Optimism, not euphoria – that is the prevailing mood at Real Madrid CF ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League first knockout round first leg with Liverpool FC, according to the home team's coach Juande Ramos.

'Perfect attitude'
The clubs share 14 European Champion Clubs' Cups between them as well as 49 domestic titles, all of which will add to the sense of occasion at the Santiago Bernabéu. Talk of mutual respect has been staple fare, but Madrid look to have momentum on their side thanks to a run of nine consecutive league victories, culminating in Saturday's 6-1 demolition of visitors Real Betis Balompié. "I wouldn't say we're euphoric but we're optimistic because things have been going well," said Ramos. "Maybe some fans are euphoric but the attitude of the players is perfect."

Small details
In turmoil when the draw was made on 19 December, Madrid now believe they can rein in Liga leaders FC Barcelona having already reduced the gap from 12 points to seven. Likewise, continental hopes have been rekindled and the Spanish titleholders are desperate for their first UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearance since 2004. "That's important for the club," explained Ramos. "It's going to be very close, between two sides at a similar level. It will be decided by the small details and it's not going to be easy given we face a historic team like Liverpool."

Robben return
Sacked by Tottenham Hotspur FC in October, Ramos insists he "has nothing to prove" as he renews acquaintances with English opposition and warned Liverpool they can expect a warm reception: "The Bernabéu has no reason to envy Anfield for atmosphere. We need the fans to help us get going and we know they'll be there." Influential winger Arjen Robben should also be present after recovering from a hip injury and Ramos can similarly call upon fit-again midfielders Guti and Wesley Sneijder, with the latter competing with Marcelo for a berth on the left.

Gerrard doubt
For Liverpool, Steven Gerrard's hamstring injury continues to provide the major selection intrigue. "We'll decide after training, but the important thing is whether he can give us anything on the pitch," said manager Rafael Benítez. Should Gerrard feature, it would prove a huge boost to a team struggling for inspiration. Sunday's 1-1 home draw with Manchester City FC was the Merseyside club's eighth stalemate in 13 Premier League outings and left them seven points behind Manchester United FC – the same deficit facing Madrid but more indicative of decline than resurgence.

Kennedy goal
Despite that form, Liverpool will seek to match the outcome of their only other competitive encounter with Madrid – the 1981 European Cup final in Paris, settled by an Alan Kennedy strike. "You're talking about two of the biggest sides in Europe with lots of Champions Leagues between them," explained Benítez. "Big teams with big players." Having spent a large chunk of his career as a player and coach in Madrid's youth and reserve set-up, the 48-year-old is uniquely placed to make that judgement. "I have good memories here," he added, no doubt hoping Wednesday yields many more.

Two of European football's most illustrious names will come together for only the second time when Real Madrid CF and Liverpool FC get their first knockout round contest under way at the Santiago Bernabéu.

• Twenty-eight years after Liverpool claimed the European Champion Clubs' Cup at Madrid's expense with a 1-0 final win in Paris, these two clubs with 14 continental crowns between them will meet again in a duel containing multiple subplots.

• The presence of Rafael Benítez in the opposition dugout adds arguably the thickest splash of intrigue given his close association with the Spanish champions, with whom he spent a decade and a half of his sporting life.

• Born in Madrid, Benítez joined the Santiago Bernabéu side as a young hopeful in 1973/74 and spent seven years in the youth and reserve ranks. After injury had ended his playing days, he returned to the club in 1986 to embark on a coaching career in their youth system. He rose the ladder to become coach of Castilla, Madrid's B team, and, in 1993/94, had an eleven-game spell assisting then caretaker boss Vicente Del Bosque with the first team.

• Benítez is not the only man at Anfield with a Madrid connection for defender Álvaro Arbeloa made two Liga appearances for Los Merengues in the 2004/05 campaign, the high point of a three-season spell with the club. A regular for the B team, he moved on to RC Deportivo La Coruña in 2005 in search of first-team football.

• Liverpool's squad features five Spanish players in Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa, Pepe Reina, Albert Riera and Fernando Torres, the erstwhile icon of Madrid's city rivals Club Atlético de Madrid.

• In the white corner, meanwhile, is Juande Ramos, the Madrid coach who took the helm at the Bernabéu in December, six weeks after his 12-month stay in the Premier League had ended with his dismissal by Tottenham Hotspur FC.

