Manchester United got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start this evening with a 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for the hosts in the 22nd minute when he volleyed home Patrice Evra's cross, although Leverkusen felt that there had been a foul on their goalkeeper as the ball crossed the line.
Rooney had a glorious chance to double the lead at the start of the second half but somehow missed an open goal having rounded the keeper. He was immediately punished for the miss as Leverkusen went down the other end and equalised through Simon Rolfes's vicious curling strike.
Robin van Persie soon restored United's lead, however, with an acrobatic volley that the keeper should have saved.
Rooney then got his second of the match with a smart finish following a long ball forward from David de Gea, while Antonio Valencia put the result beyond doubt with 10 minutes to go.
There was still time for Leverkusen to pull one back through Omer Toprak, while Van Persie also missed a sitter to rival Rooney's in the dying stages.
You can read how an eventful 90 minutes unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match, which sees two men making their Champions League proper debuts as managers. David Moyes's Manchester United face Sami Hyypia's Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.
First things first, let us rejoice in the fact that Champions League football is back! The qualifying rounds went some way to quenching the thirst for top class European football, but there is just nothing like the Champions League proper. The music, the atmosphere and the floodlights all combine to make nights like these just that little bit more special than most other matches.
It will be the floodlights of Old Trafford that will illuminate this game tonight as Moyes makes his Champions League proper bow at home. He will feel slightly more comfortable in the United dugout having picked up his first Old Trafford win in their last outing, beating Crystal Palace 2-0 at the weekend.
That result was not exactly a result of a world-beating performance, but it was an important three points for Moyes to pick up. He has made a steady start to his life at the club, but when you follow in the footsteps of arguably the greatest manager of all time, you are always going to be in the public eye. He has only been beaten once in a competitive game as manager so far, but still some fans aren't quite sure.
Perhaps part of the reason behind that scepticism is because that one defeat came at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool, who triumphed 1-0 at Anfield a fortnight ago. Before that, they played out a dull and uneventful 0-0 draw against Chelsea, and it was the performances as much as the results that raised a few questions. Even in their opening day 4-1 win over Swansea there seemed to be something missing.
However, it is still very early days in Moyes's reign as manager. He already has one trophy under his belt having picked up the Community Shield at the start of the season, and he will have one eye on the glistening Champions League trophy from tonight onwards. Sir Alex 'only' managed two Champions League titles in his trophy-laden 26-year reign, so Moyes could make a real statement of intent with a good showing in the competitions this time around.
To do that, Moyes will have to learn fast at this level. There is no doubting his ability as a manager, but making the step up to the Champions League will not be easy. He has limited experience of this competition from his days at Everton, having reach the third qualifying stage back in 2005, but this is his first shot at the group stage.
United as a club may also have to adapt to their new manager in European football. This is the first time any person other than Ferguson will have led them into a European match since Ron Atkinson's side were beaten by Hungarian side Videoton in the quarter-finals of the 1985 UEFA Cup.
Ferguson did not leave United is the best shape in terms of European competition, though. They only managed to reach the last 16 last season, although their exit at the hands of a much-fancied Real Madrid side was highly controversial following Nani's sending off.
Their recent home record isn't too great either. United have picked up just three wins from their last nine Old Trafford matches in the Champions League, losing their last two. Moyes will be keen to avoid an unwanted piece of history in his first match tonight - United have never lost three home games in a row in this competition.
For all of Moyes's inexperience in the Champions League group stages, his opposite number is even newer to the scene. Sami Hyypia has never managed a match at this level before, although his Leverkusen side have made a blistering start to the domestic season, winning four out of their five games so far.
Their last outing was a 3-1 win over Wolfsburg at the weekend, returning to winning ways after a 2-0 loss to Schalke ended their perfect start to the season. That start included wins against Freiburg (3-1), Stuttgart (1-0) and Borussia Monchengladbach (4-2), while they also thrashed Lippstadt 08 6-0 in the cup.
Those results put them third in the Bundesliga at this early stage, behind only the 'big two' of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Leverkusen may not enjoy the same profile as those two clubs do at the moment, but they finished last season just one point behind Dortmund, who are considered to have had a very good season having reached the Champions League final. They aren't too far off those two sides in Germany, so this will certainly not be an easy match for United tonight.
They did not take part in the Champions League last season, instead participating in the Europa League where they reached the round of 32. The Champions League is a step up from that, and it will be interesting to see how Hyypia adapts to the new challenge ahead of him. His first task will be to overcome a dreadful record for the club when visiting England. They have played here eight times but are still awaiting their first victory. Could tonight be that night?
There is, of course, the added factor of Hyypia being a former Liverpool player. The big Finn is considered a legend at Anfield, as demonstrated by the tribute paid to him on his final appearance which reduced him to tears. He will, of course, be wanting to win this match from a Leverkusen point of view first and foremost, but there must be some part of him looking at United like old rivals. Interestingly enough, Hyypia's final start for Liverpool back in March 2009 saw them pull of a memorable 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford.
TEAM NEWS: Right, some team news for you! The big news is that Shinji Kagawa will finally make his first appearance of the season as he is named in the starting lineup. He has been left on the bench, somewhat surprisingly, by Moyes so far this season but now will get his first chance to show the new manager exactly what he is capable of. Marouane Fellaini also makes his first start for the club, while Rooney and Van Persie remain up front. Full team news coming right up.
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Fellaini, Valencia, Kagawa; Rooney, Van Persie
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Lindegaard, Fabio, Evans, Anderson, Cleverley, Young, Hernandez
BAYER LEVERKUSEN STARTING XI: Leno; Donati, Toprak, Spahic, Boenisch; Reinartz, Can, Rolfes; Sam, Kiessling, Son
BAYER LEVERKUSEN SUBS: Palop, Wollscheid, Hilbert, Bender, Oztunali, Kruse, Derdiyok
So, what can we make of those two teams? Well, from United's point of view it is a slight surprise to see Kagawa starting simply because he has been so out of favour so far this season. Their is no doubting the playmaker's quality, but for some reason Moyes has chosen not to utilise him so far this season. This is a real opportunity to play himself into contention for a more regular starting role tonight.
Fellaini is the only other slight surprise, being given his full United debut as well as his European debut for the club. Just like his manager, it will be interesting to see how he makes the step up from being a very good Premier League player to a Champions League player. I expect him to sit alongside Carrick in midfield, allowing Valencia and Kagawa to work their magic higher up the field.
Elsewhere, it is pretty much as expected for United. I don't expect the spine of the team changing much throughout the season, barring injuries to the likes of De Gea, Ferdinand or Vidic. Rooney was a surprise inclusion at the weekend having been deemed not fit to play for England, but he will wear his protective headband again this evening as he slots in alongside the prolific Robin van Persie. Both players scored at the weekend, which should give them plenty of confidence going into tonight's match.
As for Leverkusen, the most notable absence is that of Lars Bender. The influential midfielder missed the win over Wolfsburg at the weekend and was also ruled out of the recent international matches, but Hyypia was hoping to have him available today. His inclusion on the bench suggests that he would be available in an emergency, but is not yet back to match fitness.
The man to watch for Leverkusen is Kiessling, who has made a fine goalscoring start to the season. He has netted four times in five league games so far and is a large reason behind their good form. Sidney Sam has also enjoyed a goalscoring touch so far as well, also scored four times in five matches.
These two sides have met each other four times before and, coincidentally, they all came 11 years ago in 2002. United will have mixed memories of facing Leverkusen having been eliminated by them in the semi-finals of the 2001-02 season, robbing Ferguson of a 'home' Glasgow final. United exacted a small measure of revenge in the group stages the following season, winning 2-0 and 2-1 in the two meetings, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dimitar Berbatov (for Leverkusen) amongst those on the scoresheet.
That semi-final victory for Leverkusen came courtesy of away goals so, while they knocked United out to reach the final, they have still never actually beaten the Red Devils.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction! This match has plenty of question marks over how certain aspects will go, in particular how each manager will adapt to Champions League football, but I think that United should be able to win this one. It will not be easy as Leverkusen are no pushovers - as shown by their form in the current campaign - but United overall have the experience and home advantage, which should be enough for them. I think it will be a close game, but a 2-1 win for the hosts.
Leverkusen don't just have a poor record when visiting England - their away form as a whole in the Champions League leaves a lot to be desired. They haven't won any of their last 12 matches on their travels in this competitions, drawing three and losing nine. Their last away win came against Maccabi Haifa way back in October 2002.
United's home record against German teams in the Champions League, meanwhile, is pretty good. They have hosted a German side 10 times at Old Trafford, winning five, drawing three and losing just two of those matches.
One worry for United will be their inability to score goals - an accusation you can rarely level at the Red Devils. They have not scored from open play since the opening day win over Swansea City. Since then, they have drawn two blanks and relied on a penalty and a free kick to see them past Crystal Palace. It is not a big enough drought to warrant a serious worry yet, but Moyes will be aware of it.
Moving away from Old Trafford briefly, there is a whole host of other games taking place in the Champions League tonight. Sports Mole will bring you coverage of all of them, and you can take your pick here. I will also be keeping you up to date with goals as they go in from around Europe, keeping a particularly close eye on Manchester City's match against Plzen and the other Group A match between Real Sociedad and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Back to Old Trafford though, and we're just about ready to kick off a new era for United in Europe.
KICKOFF: Here we go then, Leverkusen get us underway as they look to spring a shock at Old Trafford tonight. Champions League football is back!
Slow start to the match as United take control of the ball early on. Leverkusen look like they will get plenty of bodies behind the ball when United have possession, but they won't be afraid to commit men forward on the break.
UPDATES: Well, that isn't a bad way to start your defence of the Champions League title. Bayern Munich take the lead inside five minutes against CSKA Moscow thanks to a fine Alaba strike. Benfica have also taken the lead in their match against Anderlecht.
Promising passing from United as they pull the Leverkusen defence from side to side, looking to create space in the middle. Carrick tries to thread a killer pass through to Rooney, but a combination of Leverkusen defenders get it clear.
The first opening of the day falls United's way as Kagawa, Rooney and Carrick play in triangles around the Leverkusen box. Carrick feeds it into Kagawa, who lays it off to Rooney on the edge of the box but the striker's low drive is well blocked.
The away fans are the only ones making any noise in Old Trafford at the moment despite seeing their side struggling to create anything in an attacking sense.
SHOT! Fellaini sweeps a pass into the path of Van Persie, who has space to shoot from 25 yards. The Dutch striker zips his shot along the floor but pulls it slightly and it ends up a few yards wide of the post. He'd have expected to do better from there.
This is better from Leverkusen now. They get hold of the ball for the first real time today and eventually forge a shooting opportunity. Vidic is in the way to block Reinartz's shot and deflect it behind for a corner, though.
YELLOW CARD! The game is only 14 minutes old but we have our first yellow card of the night as Son is booked for a cynical challenge on Rooney. He held the United man back to prevent a potential break, but I think the ref could have got away with not showing a card there.
Not much to report in terms of chances in the opening quarter of an hour. Van Persie has come closest with that shot from the edge of the area, but United haven't yet managed to get behind Leverkusen's strict banks of four.
United are still seeing most of the ball at the moment, and Leverkusen seem happy enough with that. You sense even at this early stage that they would be happy with a draw from Old Trafford, and perhaps rightly so as it would be a very good result for them.
YELLOW CARD! Reinartz becomes the second player in the referee's book, and this time there is no doubt about the decision. It was a high tackle from the midfielder, though there was no malice involved.
