mourinho is a big fan of McTominay, who has enjoyed an incredible growth spurt over the last couple of years.
The Lancaster-born midfielder did not exactly set Old Trafford alight with his performance, but it was a very accomplished display from a player who is not used to operating at this level. He was neat and tidy in possession of the ball, and did an impressive job of mopping up in front of his defence.
Mourinho can continue to rest players in final two Group A games
When United were drawn into Group A alongside Benfica, Basel and CSKA, it would be fair to say that not many expected the 20-time English champions to have too many problems booking a spot in the next round of the competition.
The Red Devils started their 2017-18 campaign with a 3-0 win over Basel, before beating CSKA 4-1 and Benfica 1-0 in their next two. Nine points from three matches left Mourinho’s side in a very comfortable position, and they moved onto 12 points on Tuesday night.
Granted, United still need a point to be absolutely sure, but they are pretty much there. As a result, Mourinho can continue to rest key players for the final two Group A matches, which will come away to Basel on November 22 and at home to CSKA on December 5. The Basel clash takes place between games against Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, and the United boss will be able to keep key players fresh for those two fixtures.
The home match against CSKA, meanwhile, will occur between Premier League games against Arsenal and Manchester City. There were actually six changes in total from the team that started against Tottenham, with Matteo Darmian, Blind, McTominay, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Martial all coming into the XI.
It is back to the drawing board for Benfica
Two-time winners of the European Cup, Benfica have a rich history in this competition. They are competing in the group stage of the Champions League for the eighth season in a row, but will progress no further after losing all four of their Group A matches to date.
The Lisbon giants have won the Portuguese league title in each of the last four campaigns, but they will seemingly face a serious battle to win the Primeira Liga this season. Indeed, after 10 matches of the campaign, they are down in third position – five points off the league leaders Porto.
United were always going to be the favourites to top Group A, but second position was there for Benfica. They reached the quarter-finals of the 2015-16 campaign, and also progressed into the knockout round last season before losing to Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
Losing Ederson, Victor Lindelof and Nelson Semedo during the summer was always going to make it difficult this season, but they did not reinvest anywhere near enough of the £100m+ that was earned from transfer fees. There are a number of talented young players coming through, but money must be spent in order to make Benfica a competitive European team once again.
They can of course still finish in a Europa League position in Group A, and that might be just what this set of players need. There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a desperately poor Champions League campaign, however, with just one goal scored and 10 conceded in four matches.
Diogo Goncalves had Benfica’s clearest chance of the first half in the 19th minute, but United goalkeeper David de Gea kept out the attacker’s powerful strike with a brilliant save. As impressive as Benfica were in possession of the ball, they really lacked that piece of quality in the final third of the field.
Raul Jimenez was again picked to lead the line for Benfica, but the Mexican had the look of a player who has not scored in 14 appearances in league and Champions League this season. The 26-year-old should have netted 25 minutes from time after a mistake from Bailly, but his effort struck the post.
