Ryan Giggs' late goal saved Manchester United in Glasgow as they drew 1-1 with Celtic.
McDonald wonder goal cancelled out by late leveller
Manchester United denied Celtic yet another glorious European night in Glasgow as Ryan Giggs' late equaliser cancelled out Scott McDonald's deftest of first half lobs.
An engrossing and full-bloodied Battle of Britain saw United boss possession from the first minute to the last but a combination of poor finishing, excellent goalkeeping and an infectious Celtic spirit saw Gordon Strachan's side go to within seven minutes of claiming another scalp.
McDonald is known more for his predatory poaching than wonder goals but there was something sublime about the manner in which he clipped the ball over Ben Foster from the most acute of angles, after the ball was nodded into his path inside United's box.
The 13th minute of McDonald's goal proved to unlucky for United and they went on to rue further ill-fortune, as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic missed gilt-edged chances in the first half, and likewise Darren Fletcher and substitute Dimitar Berbatov after the interval.
United's second half onslaught was incessant and they were eventually rewarded late on when Artur Boruc, otherwise excellent, could only parry Cristiano Ronaldo's swerving drive from range into the path of Giggs, who nodded home from a couple of yards.
Reds swagger
Two years ago United dominated with a swagger, only to be rudely shaken out of their stride by Shunsuke Nakamura's astonishing late free-kick.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men began in the same manner again as befits European champions. This time the unexpected shock came much earlier.
Set-pieces would have been a more likely route to goal had Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink or Georgios Samaras been fit but the Bhoys had enough height and muscle to make life uncomfortable for United.
Such was the desperation to clear their lines when Vidic headed away Shaun Maloney's free-kick that MacDonald was left on his own 10 yards out as Gary Caldwell nodded the ball back into the United danger zone.
Foster was left in no man's land and McDonald's lob looped over his head and dropped neatly into the visitors' net. It was the first European goal United had conceded since they lifted the trophy in Moscow.
Super strike
The ear-splitting noise was only to be expected given the willingness of Celtic's fans to get behind their team facing opponents that had dismissed them convincingly at Old Trafford a fortnight ago.
With Berbatov and Wayne Rooney consigned to the bench, United's attempts to get level centred around Cristiano Ronaldo.
One Ronaldo free-kick fizzed over for the visitors but other than that, the nearest they came in the first half was through Ferdinand and John O'Shea. The fact they are both defenders said much about Celtic's marshalling of United's forward line.
In contrast, Foster was keeping busy. On his Champions League debut and only second appearance for United, he probably would have wanted plenty of action anyway.
He was not disappointed as Celtic peppered him with crosses and shots that were dealt with in fluctuating degrees of comfort.
Ferguson, so keen to do well in his native city, had already made his assessment of the opening period by bringing on Berbatov for Nani, shifting Giggs to the wing - where the United manager had said he would not return.
With Berbatov pulling a few strings, there was definitely a more measured approach from United.
The problem was, with something to hold on to, there were Celtic bodies throwing themselves at anything even vaguely threatening.
One such instance came just before the hour when Vidic steered a Giggs corner into the path of Berbatov in the middle of a crowded penalty area. The Bulgarian astutely turned the ball goalwards, only for Maloney to boot it off the line.
Measured approach
Celtic were creating a vastly-reduced number of chances but Caldwell saw a glorious opportunity for a second go begging when he nodded Maloney's corner over.
As the cacophony increased in the stands, so did the frenzy down below. With 20 minutes left, into the fray for an unhappy-looking Tevez was sent Rooney.
The pattern was already set. United attacks, Celtic clearances. Ronaldo broke it by needlessly kicking out at Brown by the touchline. None of the officials spotted it but Uefa might take a look.
No-one will need to have a second viewing at Ronaldo's next contribution though as his wickedly swerving shot had Boruc flapping.
The Celtic keeper meekly pushed it into the air, offering Giggs the easiest of close-range tap-ins, much to Ferguson's relief.
| Celtic |
Team Statistics |
Manchester United |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
7 |
| 2 |
Shots off Target |
9 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
14 |
| 4 |
Corners |
13 |
| 14 |
Fouls |
6 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 67.1 |
Passing Success |
84.3 |
| 26 |
Tackles |
13 |
| 61.5 |
Tackles Success |
100 |
| 26.4 |
Possession |
73.6 |
| 37.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
62.2 |
|