CLOSE! Van Persie whips a free kick in from deep and Leno only comes halfway in an effort to claim it. That leaves him in no man's land and, although Smalling's header is not the best, it almost loops over the keeper and in, instead landing on the roof of the net.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Wayne Rooney)
The first goal of the European Moyes era comes from the man who almost left during the summer. Van Persie twists and turns on the left flank before giving the ball back to Carrick. Carrick then plays Evra in down the same flank, and the Frenchman lifts the cross over to Rooney, who is unmarked to volley the ball into the ground and past Leno. That is his 199th goal for Manchester United.
There was a hint of offside in the build-up to that goal. Van Persie was certainly off when Carrick's released the ball, but he was not involved so the question moves on to Evra, who was very close. The Leverkusen players are adamant he was off, but the linesman may have just got that right.
Brilliant from Rooney as he takes a long ball in his stride and then somehow beats Spahic with very little space to work with. The Leverkusen defenders just gets a toe to it to put it out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
Looking at the replay of that goal again, the real reason behind Leverkusen's complaints have become clearer. Valencia, who was in an offside position, was clearly obstructing the keeper as the shot came in, preventing him from making the save. United have got away with one there.
UPDATES: Plenty of updates to bring you from around Europe, starting in Denmark where there could be a shock brewing. FC Copenhagen have taken the lead against Juventus in that match, while there have been two goals in Greece as Olympiakos and PSG are drawing 1-1.
UPDATE: One more update to bring you as Benfica have just doubled their lead against Anderlecht. It was Luisao who got the goal to make it 2-0 in Portugal.
United have had 64% of the possession so far in this match, and that is representative of the degree of control they seem to have at the moment. They are dictating the tempo of the match, which is quite slow right now.
Leverkusen have come into the match a little more in the last five minutes or so, but they still haven't shown much in terms of attacking prowess. Kiessling has been unable to showcase his talent so far as he is being well marshalled by Vidic and Ferdinand.
UPDATE: Real Madrid will have dreams of finally scaling the heights of European football again this season, and they have got off to a good start by taking the lead against Galatasaray in Turkey. Isco got the goal there.
CHANCE! Really good chance for United to double their lead! Van Persie is released inside the box, with Leverkusen's deep defence keeping him onside from Kagawa's pass. Van Persie surprisingly chooses not to go for goal himself, instead pulling it back for the defence to clear with Valencia waiting.
YELLOW CARD! Van Persie then talks himself into a booking moments later. The referee awards a cheap free kick against the Dutchman following a quite ridiculous dive, but then Van Persie pretty much squares up to the ref and questions him with their faces just an inch or so apart. You can't get up that close and be that confrontational to a ref and not be booked.
United are starting to find a little more space in the attacking third now. Some nice football results in Kagawa feeding Smalling, but the full-backs pass back inside is hacked clear by the defence. United have just upped the pace a little here.
Can bundles into a clumsy challenge on Van Persie which gives United a free kick in a very good position here, not to dissimilar from where he scored from at the weekend.
CLOSE! Rooney lifts it over a very tall Leverkusen wall and back down in an almost carbon-copy effort from the weekend. This one doesn't end the same, however, as it ends up wide of the post. That wasn't far away, though.
CLOSE! That is a matter of inches wide from Kagawa. Rooney pings a pass across to Valencia who in turn sends a long ball over to Kagawa inside the box. The playmaker has peeled off his man and brings it down on his chest, but his shot deflects just wide.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
The referee brings the first half to a close and, all in all, it has been a good one for David Moyes and his side. They go into the break with a narrow lead but they haven't been threatened much at the other end and look pretty comfortable as things stand. It hasn't been the most exciting of matches, but that won't be number one on Moyes's list of priorities tonight.
In truth, United can consider themselves a little bit lucky to be ahead given the circumstances of the goal. They do deserve the lead in terms of how the match has gone, but the goal should not have stood. Valencia was obstructing the keeper as it went in, and he was offside as well. Moyes will certainly take it, but Leverkusen are right to feel aggrieved with that goal. I don't know what the official behind the goal was doing there.