• Madrid's bench will also likely feature Jerzy Dudek, now back-up goalkeeper at the Bernabéu but, in 2005, the hero of Liverpool's penalty shoot-out triumph against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul. Dudek's miraculous extra-time double save from Andriy Shevchenko and decisive penalty stop from the same player earned him a place in Anfield folklore.

• Champions for the fifth time in 2005, Liverpool's recent record in the competition – they are targeting a fourth quarter-final in five years – means they will start as slight favourites against a Madrid side who have not advanced beyond the last 16 since 2004.

• The Merseyside club progressed from the first stage as Group D winners ahead of Atlético having recorded four victories and two draws in their six games. Hosts Madrid finished runners-up in Group H behind Juventus, with four wins and two defeats to their name.

• Madrid's home record against English opposition reads P9 W4 D4 L1. Their only defeat to date came in their most recent UEFA Champions League tie against a Premier League team, when Arsenal FC won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the 2005/06 first knockout round.

• Madrid's defeat by Arsenal left them with a record of five wins and three losses in two-legged ties with English sides.

• Madrid have lost three UEFA finals against opposition from England, notably the European Cup final against Liverpool in Paris on 27 May 1981. Alan Kennedy's solitary 81st-minute strike that evening earned Liverpool manager Bob Paisley the honour of becoming the first and so far only man to have led a team to three European Cups.

• Liverpool's team included their current assistant manager Sammy Lee and the full lineups were:
Liverpool: Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Alan Hansen, Phil Thompson, Alan Kennedy, Sammy Lee, Terry McDermott, Graeme Souness, Ray Kennedy, Kenny Dalglish (Jimmy Case), David Johnson.
Real Madrid: Agustín Rodríguez, Rafael García Cortés (Francisco Pineda), Andrés Sabido, Antonio García Navajas, José Antonio Camacho, Ángel De Los Santos, Vicente Del Bosque, Uli Stielike, Juanito, Carlos Santillana, Lawrie Cunningham.

• Madrid also lost both the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea FC.

• Liverpool, by contrast, also triumphed against Spain's Deportivo Alavés in the 2001 UEFA Cup final, winning a remarkable match 5-4 after extra time.

• Liverpool's record in Spain reads P12 W6 D4 L2. Their last victory was a 2-1 success at FC Barcelona on 21 February 2007 and their most recent loss came five games ago, 2-0 at Valencia CF in the 2002/03 first group stage.

• Liverpool also have an excellent record in two-legged ties against Spanish opponents, having won six of their seven previous contests. Their most recent success came in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round in 2006/07, an away goals triumph against Barcelona following a 2-2 aggregate draw.

• Madrid veteran Míchel Salgado featured in the RC Celta de Vigo side that became the first, and so far only, Spanish team to have bettered Liverpool over two legs with a 4-1 aggregate win in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup third round.

• Despite their pedigree against Spanish sides and wealth of European experience, Liverpool had never played a competitive fixture in Madrid prior to their 1-1 draw with Atlético in the group stage in October.

• Madrid manager Ramos faced Liverpool twice last season during his time in charge of Tottenham. His Spurs side earned a 2-2 draw at Anfield on 7 October 2007, Torres denying him victory with a 90th-minute equaliser. Torres also struck Liverpool's second when Tottenham went down 2-0 in the return fixture in north London on 11 May last year.

• As coach of Sevilla FC, Ramos's record against English clubs in the UEFA competitions was P5 W2 D2 L1. His Sevilla side beat Middlesbrough FC 4-0 in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup final and overcame Tottenham over two legs in the 2006/07 quarter-finals.

• During his time at Valencia between 2001 and 2004, Benítez took his side to the Bernabéu four times. They suffered Liga defeats there in 2001/02 and 2002/03 – losing 1-0 and 4-1 respectively – and went down 3-0 in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in his final season, although they did also earn a 1-1 league draw there in 2003/04.

• Madrid winger Arjen Robben spent three seasons in the Premier League with Chelsea and finished on the losing side in a trio of semi-finals against Liverpool in that time – the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League, the 2005/06 FA Cup, and the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League, having a penalty saved by Reina in the shoot-out that decided the last of those ties.

