They are marking the 50th anniversary of their first European Cup triumph of 1968 this season at Old Trafford and if you were expecting a re-conquering of the competition to commemorate the achievements of Sir Matt Busby’s great side then Jose Mourinho was on hand to douse any optimism.
Back in the competition following their second season’s absence of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, this was United looking comfortably superior against low-ranking opposition, while elsewhere the big guns of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and even Chelsea were racking up big victories. Asked what that might mean for the competition, Mourinho said that for those others the group stage was just “a warm-up”, although pointedly he said not for his new team of Europa League qualifiers.
“I think for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern are just warming up,” Mourinho said. “In February when us English teams are trying to survive after the winter period, they’re fresh and ready. For them this is just the warm up, we’re in the second level and that level is, ‘Let’s qualify, let’s get points for the knockout phase and if we do that, let’s enjoy playing against the big guys’”.
United’s first half goal for Fellaini had come down Basel’s left side where the majority of the home team’s attacking play had been directed. There had been some fine combinations down there, with Lukaku getting himself in to cut one back for Henrkh Mkhitaryan and another good move involving Juan Mata and Anthony Martial that created a further chance for the Armenian that he also missed.
Generally speaking however, it was Ashley Young leading the way down that flank, the 32-year-old throwing himself into the action for the first time since he was injured in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo in early May. It was Young, playing right-back, who twisted and got a yard on the wing-back Blas Riveros on 35 minutes. He crossed perfectly for Fellaini to power one in with his head from a few yards out.
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