It was a highly-controversial goal, and here is an image of just before it went in:
© Getty Images
You can just about see Valencia under the armpit of Smalling in that shot, and there is no doubt that he was interfering in play even if it was decided that he didn't foul the keeper. One wider question to come out of that incident is what on earth those officials behind the goals are there for. I still haven't seen them make a decision, and that one was a matter of yards away from them and they still got it wrong.
United played at a fairly leisurely pace for most of that first half, but began to turn the screw a little towards the end of the half. As a direct result, they created more chances with Van Persie, Rooney and Kagawa all having decent sights of goal in the last 10 minutes of the half.
As for Leverkusen, they have been a little disappointing so far and Hyypia will be desperate for them to shown more attacking intent in this second half.
KICKOFF: United get us back underway in the second half. Can they hold out for a win in Moyes's first Champions League group match or will Leverkusen manage to find an equaliser in this second half?
Interesting effort from Valencia as he goes for goal from a very tight angle with options in the box. He does like to drill crosses in, but that one would have given his teammates no chance.
UPDATE: There has been a goal for the other Manchester club in action tonight as City have taken the lead against Plzen through Edin Dzeko. Bayern Munich have also doubled their lead against CSKA Moscow in Germany.
SHOT! A defensive mix-up from United almost gifts Leverkusen a glorious chance to equalise. Ferdinand and Vidic fail to clear a high ball between them and it drops to Sam, but his eventual shot is straight at De Gea.
WHAT A MISS! Oh my word, that is one of the worst misses you will see this season! Toprak takes too long on the ball on the edge of his own area and then slips, which allows Rooney clean through with just the keeper to beat. He takes it past Leno but shoots across the face of the open goal. He could have rolled that into the empty net with ease or squared it to Van Persie for an easy finish, but he did neither. Dreadful from Rooney.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Simon Rolfes)
Moments after Rooney produces the miss of the season, Leverkusen punish United by equalising! It is a beauty of a finish from Rolfes and the skipper whips a shot into the far corner from around 25 yards out. It took a nick off Carrick on the way through, but that one had so much curl on it that De Gea didn't even bother moving. Game on at Old Trafford!
The visitors are looking brighter now. Rolfes wins the ball inside the United half and launches another attack, but this one doesn't end as well as Sam curls a shot high and wide of the goal.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Robin van Persie)
Van Persie may have just spared Rooney's blushes with a fabulous finish there. Valencia races down the right before lifting the ball back into the middle where Van Persie is waiting. The ball is behind the striker, but he hooks it goalwards with his weaker right foot and without even looking at the goal. Take nothing away from Van Persie's athleticism there, but the keeper has had a shocker. He should have comfortably saved it but instead flapped his hands towards it as it went in.
Well, what an eventful five minutes at Old Trafford! First Rooney produces the miss of his career, then Leverkusen equalise and then Van Persie restores United's lead with a little help from Leno in goal. Suddenly what had been a rather dull game has come to life.
LEVERKUSEN SUB: Hyypia has deemed that it is time for Bender to come on and influence this match. He has been struggling with injury which is why he didn't start, but he comes on for Son with 25 minutes left.
UPDATES: Manchester City are now 3-0 up against Plzen in the Czech Republic, while Real Madrid have doubled their lead against Galatasaray. Elsewhere, Juventus have equalised against FC Copenhagen.
Manchester United have a free kick in a very dangerous position here following a foul on Van Persie. It is dead centre and around 25 yards from goal. Both Rooney and Van Persie are looking very interested in this one...
...it is Rooney who goes for it, but it strikes Can in the wall and is cleared away. That was an anticlimax!
UPDATE: There has been a goal in the other game from Group A as Shakhtar Donetsk have taken the lead away to Real Sociedad. Bayern Munich have also moved into a 3-0 lead against CSKA Moscow.
