Manchester United will have to wait to confirm their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League after falling to a shock defeat against Basel.
Michael Lang’s late tap-in ensured that United will have to avoid a four-goal defeat to CSKA Moscow on the final matchday to book their place in the last sixteen, as José Mourinho’s side fell to complacency in the second half.
The Reds made several changes to the side that beat Newcastle at the weekend, with Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo coming into the side, while Jesse Lingard marked a century of appearances for United with a place in the starting eleven.
United had several chances to open the scoring in the first half. Romelu Lukaku fired straight at Tomáš Vaclík when put through on goal by Paul Pogba, while Marouane Fellaini had two efforts on goal, with one cleared off the line and the other clipping the outside of the post.
And Rojo could have given United the lead just before the break, but saw his 40-yard howitzer thunder off the crossbar via a deflection. With the first half performance that put on, you would have almost guaranteed three points for the Reds.
But United’s level of performance fell off dramatically in the second half, with Basel piling on the pressure towards the end and they got their rewards when Lang beat Blind at the far post to tap home Raoul Petretta’s cross from the right wing.
It was a kick in the teeth for United, and Mourinho will be furious at how his side managed to surrender absolute control of this game. United will have to lose by five goals against CSKA at Old Trafford to lose hold of first place, but this will be an unnecessary complication for the Reds, who play Arsenal and Manchester City in between the final Champions League group game.
Here are the player ratings from St. Jakob’s Park:
