Manchester United vs. FC Basel: FC Basel Serve Up Surprise at Old Trafford

Tuesday night brought another round of Champions League games, and both the red and blue halves of Manchester were involved in the action. While Fergie's domestic champions faced what was presumed to be lesser opposition, Manchester City were up against one of the continent's marquee teams and four-time winners Bayern Munich.

At Old Trafford, pregame expectations seemed to have been proved right after a quarter of an hour when Danny Welbeck scored twice in two minutes from close range to place the side in what looked an unassailable position. A subdued crowd watched as their team looked to get the ball out wide to Young and Valencia and provide the service we've seen bear fruit over the years. However, there was never a fluidity to the play, and Basel slowly started to make more of a mark on the game.

The second half was a much-improved performance from the Swiss side, and on the hour mark, they found themselves back in the game at 2-2. Many teams would have made an attempt at damage control and played a closed game, but in fairness to Basel, they kept on plugging and were deserving of a share of the spoils. After 75 minutes, it looked one step better than that—Basel went 3-2 up after Valencia gave a away a slightly dubious penalty, which Alexander Frei confidently struck home.

Fergie's midfield was forced more and more through the centre of the park, and it was not until the introduction of Nani that the team looked like getting the all-important equaliser. With a sublime cross to the far post, Nani set up Ashley Young for an easy header, leading to a frantic final few minutes.

Typical of the Devils, there was a definite final push for a winner, but respect must go to the Swiss team who came to Old Trafford and played their own game. David De Gea in particular must be thankful that a very late and very long-range effort bounced harmlessly over the bar (having made the young 'keeper look a little silly in the process).

The lesson learned tonight is that no game in Europe's elite competition is a given result. What was thought to be a foregone conclusion ended up giving us a thoroughly entertaining and somewhat surprising game and a newfound respect for FC Basel and all those who do not capitulate in the face of supposedly irreversible circumstances. Well played, boys.