Man Utd 0 - Villarreal 0
The result leaves United's European dream in a worrying state as they must now beat Benfica in Lisbon in their final group game in order to progress to the knock-out stages.
Meanwhile Villareal will see the result as mission accomplished, having travelled to the Theatre of Dreams without star striker Diego Forlan and playmaker Juan Riquelme.
In their absence the Spaniards looked perfectly happy to hang back and keep United at bay, while looking to catch the Reds on the break.
Villareal will now head back home still topping group D, knowing that they have the best chance of qualification with only a home game against Lille to come.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team came out strong at the beginning of the match and controlled the early possession, and they nearly went one-up in only the second minute.
Wayne Rooney received a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo with his back to goal and managed to battle his way past Pena before his shot was stopped by Villareal goalkeeper Barbosa.
Rooney then shot straight into Ruud van Nistelrooy, United's skipper on the night, before Paul Scholes almost played van Nistelrooy in with a delicate through ball that was just beyond the Dutchman.
Paul Scholes was looking to make an impact on his return from a one match ban, and Gonzalo had to be extraordinarily quick to read the Englishman's intentions after he had stepped past Javi Venta, sliding in to take the ball away before Scholes could unleash a trademark thunderbolt.
However Rooney's early effort was to be the closest United would come to scoring, as Villareal's defence denied them any clear-cut opportunities.
Meanwhile Villareal will see the result as mission accomplished, having travelled to the Theatre of Dreams without star striker Diego Forlan and playmaker Juan Riquelme.
In their absence the Spaniards looked perfectly happy to hang back and keep United at bay, while looking to catch the Reds on the break.
Villareal will now head back home still topping group D, knowing that they have the best chance of qualification with only a home game against Lille to come.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team came out strong at the beginning of the match and controlled the early possession, and they nearly went one-up in only the second minute.
Wayne Rooney received a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo with his back to goal and managed to battle his way past Pena before his shot was stopped by Villareal goalkeeper Barbosa.
Rooney then shot straight into Ruud van Nistelrooy, United's skipper on the night, before Paul Scholes almost played van Nistelrooy in with a delicate through ball that was just beyond the Dutchman.
Paul Scholes was looking to make an impact on his return from a one match ban, and Gonzalo had to be extraordinarily quick to read the Englishman's intentions after he had stepped past Javi Venta, sliding in to take the ball away before Scholes could unleash a trademark thunderbolt.
However Rooney's early effort was to be the closest United would come to scoring, as Villareal's defence denied them any clear-cut opportunities.
posted by Miguel La Rosa at 8:42 PM
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