This was a speed bump that Manchester United could have done without. Heading for a largely uneventful goalless draw at Basel, they were surprised by a last-minute winner from the home side, and now must wait to see if they will qualify top of their group. This 1-0 defeat, unfairly or not, will be seen as punishment for Jose Mourinho's pragmatism -- he came looking for a draw, and left empty-handed.
Positives
Marcos Rojo looked good as he made his way back from injury, and Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial sparkled in patches.
Negatives
Manchester United's full-backs made no headway in attack and were exposed in defence, with decisive consequences.
Manager rating out of 10
5 -- Mourinho seemed to have come for a draw, which of itself was sensible enough, but his team did not offer enough of an attacking threat to get the job done; they moved the ball too slowly through midfield and out wide, allowing Basel easily to reset their defence. This was a failure of both his players and his strategy.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Sergio Romero, 6 -- Handled the ball well, moved smartly about his area and was blameless for the goal.
DF Matteo Darmian, 3 -- Offered alarmingly little in attack, over-hitting crosses on the rare occasions he got into good positions, and was worryingly sluggish when marking for Basel's goal. One of his most ineffectual nights in a United shirt.
DF Marcos Rojo, 7 -- Passed the ball promptly, positively and accurately, and was a composed, proactive presence at the back. Even struck the crossbar with a superb effort from distance. Did not deserve to be on the losing side.
DF Chris Smalling, 6 -- Was not as enterprising with his passing as Rojo, but performed competently enough until his team's rearguard was breached, with his positioning largely good.
DF Daley Blind, 4 -- Was ponderous in his build-up play, being usually slow in thought and not as ambitious as he can be in his passing. His lack of pace was exposed by this formation and allowed Basel to isolate Martial.
MF Ander Herrera, 5 -- Worked hard but again struggled to provide the incisive passing that Nemanja Matic has laid on so often already this season. A combative presence, but what United needed was more creativity.
MF Marouane Fellaini, 5 -- Did not move the ball forward quickly or imaginatively enough, on an evening when his limitations were somewhat exposed. Was dominant in the air -- unlucky not to score on one occasion, but wasteful on another -- and enjoyed a fair amount of possession, but could not do enough with it to hurt Basel.
MF Paul Pogba, 7 -- Looked very good in patches, spreading the play with regularity and ease, and attacking at every opportunity. Was a level below his best, but still beyond most of his peers.
MF Jesse Lingard, 5 -- Worked extremely hard, but was ineffectual, looking for space everywhere across the field but unable -- like Fellaini -- to exploit the ample amount of the ball his team had.
MF Anthony Martial, 6 -- Showed moments of superb skill, with one outstanding first-half run almost bearing fruit, and some of his deliveries were very good. However, he was often outnumbered on his flank, limiting his effectiveness.
FW Romelu Lukaku, 5 -- Worked hard and his movement was sharp at times, but if there is to be criticism then he should have scored a very early chance, being hesitant to shoot when through and allowing the Basel keeper to regroup. Was somewhat isolated after that.
Substitutes:
MF Marcus Rashford, 6 -- Failed to make the inroads he usually does in attack, with Basel attentive to his every move. His reputation clearly now precedes him.
MF Nemanja Matic, 6 -- Controlled possession fairly well but could not up the tempo of the game, lacking the creativity around him to do so.
FW Zlatan Ibrahimovic, N/A -- Was not on the ball a great deal but linked up well with Lukaku on one occasion and looked sharp when dropping deep to gain possession and spread play.