Man United 1
Young Boys 0
This season is exploding many myths about Manchester United and Jose Mourinho, but as his side ground out another narrow and unsatisfactory Old Trafford victory, the status of the famous old stadium as the home of gold-plated guaranteed entertainment has, surely, been consigned to the history books.
Implausibly, this result was enough for United to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, as Marouane Fellaini struck in the 91st minute with a turn and shot from 12 yards after Romelu Lukaku had flicked on a Luke Shaw cross.
However, the timing of that dramatic winner was where all similarities with the halcyon years of Alex Ferguson ended. This United side, after all, has now scored 11 goals in 10 home league games in front of their home supporters in this campaign.
After the same number of home fixtures last season, that tally stood at 29 and, while United’s team bus managed to make it through the gridlocked Manchester traffic in time for kick-off last night, one could hardly criticise those thousands of fans who might have used that as an excuse when they opted to leave the venue well under capacity last night.
However dreary United may have been on the field this season, their ability to generate drama off it can never be under-estimated and, true to type, Mourinho proved that point with his team selection.
Paul Pogba and Lukaku, the two most expensive signings in the club’s history, were dropped to the bench.
Alexis Sanchez, the best-paid United player of all-time, was not even named a substitute and Fred, number four on that list of highest United transfer fees, was recalled for a rare start.
The chaotic, revolving door selection policy was emblematic of so much that has gone wrong for United in this third year of the Mourinho reign, though ensuring a place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League would have dampened some of the sniping... for this week at least.
Early signs were promising. Mourinho had spent several minutes of the pre-match press conference yet again defending himself and his football philosophy, claiming that contrary to most available evidence, his United sides go out at Old Trafford with an attack-first mentality.
Initially, at least, he was good to his word against the Swiss league leaders from as early as the fourth minute, when Shaw’s interception was turned on by Jesse Lingard for Marcus Rashford to race clear, lob over keeper David von Ballmoos and over the target, the ball landing on the roof of the goal. The chance had come early but, still, it was one which Mourinho had every right to expect his star centre-forward to gobble up.
Fred shot wide from 20 yards, Fellaini’s well-hit cross took a wicked deflection off Steve von Bergen and forced von Ballmoos into evasive action and Rashford shot straight at the keeper from Lingard’s lay-off.
Rashford, as enigmatic for his club as he is effective for his national team, looked United’s best hope of carving out the goal that could book their place in the last 16, should Valencia’s result in Turin also go their way.
Chris Smalling’s pass opened up a path for another Rashford shot that flew wide and, while Young Boys looked organised and prepared to attack on the counter, there appeared little to trouble United unduly.
Lingard was presented with the next chance, a shot from the edge of the area, which wrong-footed the keeper, thanks to a fortunate ricochet off von Bergen before flying just wide.
It was becoming a sadly familiar story for the United players and supporters alike; one that could have worsened in first-half injury-time had Djibril Sow not snatched at Young Boys’ first real chance, denying teammate Jean-Pierre Nsame what would have been a simple tap-in.
Kevin Mbabu threatened again for the visitors, early in the second half, as he attacked Phil Jones before finding space and shooting into the side netting.
Mourinho’s attacking frustrations were summed up just before the hour, when United somehow avoided conceding a foul on the keeper, following a Lingard challenge, and Fellaini succeeded only in volleying over an empty goal from 12 yards.
By the 64th minute, the situation had become dire, Mourinho bringing on Pogba and Lukaku in an act that begged the question why, when both were deemed unsuitable to start, he was now looking to them for his salvation.
There was a response, Rashford soon shooting just wide as Pogba busied himself outside the Young Boys area, but it was hard to see even that highly-priced duo providing an instant fix.
On the contrary, the Swiss side came closest yet to an opening goal and would have had it but for an extraordinary reflex save from David de Gea who managed to keep out a Michel Aebischer shot that took a huge deflection off Mbabu and was destined for the bottom corner.
MAN UNITED: De Gea 8; Valencia 5 (Mata 72, 6), Jones 7, Smalling 6, Shaw 6; Fellaini 7, Matic 5, Fred 5 (Pogba 64, 6); Lingard 6 (Lukaku 64, 6), Rashford 6, Martial 5.
YOUNG BOYS: von Ballmoos 7; Mbabu 6, Camara 6, Von Bergen 5 (Garcia 45, 7), Benito 6; Sow 6, Lauper 8, Aebischer 6; Sulejmani 6 (Fassnacht 66, 6), Nsame 7 (Moumi Ngamaleu 82), Assale 7.
Referee: F Brych 7