• Liverpool striker Torres did not win a single game against Madrid in nine attempts with their city rivals Atlético. His only strike in the fixture came in a 1-1 home draw on 24 February 2007, his final derby for Atlético.

• When Madrid and Liverpool met at the Bernabéu during a four-team friendly tournament on 2 August 2002, the home side won 2-0 through goals from Luís Figo and Javier Portillo. Guti and Salgado featured for Madrid that day and Dudek and Jamie Carragher for Liverpool.

• The second leg will be played at Anfield on 10 March.

Two goals in nine first-half minutes from Lisandro proved enough to take FC Porto through to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase and end Fenerbahçe SK's hopes despite a lively display from the Turkish side.

Porto progress
Although the former European champions were under pressure early on, Lisandro showed his nose for goal from close range on 19 and 28 minutes and, though substitute Kazım Kazım pulled one back for Fenerbahçe 18 minutes after the break, his side could not score again. FC Dynamo Kyiv's loss to Arsenal FC in the night's other Group G game confirmed Porto's advance with a game to spare and means that a Fenerbahçe victory in Ukraine on Matchday 6 would take Luis Aragonés's side into the UEFA Cup, for which the final will be here at the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium.

Early chance
Boosted by the return of Roberto Carlos from a toe inflammation and Emre Belözoğlu's selection to partner Josico in midfield in place of the suspended Selçuk Şahin, Fenerbahçe began in determined fashion, seeking the victory they needed to have any chance of matching last season's quarter-final run. Within four minutes Alex found himself free in front of goal, but blasted over.

Lisandro opener
In the absence of suspended Lucho, Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira chose to challenge a home defence deprived of the banned Lugano with a three-man strikeforce of Cristián Rodríguez, Hulk and Lisandro. Fenerbahçe were dominant but they were not exploiting their chances and were looking vulnerable to the counterattack even before the first goal. A Porto corner was cleared and Fernando sent the ball back in for Bruno Alves to brilliantly control to the right of goal. He lofted in a cross which Volkan Demirel could only palm away and Lisandro was in place to hook the ball in through a crowded goalmouth.

Lead doubled
Edu soon headed wide but Porto doubled their lead when Lisandro controlled a long throw in the box; although Volkan blocked his first effort, the forward made no mistake from the rebound. Fenerbahçe were shell-shocked and it could have been three when Tomás Costa controlled a long pass and with the outside of his boot chipped Volkan only to see the ball bounce away off the post.

Arrears reduced
Aiming to add a cutting edge to their dominance in possession, Aragonés brought on winger Kazım Kazım for Emre. The London-born Turkish international has been frustrated by the loss of a regular starting place since Deivid's injury comeback and began to menace Porto down the right with swift runs and clever crosses. Not long past the hour Kazım Kazım pulled one back as he advanced from deep and his shot from distance hit Bruno Alves and looped in over goalkeeper Helton.

Visitors hold on
That seemed to rouse Porto and they began to make life tougher for the home side, though Fenerbahçe continued to have most of the play. Substitute Freddy Guarín's rising shot nearly made it 3-1 but Porto kept things tight at the other end and they can look forward to the 19 December first knockout round draw. Nine days before that a home win against Arsenal would give them first place.

Nicklas Bendtner's 87th-minute strike carried Arsenal FC into the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a narrow 1-0 victory over FC Dynamo Kyiv.

Direct approach
Just when the Group G leaders looked consigned to a second successive home stalemate, the substitute latched on to a long ball upfield by captain Cesc Fàbregas, held off a challenge from Pape Diakhate, and lashed the ball past Stanislav Bogush. It was an unusually direct approach from Arsène Wenger's men, who had struggled to create clear opportunities against a Dynamo side now left to fight for third place after this reverse. Things got even worse for Yuri Semin's team in the dying seconds as they lost Olexandr Aliyev to a straight red card for pushing referee Alain Hamer out of his path as he tried to take a free-kick.

Vela start
If the night ended with Bendtner the hero, it began with young Mexican attacker Carlos Vela making his first UEFA Champions League start for Arsenal and he was the architect of the game's opening chance. Collecting a Fàbregas pass out on the right, he slipped the ball between two blue shirts to pick out Aaron Ramsey's run. The teenager failed to take full advantage, however, his effort on the stretch deflecting off Diakhate and over the crossbar.

