Manchester United 2-1 Villarreal summary: score, goals, highlights, Champions League
Man Utd vs Villarreal: match report; as it happened
In a record 179th Champions League appearance, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up in the dying seconds to score the winner for Manchester United, as the Red Devils defeated Villarreal 2-1 in a game that was enthralling from start to finish.
Villarreal looked the better side in the first half, forcing a number of big saves from David de Gea. And their efforts finally paid off in the 53rd minute when Paco Alcacer slotted home with an outstretched leg from a Danjuma pass across the six-yard area.
Their lead, however, was short-lived, as Alex Telles equalized in the 60th minute, rifling a first-time volley into the corner from the edge of the box. It was a free-kick set piece straight off the training ground as Bruno Fernandes took Villarreal by surprise, floating a chipped pass from near the corner area towards an unmarked Telles, and the Brazilian finished with remarkable calmness and precision to level things up at 1-1.
From there, the momentum swung in United's favor as the Red Devils created a number of chances and continued to do so well into the stoppage time. United pressed forward with what was certainly their last chance of the game with the clock already passed the 94-minute mark. The cross from the left found Ronaldo, who headed the ball down into the path of Jesse Lingard close the the right post. And instead of going for goal, the Englishman tapped a pass back to Ronaldo, who drove the ball into the net from an acute angle on the right to send Old Trafford into a frenzy.
United secure their first win in the group after last week's shock defeat to Young Boys, and their first-ever win against Villarreal in Europe after five previous draws against the Spanish side, who gave it their all on the night.
Group F table after that last-gasp bit of heroics from Ronaldo
Who else was going to do it? In the dying seconds of the game! Ronaldo heads the ball down from the cross into the path of Lingard, who tips the ball back towards Ronaldo and he drives the ball home from a tough angle on the right. Rulli gets a hand to it but he can't keep it out. 5 goals in 5 games for CR7. 2-1 United. Incredible stuff!
Lingard! The cross comes in from Ronaldo and Lingard sticks out a leg to force a big save from Rulli.
McTominay with the volley! Great strike from McTominay from the short headed clearence from Villarreal.
Five minutes of added time to be played.
Lingard and Fred come on for Greenwood and Telles.
Villarreal almost score in scramble around six-yard area! Bodies strewn around the six-yard area as United somehow manage to keep the ball out of the net. De Gea with two big saves.
Villarreal enjoying possession after a period that has been all United for the past 25 minutes.
Here's how the Group F table looks as it stands. Atalanta beat Young Boys earlier on, 1-0.
Dalot tries a cross from a similar position on the right, but it's high and over Ronaldo as the ball goes out of play.
What a chance for Cavani! Dalot with a stunning ball towards the far post and Cavani heads wide from close range.
Benfica strolling. 3-0 now against Barcelona as Darwin Nuñez slots home a penalty.
Ronaldo is furious as the referee awards a goal kick as he's challenged far out on the left by the byline. Replay shows the ball came of the Villarreal defender last, so has every right to be angry.
Cavani and Matic come on for United; Pogba and Sancho make way.
Yellow card for Telles for a flying challenge on Albiol. He's lucky that's not red. He's the second United player in the book after Greenwood.
Dalot, from deep, tries to pick out an advancing Ronaldo but Albiol cuts the long pass before it can reach him.
Benfica double their lead over Barcelona. 2-0 now as Rafa Silva slams a rebound home.
Yellow for Albiol for a pulling back Ronaldo as he tried to break forward inside Man Utd's half.
Scores round the Champions League grounds:
Benfica 1-0 Barcelona
Man Utd 1-1 Villarreal
Bayern Munich 3-0 Dynamo Kiev (Lewandowski 2)
Salzburg 2-1 Lille
Wolfsburg 1-0 Sevilla
Pino the second Villarreal player in the book for a challenge on Dalot.
United all-out attack now as the crowd noise has ramped up about 1000 decibels in Old Trafford.
GOAL UNITED! A SCREAMER FROM TELLES!
Fernandes takes the free kick close to the corner area on the right. He chips a floated pass towards Telles on the other side by the top of the box. The Brazilian rifles a first-time volley in the corner. 1-1! That's a contender for goal of the week!
Alberto Moreno goes in the book for a challenge on Greenwood. United have a free kick.
Fernandes let's fly! Decent contact from outside the box but he's driven it well wide.
GOAL VILLARREAL!
