90min

Twitter reacts to Man Utd's last gasp Champions League win over Villarreal

By Sean Walsh

Ronaldo struck late on to give United the win
Ronaldo struck late on to give United the win / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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There are some football games that are steeped in glorious history.

And then there's Manchester United vs Villarreal.

Each of their five previous meetings had ended in draws heading into this one, with only May's Europa League final not finishing 0-0.

So it seemed for all the world that this too would be a goalless affair, right? That Unai Emery would come to Old Trafford in an attempt to grind out a result?

Well, not exactly. Villarreal came racing out of the blocks at Old Trafford, with former Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma ripping apart Diogo Dalot and going close on several occasions - only to be routinely denied by the in-form David de Gea.

United failed to get into the first half, and were fortunate to head into the break on level terms.

But their luck ran out soon after the break. Danjuma had threatened plenty to open the scoring, and provided the assist for Paco Alcacer to give Villarreal a much deserved lead at Old Trafford.

Facing an eighth loss in 12 Champions League games in charge, the knives were understandably out for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer...

It seemed as though the only way United were going to get back into the tie was through a moment of individual brilliance - and that's just what Alex Telles provided when he volleyed home a free-kick from Bruno Fernandes.

We're pouring one out for this poor Porto fan...

United saw more of the ball as the game went on, with substitute Edinson Cavani going close for the home side but couldn't find the net. Nevertheless, he was earning the plaudits on social media.

Cavani brought some much-needed energy to the game, but there was only ever going to be one man grabbing the headlines.

Fred's 95th-minute cross was bundled into Cristiano Ronaldo's path by Jesse Lingard, and he made no mistake, firing into the roof of Geronimo Rulli's net.

So United are off the mark in the Champions League this season, but after such an uninspiring performance for most of the night, where does Solskjaer go from here?

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