Blue blanket
Dynamo fielded two recognised forwards in Ismaël Bangoura and Artem Milevskiy but the latter was invariably found further back, forming a five-man midfield as the visitors sat deep and invited Arsenal to try and open them up. Yet Arsenal, with a narrow midfield three of Ramsey, Fàbregas and Denilson – playing ahead of the holding Alexandre Song – struggled to pick holes in the packed Dynamo defence despite a 67 per cent share of first-half possession.

Van Persie threat
Robin van Persie offered the principal goal threat, driving in a couple of wicked inswinging free-kicks – one fisted away by Dynamo goalkeeper Bogush, the other kneed over the crossbar by Mikaël Silvestre. A break down the left by Gaël Clichy almost brought a breakthrough just before the half-hour when the left-back's low cross evaded a line of blue shirts and reached Ramsey but the Welshman shot wildly over. With the interval approaching, Dynamo then nearly grabbed the lead against the run of play after a mistake by William Gallas. Recalled to the side, Arsenal's deposed captain lost the ball to Bangoura out by the touchline. The Dynamo No10 took the ball into the box but crashed it against the near post, to Gallas's undoubted relief.

Dynamo push forward
Gallas did have the ball in the Dynamo net on the stroke of half-time but was ruled offside. The Frenchman was involved again moments after the restart, albeit this time to inadvertently block a close-range Van Persie drive after the Dutchman, capitalising on a Fàbregas free-kick into the area, had seen his first attempt charged down by Milevskiy. With FC Porto leading at Fenerbahçe SK, Dynamo now needed a goal and their ambition increased accordingly, Bangoura firing wide before Aliyev sent in a shot that Manuel Almunia gathered at the second attempt.

Milevskiy denied
The atmosphere grew increasingly nervy as Dynamo's forwards played their neat triangles around the Arsenal box and with 14 minutes remaining, Almunia came to the hosts' rescue by charging down Milevskiy's shot after the striker found himself with just the Spaniard to beat. Moments earlier Wenger had sent on 16-year-old Jack Wilshere for his first UEFA Champions League appearance, but it was his other substitute Bendtner who would make the difference.

A decisive display from Karim Benzema steered Olympique Lyonnais into the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, the France striker setting up one goal and scoring the other to help his side to the victory at ACF Fiorentina that ensured a top-two finish in Group F.

Early advantage
Lyon needed only a point reach the last 16 for a sixth consecutive season and began in a mode that suggested they wanted to leave no room for error. They had established a two-goal lead by the 27th minute, Benzema setting up Jean II Makoun to score from close range before drilling in the second himself. Alberto Gilardino pulled one back just before the break with a fine header but, having been unable to conjure an equaliser, the hosts are out of the qualifying race and must now turn their attention to the UEFA Cup.

Makoun strikes
It had started promisingly for Fiorentina when Zdravko Kuzmanović fired the first shot, Hugo Lloris turning his low drive round the post. Though Lyon looked uncertain at the back, they were certainly dangerous going forward and duly took the lead on the quarter-hour. Kader Keita whipped a low ball across the face of goal from the right and, though the pass evaded Benzema, the striker retrieved possession and delivered a low cut-back for Makoun to rifle in at the near post.

Benzema strikes
Kuzmanović missed a great chance to equalise when a loose ball fell kindly for him in the area, his skewed shot flying wide and, after surviving Juninho Pernambucano's 30-metre free-kick by the width of the crossbar, the Viola were soon further in arrears. Picking up the ball outside the area after Juninho had robbed Riccardo Montolivo of possession, the 20-year-old Benzema advanced before unleashing a low strike which gave Sébastien Frey no chance.

Gilardino response
To their credit, Fiorentina recovered swiftly from the double setback and pulled one back on the stroke of half-time. They had come close moments earlier, denied first by the outstretched boot of Lyon's Italian defender Fabio Grosso and then by the woodwork when Adrian Mutu's bullet header from a corner struck the upright. Gilardino, however, made no mistake, meeting Mario Alberto Santana's swirling cross with a superb header into the top corner.

Woodwork intervenes
The goal gave a feisty Fiorentina fresh hope for the start of the second half and, having survived an early scare when Juninho hit the crossbar again with another scorching free-kick from distance, the Serie A side applied plenty of pressure, Mutu slashing wide after Gilardino had chested down. The momentum was building for the hosts, who were denied again when Kuzmanović's effort struck Cris and rebounded off the post, summing up their evening.