Well that's been coming for the last 50 minutes. Danjuma's run is picked out on the left, and the Dutchman finds Paco Alcacer with the first time pass across the six yard area. Alcacer slots the ball home with an outstretched leg. A deserved goal for the visitors.
Greenwood does well on the right to beat his man and get a cross in, but Villarreal clear the danger as the low cross comes in.
And Cavani is indeed now warming up.
Solskjaer will be tempted to change things up here if they don't improve for United. Cavani could be a shout to come off the bench. The home side have struggled to create any real chances so far.
Second half starts!
Villarreal get the second half underway at Old Trafford.
Juventus vs Chelsea live online: score, stats and updates, 2021/22 Champions League Group H
Juventus into the lead! You can follow the action over there with Paul.
A big difference in the shot count for Villarreal today compared with the Europa League final in May...
"David De Gea 0 Villarreal 0. Remarkably, #MUFC could still escape with all three points. You can’t turn a blind eye to that first 45, after home defeats to West Ham and Villa," says Tom McDermott on Twitter.
First half ends
The ref calls time on the first half, a half in which Villarreal have dominated in terms of scoring opportunities. They will be kicking themselves that they have not been able to capitalize on any of those chances.
Scores on the doors around the Champions League at half-time
Benfica 1-0 Barcelona
Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal
Juventus 0-0 Chelsea
Bayern Munich 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (Lewandowski 2)
Salzburg 1-0 Lille
Wolfsburg 0-0 Sevilla
Pino beats Telles inside the box on the right and forces another big save from De Gea!
Pino blows a wonderful counter-attacking opportunity for Villarreal, two against one but he's missed his team mate with the pass and United are left off the hook.
Pogba launches a rocket from a very deep and wide position. An ambitious attempt from the Frenchman that forces a save from Gulli.
Nice play from Bruno Fernandes as he drops the shoulder and rounds one defender to put himself in a shooting position inside the box. But the shot is blocked and Villarreal breathe again.
Tough night out there so far for Pogba and his team mates.
Tough night out there so far for Pogba and his team mates.
Scores around the Champions League after 30 minutes
Benfica 1-0 Barcelona
Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal
Juventus 0-0 Chelsea
Bayern Munich 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (Lewandowski 2)
Salzburg 0-0 Lille
Wolfsburg 0-0 Sevilla
Chance of the game for Villarreal! Varane with the defensive blunder which sets Alcacer free just outside the box, but he drags his shot wide of the far post. It should be 0-1!
United have only scored one goal in their last five games against Villarreal, with four of those games ending 0-0. The last of course was the Europa League final, which finished 1-1 after 90 minutes.
United attack breaks down as Ronaldo loses the ball out wide as he tried a short pass. Villarreal sitting deep and United are having problems breaking them down. The visitors have so far looked the more dangerous, breaking frequently on the counter.
Low corner cross runs runs towards Alberto Moreno by the edge of the box in space. But he blasts his shot well over to the sound ironic cheers from the Old Trafford crowd.
Scores on the doors around the Champions League after 20 minutes
Benfica 1-0 Barcelona
Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal
Juventus 0-0 Chelsea
Bayern Munich 1-0 Dynamo Kiev
Salzburg 0-0 Lille
Wolfsburg 0-0 Sevilla
De Gea forced into another big save! Danjuma twists and turns and delivers a cross to Alcacer whose header forces a decent save from De Gea. Danjuma has been excellent so far for the visitors. 3 goals in 6 games since he joined from Bournemouth this summer.
Ronaldo to Fernandes, who then tries to slip the one-two pass back to his compartriot inside the box. It's cut out by the Villarreal defense.
Dalot plays a great ball over the top to Pogba by the box, but he's flagged for offside as he tries to tee up Ronaldo with his head. Pogba has had freedom to move high up the pitch with McTominay hanging in front of the back four. And he's taking advantage of that freedom.
Big save from De Gea! Danjuma finds space again on the left, cuts inside and forces a great save from De Gea as the ball was destined for the far post.
Ronaldo with the header! The corner comes in and Ronaldo jumps high to beat three Villarreal defenders to the ball. But he heads well over from 10 yards out. Decent chance for United.
Great chance for Villarreal! The visitors cut open the Man U defence on the counter and Danjuma is one on one with De Gea. But he blasts his shot straight at the keeper. Big scare for United there.
Nice build-up play from United, worked from the back four, ends with Sancho giving a cross from the left. But it takes a deflection and the ball ends in the hands of Rulli.
Barcelona are trailing already. Darwin Nuñez puts Benfica into the lead with a neat effort into the bottom left hand corner.