CHANCE! Big chance for the visitors! Ferdinand fails to clear the ball in a tussle with Kiessling, who pokes it back to Bender. The sub fires it right through the legs of Vidic, but De Gea is down well to make a save.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Wayne Rooney)
There is number 200 for United for Rooney! It was route one stuff as De Gea hoofed it up following his save from Bender and two defenders failed to deal with it, allowing Rooney to run through on goal and confidently slot the ball past the keeper at the near post. He is only the fourth player in United history to reach 200 goals for the club - that is some achievement.
It has been a rather mixed night for Rooney! As well as perhaps the worst miss of his illustrious career he has written himself into the United record books by become one of just four men to have scored 200 goals for the club. He joins such legends as Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Jack Rowley in that exclusive club.
Van Persie dangles a leg out that could have warranted a yellow had he not already been booked. More worryingly for United, Leverkusen have a free kick in a decent position, although it is right on the edge of shooting range.
Sam does go for goal, but the distance means that De Gea has enough time to move along his line and make an easy catch.
LEVERKUSEN SUBS: Sidney Sam has not been able to continue his goalscoring form this evening and he makes way for Robbie Kruse. He is swiftly joined on the bench by Kiessling, who is replaced by Derdiyok.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Antonio Valencia)
Brilliant counter-attacking football from United! The ball is in the net just seconds after Leverkusen have a corner at the other end, with Van Persie finding Rooney, who poked a nicely-weighted pass into the path of Valencia. The winger took a touch before drilling his low shot past Leno at the near post to make it 4-1. Game over.
That is more like what United fans are used to seeing from their side. They have been a little more conservative than usual so far this season, but that was the United of old. Quickly, fluid and deadly when going forward.
Rooney wants a hat-trick here. Evra leaps high in the box but can't get a lot on his header and it drops to the United man who lops a header goalwards that needs to be saved by the keeper.
MAN UTD SUB: He won't get the hat-trick, though. Rooney makes way to a standing ovation to be replaced by Javier Hernandez. He has had a mixed game with that earlier miss, but he has been the main difference between the two sides tonight.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-2 Bayer Leverkusen (Omer Toprak)
It is probably too little, too late for the visitors, but they have a second goal. De Gea flaps at a corner into the box which allows Reinartz to power a header off the bar. It bounces back into the area and, after a brief scramble, Toprak fires it in off the bar.
WHAT A MISS! Oh my goodness, United have had two of the worst misses I have ever seen tonight, and they have come from the two least likely candidates! In addition to Rooney's earlier, Van Persie has just missed what is arguably an even better chance! Valencia drilled the ball across goal but Van Persie somehow but it wide of the gaping net from two yards out. You would have put your house on him scoring that.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 4-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Well, what an eventful second half that was. The referee blows his whistle for the final time tonight and it is a welcome one for United, who open the new Champions League campaign with a 4-2 win over Leverkusen, but that only tells half the story.
Rooney sent the hosts into the halfway stage with a 1-0 lead thanks to a controversial goal after 22 minutes. He then began the second half by missing an absolute sitter before Leverkusen went straight up the other end and equalised. Van Persie restored United's lead just minutes later, but he had Leno to thank after a terrible piece of goalkeeping.
It was 3-1 with 20 minutes to go as Rooney netted his second of the night and his 200th for United overall, becoming only the fourth man to reach that tally for the club, while Valencia put the game beyond doubt with a powerful drive from the edge of the box with 10 minutes left.
The drama didn't stop there, however, as Leverkusen pulled a goal back through Toprak late on, while Van Persie rivalled Rooney's earlier miss by somehow putting the ball wide from three yards out with the goal gaping.
Despite those misses, it was a good night all round for United. Moyes wins his first Champions League game in charge of United and they score four goals in the process. Moyes won't be too happy with conceding two, but the main thing was getting off to a winning start, and they have managed that.
Right, that's it from me this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an eventful match at Old Trafford which eventually saw United run out 4-2 winners with two of the worst misses you will ever see from Rooney and Van Persie. Be sure to stick around for the match report, which will be on site shortly, and we have plenty more Champions League matches for you tomorrow so check back in for them! For me, though, it is good night!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