Final fixtures
Despite vocal support Fiorentina's late pressure failed to produce the two goals they needed to stay in the competition and it was Lyon who came closest to another goal, Ederson's thunderous volley rebounding off the woodwork. Instead the Viola will travel to bottom side FC Steaua Bucureşti on Matchday 6 needing a point to secure third place and a transfer to the UEFA Cup. Lyon have loftier ambitions and play host to FC Bayern München in a fortnight knowing a draw would clinch top spot.

Two second-half goals from Miroslav Klose and another from Luca Toni ensured FC Bayern München marched triumphantly into the UEFA Champions League knockout stages with an emphatic victory against FC Steaua Bucureşti.

Unbeaten run
Though Olympique Lyonnais' defeat of ACF Fiorentina in the night's other Group F fixture meant Bayern would have progressed regardless of their result, the German champions never looked as if they would need a helping hand. After a frustrating first half, Klose finally broke the deadlock three minutes before the hour and Toni swiftly dived to head in another, Klose rounding off an impressive display with a third goal 19 minutes from time to continue the home team's unbeaten run in this season's competition and send them into the last 16 for a fifth successive UEFA Champions League campaign.

Bayern determination
With Jürgen Klinsmann prowling the technical area from kick-off, there was a clear sense of Bayern's determination to ensure they would decide their own destiny. Robinson Zapata was called upon to block Toni's point-blank effort three minutes in, while the Italian was unlucky to see a clean strike from Franck Ribéry's low cross skid just wide six minutes later. The German titleholders' fluidity – borne of the confidence built by an eleven-game unbeaten run – was stretching Steaua, though Dayro Moreno did conjure a long-range shot that sped into the midriff of Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing.

Klose close
Released by Bănel Nicoliţă down the right, the Colombian midfielder then fed Steaua captain Mirel Rădoi, whose acrobatic volley missed the target. That scare sparked an instant Bayern riposte, Toni's header from a Ribéry cross being parried by the alert Zapata and a lunging Klose turning the rebound over. Nicoliţă's busy presence on the right gave Bayern cause for concern though, and the Romanian international picked out Dorin Goian with a cross, but the defender failed to get sufficient power on his shot.

Two-goal burst
Slotting into central defence in place of the injured Martín Demichelis, Daniel Van Buyten almost presented Steaua with an opening when a ball ricocheted off his knee, allowing Nicoliţă to send in a dangerous cross that Lucio hacked clear. Bayern, though, continued to threaten at the other end, and two goals in four minutes took the game away from Steaua. Zé Roberto burst to the left-hand byline, and though his centre was miscued by Toni, Massimo Oddo picked up the loose ball on the opposite flank, crossing for Ribéry to head goalwards and Klose swooped to score. The Germany striker then turned provider, cleverly flicking Lucio's raking ball towards Toni, who collided with Zapata as he bravely dived to head in.

Final flourish
With Steaua pushing up looking for a goal to bring them back into the contest, Klose then delivered the finishing touch. Ribéry sped down the right, and with the visitors' defence spread, found Klose in space. A low finish left Zapata helpless and means Steaua must now beat Fiorentina in their final fixture to claim third in the section, while Bayern travel to Lyon on Matchday 6 to determine who wins the section.

Aalborg BK came from behind in stirring fashion to defeat Celtic FC 2-1 and secure both third place in Group E and UEFA Cup football at the expense of their visitors.

Late drama
Celtic took a deserved lead when midfielder Barry Robson, who had missed a penalty when the sides met in Glasgow on Matchday 1, headed in on 53 minutes but were pegged back when Caca equalised with a shot which took a deflection off Stephen McManus 17 minutes from time. The 87th-minute winner also took a final touch off a Celtic player as a Glenn Loovens clearance bounced back into his own net via the legs of Gary Caldwell, guaranteeing AaB third place behind Manchester United FC and Villarreal CF – and knocking Celtic out of Europe.

Nakamura miss
Celtic begun without influential winger Aiden McGeady, who failed to prove that he had fully recovered from a calf injury during training the previous evening, but did not allow that setback to affect them and instead created the first chance of the contest on six minutes. Shunsuke Nakamura showed great vision to play a delightful low cross into the area where Georgios Samaras just failed to make contact with the ball. Nakamura himself had a clearer opportunity to score three minutes later when the Japanese latched on to a through-pass by Scott McDonald, only to shoot high and wide with only Karim Zaza to beat.

