Manchester United vs. Benfica: 5 Things We Learned in the Champions League Clash

It's going down to the wire for Manchester United. After a tough 2-2 draw with Benfica at Old Trafford, they will need to win against Basel at St. Jakob Park to secure a spot in the Champions League knockout stages. 

Overall, it was a rather disappointing night, but it was not without its points of optimism: Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov were pleasant surprises, for one.

Here are five things we learned in the Champions League clash. As always, if you have your own observations you'd like to share, have at it in the comments section.

Nemanja Vidic Is Necessary; If Not Him, Then a Better Backup

I said this after the Otelul match, and after tonight, it bears repeating. Without United's captain, arguably one of the best defenders in the game as of late, the last two centre-back pairings in Champions League competition—Rio Ferdinand with Jonny Evans and Phil Jones—have left much to be desired.

These defensive performances, although they did not yield too devastating of results (a win and a draw), involved a lot of mistakes and generally lacked consistency. Overall, the absence of the captain in centre-back has definitely been felt. 

If Ferdinand is the best back-up for Vidic, United may need to look for a new experienced backup centre-back in January, especially as Vidic's fitness hasn't been optimal.

It's not the question of who could play in the other spot, necessarily: Phil Jones is capable (as long as he doesn't play like he did today), and a partnership between him or even Chris Smalling (eventually) and Vidic would be a lot stronger than one between Jones and Ferdinand. 

Nani Is Fantastic When Mobile, but Someone Else Should Do Set Pieces

Overall, the Portuguese midfielder had a pretty good night, though it was a bit frustrating. He exercised better control and passing than he did against Otelul in the last round and was a key component in United's attack. 

Where he really faltered, though, was set pieces.

Despite this being a consistent problem for Nani, he took quite a few corners and free kicks tonight—none to any avail. With corners, his ball is usually neutralized pretty quickly.

Although Nani is still one of the squad's best attackers, perhaps it's time to look to someone else to handle the corners. 

Berba May Still Have a Role To Play at Old Trafford

Rather surprisingly, it was the veterans (who have spent much of the season on the bench) who impressed tonight—perhaps most notably Dimitar Berbatov.

Berbatov still struggled with his usual pace issues, missing a great goal chance he definitely would have landed had he made contact just a second before, but overall, he had a good night. He got into the thick of the attack, linked up with the other offensive players and scored a cracking equalizer—his first Champions League goal since 2008. 

Especially worth noting is that where Berbatov underperformed against Otelul Galati, longshots in the competition, he really held his own against Benfica, United's most formidable Champions League opponent and a team that has gone unbeaten in 21 matches now.

Maybe it's the motivation from the "big matches," but something definitely clicked and Berba may not be done quite yet. 

Sir Alex Ferguson has said Berbatov is likely to renew his contract with the Old Trafford club, and if so, there may be some great performances left in him after all.

Michael Carrick Is Still Capable of Playing Great Football Sometimes

Michael Carrick's profile at Old Trafford is constantly slipping, with rumors of his departure from Old Trafford surfacing every once in a while. He's among the most polarizing figures on the team, with some fans calling for his removal and others urging the haters to have faith.

The lagging form of Anderson and injury to Tom Cleverley have led to Sir Alex Ferguson bringing out the veteran central midfielder. Although he isn't the Paul Scholes heir-apparent United have made a priority in finding or developing in the new year, he can still play a pretty great game.

Carrick looked a bit rough at first against a strong-starting Benfica, but overall, he had one of his best recent performances, frequently making contact and executing some fantastic passes. Haters gonna hate. 

Nothing Gets You in the Holiday Spirit Like the "12 Days of Cantona"

The iconic Manchester United holiday chant made an appearance at Old Trafford during the match. Granted, the Christmas season starts a bit earlier in the UK than it does in America, courtesy of the lack of the Thanksgiving buffer, but Christmas is still a month away.

Nevertheless, even with a draw, it kind of puts you in the festive mood, doesn't it?