Ronaldo tees up Fernandes! But he pulls his side-footed shot wide and over from the edge of the box. Positive start from United.
Telles gets the early cross in for United, which is uncovincingly dealt with by the Villarreal defense. United still in possession.
Peep! United get the game underway in a very noisy Old Trafford ("Viva Ronaldo!")
Five of Villarreal's starting XI have played for English clubs in the past.
The teams have emerged from the tunnel at Old Trafford and standing for the Champions League anthem. Two minutes to show time!
Unai Emery's pre-match comments
“I’m not afraid of Manchester United,” said Villarreal coach Unai Emery.
"We respect them and respect is important. If you lose respect, you may lose. United are the clear favourites. They were also the favourites in the final. What Solskjaer has done for United, as a player and as a coach, we have to respect. We don’t fear them, but we have a high respect for the opponent.”
Villarreal man to watch: Arnaut Danjuma
Arnaut Danjuma made the switch to Spain from Bournemouth this season, with Villarreal paying €23.5m for the striker. The club's record signing has scored 3 goals in 6 games, after scoring 17 goals last season with Bournemouth. He was Villarreal's lone goalscorer in their Champions League opening against Atalanta (1-1) two weeks ago.
Are we in for another 0-0 tonight?
All four Champions League meeting betweens Manchester United and Villarreal have all finished 0-0, making it the most played fixture in the history of the competition to see no goals scored. (Per OptaJoe)
Ronaldo setting another record tonight
With Ronaldo starting against Villarreal, he will become the the outright record holder for the most Champions League appearances with 179, surpassing former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas on 178 appearences.
Injuries and Suspensions
Solskjaer will be without central defender Harry Maguire (calf injury) and the suspended Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who picked up a red card against Young Boys, while Luke Shaw remains doubtful. The Norwegian coach therefore will be forced to make some changes at the back. Marcos Rashford continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines, while Amad Diallo is also out.
Villarreal will be missing star striker Gerard Moreno, as well as Samuel Chukwueze, Dani Raba, Yeremi Pino, through injury, while Francis Coquelin is suspended after seeing red in the last game against Atalanta. Juan Foyth is a doubt for coach Unai Emery.
Man United team sheet is in
Man Utd Starting XI: De Gea, Lindelof, Pogba, Ronaldo, Greenwood, Fernandes, Varane, Dalot, Sancho, Alex Telles, McTominay
Villarreal XI confimed
Villarreal Starting XI: Rulli, Albiol; Torres, Parejo, Capoue, Foyth, Alcácer, Trigueros, Danjuma, Alberto Moreno, Pino
David De Gea's missed penalty
In case you need a reminder of that last game between these sides: it was last season's Europa League final, which ended on a shootout in which 21 of the 22 players on the pitch scored in a penalty. Villarreal won the game after goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli saved his counterpart David De Gea's effort after having just scored himself, with shootout ending 11-10 to the Spanish club.
David de Gea, to be fair, is paid to save penalties (as he did so in the dying minutes against West Ham 10 days ago), not to take them. So, the Spanish goalkeeper will surely have that Europa League disappointment well and truly behind him now.
Ronaldo has 13 goals against Villarreal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 13 goals against Villarreal as a Real Madrid player, so coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking to the Portuguese star to lead the goal charge against the Spanish club, against whom United have drawn their last five meetings.
"Of course Cristiano, you can almost say when he starts it is one guaranteed goal," United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said at his pre-match news conference.
"He has that record and he will score goals. It is not going to be easy for us, but it is not going to be easy [for Villarreal] to play against Cristiano. He has 13 goals in 15 against Villarreal [for Madrid] which means he enjoys playing against them.”
Preview: Both teams looking for first win in the group
Manchester United and Villarreal lock horns in Group F of the Champions League on Wednesday, in what will be a replay of last season’s Europa League final.
Reigning Europa League champions Villarreal, who won that final following a bizarre penalty shootout that ended 11-10, travel to Old Trafford after seeing out a 1-1 draw with Atalanta in their opening group fixture two weeks ago.
The Red Devils, meanwhile, will be eager to record a victory on home soil after they lost their opener away at Young Boys (2-1) in matchday one.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Champions League Group F tie between Manchester United and Villarreal. The game gets underway at Old Trafford in Manchester in an hour, 8pm local time (3pm US ET / 12pm US PT / 9pm Europe CEST). In the meantime, stay with us for the build-up and team news.