Boruc save
AaB were struggling to assert themselves and did not look like a team on an eight-match unbeaten run. Their midfield pairing of Thomas Augustinussen and Kasper Risgård could not maintain possession and the hosts were reduced to hitting long balls up to lone striker Jeppe Curth, which Celtic's centre-back pairing of McManus and Loovens swept up with ease. Perhaps not surprisingly then, it was from a set-piece which the Danish side first tested Artur Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper having to stretch fully to tip Michael Jakobsen's header from a Thomas Enevoldsen corner over the bar.

Samaras heads over
That opportunity did not signal a swing in the momentum of the match, however, and it was Celtic who ended the half the strongest, creating yet another great chance to take the lead when Nakamura whipped a free-kick to the back post which the unmarked Samaras headed wide. Robson showed the Greece striker how to do it with eight minutes of the second half played, expertly directing Mark Wilson's left-wing cross beyond Zaza from close to the penalty spot. Caldwell almost doubled the advantage on 64 minutes, firing straight at the AaB goalkeeper following an excellent surge into the box.

Pride
Against the run of the play, AaB equalised on 73 minutes when Caca picked up the ball just outside the Celtic box and drilled a shot which deflected off McManus, looped over Boruc and into the net. The Polish international was also powerless to keep out the winner, as Loovens' clearance from Andreas Johansson's centre ricocheted into the goal off Caldwell to extend Celtic's winless away run in this competition to 20 games.

Villarreal CF and Manchester United FC booked their places in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages after an eventful game provided everything but a goal – making it four 0-0 draws between these sides in as many meetings.

Wonderful performance
The sides had already assured their places atop Group E bar an unlikely combination of results, and although they eliminated any doubts at El Madrigal, the scoreline belied a game not lacking in attacking intention, with Cristiano Ronaldo putting in a scintillating performance. The Portuguese international came closest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a lovely first-half volley and showed creative intelligence for 90 minutes, harrying the Villarreal defence until left-back Joan Capdevila was shown a straight red card for a rash tackle with eight minutes left.

Early vigour
The first-half pace had been ferocious as Ronaldo applied huge amounts of verve and enthusiasm to his work, looking nothing like a man whose participation had been in doubt due to a minor leg injury. As Villarreal stuck to their methodical trademark of accurate passing, the European champions quickly drove the ball high up the pitch whenever possible as Ronaldo and Nani stalked the touchlines. It was an effective tactic, particularly with the visitors' defence comfortable containing former team-mate Giuseppe Rossi and Ariel Ibagaza.

Brilliant display
Rossi and Santi Cazorla had fierce shots on target while Anderson did likewise at the other end as the teams jockeyed for supremacy. United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak's occasional fumbles exhibited some nerves, but it was opposite number Diego López that owed most to a stroke of good fortune five minutes before half-time, and it was inevitably Ronaldo that caused the scare. That the United No7 was playing so well and Javi Venta and Sebastián Eguren both picked up first-half yellow cards was no coincidence, each presenting opportunities for the winger to show his set-piece expertise. His first free-kick caused little trouble but his next brought a tremendous save from López, who had been well beaten when Ronaldo's technically-brilliant volley ricocheted off the crossbar moments earlier.

Total control
United's talismanic winger picked up where he had left off after the restart, firing in a hard, low drive that López fumbled but, first to the rebound, Wayne Rooney could not profit. Such was Ronaldo's threat that Villarreal increasingly used three men to close him down, allowing Darren Fletcher space to shoot narrowly wide, while Anderson twice forced stops from López. United were in total control, and midway through the second period Rooney got in on the act, volleying against López's arms from point-blank range.

Fierce tackle
Rooney was in the thick of the action again soon after, waltzing down the left wing and sending in a deflected shot that was looping into the net before Capdevila intervened to divert it over the bar. It was where the defender's luck ran out, however, as he was soon given his marching orders, meaning he will miss the trip to Celtic FC on Matchday 6. Top of Group E on goal difference, United host Aalborg BK knowing they will qualify as section winners if they match the Spanish side's scoreline.