Manchester United vs FC Porto

Manchester United manager Sir Andy Ferguson knows his weekend of preparation playing as Sheffield Wednesday in Manager Mode may not have been ideal. Still, he reckons his chances are good. His team is Manchester United and that's who ALL the pros pick when the big events roll into town. He's done the right thing picking Man Utd for tonight's game against FC Porto. The Owls probably wouldn't cut the mustard on the field. Let's hope Porto don't play as Man Utd too, the thinks.

Jesualdo Rom Ferreira, manager of Porto, knows this'll be a toughie. However, he also knows from Sir Andy's press conference that the Englishman's scared of his star man up front, Hulk. Attacking Hulk with a magnificent wedgie in the tunnel gets the striker nice and angry (because United won't like him when he's angry), and Rom's all set for the off.

The match gets underway at a frantic pace. Porto haven't come to Old Trafford to play defensively, that much is clear. The first 10 minutes flash by, with the Portuguese largely dominant, passing with ease and getting amongst United fast to disrupt their play.

Despite Nemanja Vidic's return to the line-up for the Reds, Porto's assault exposes a lingering nervousness in the defence on 13 minutes. A vicious low cross from Porto's right creates chaos at the back, from which Vidic weakly heads away. The ball is promptly returned to Lisandro Lopez on the penalty spot, who turns on a dime and rifles it left-footed into the top corner. It's a blinding start from Porto, with Man Utd looking decidedly wobbly.

Porto continue their dominance after the restart and it's rewarded again on 23 minutes with United's defence once more at fault. A rash pass across the goal when it should have been cleared is intercepted by midfielder Raul Meireles, who takes a single step before dinking it inside Van der Sar's near post.

United fail to gain a foothold for the remainder of the first half, with one scuffed shot from extreme range their only foray towards the visitors' goal during 45 minutes of ceaseless defending. Porto almost notch again on the stroke of half-time, with an in-swinging corner headed just over the bar, and it's all United can do to get rid of the ball and escape to the dressing room.

Sir Andy sort of mumbles inaudibly to himself while finishing a sandwich during the half-time break, and it clearly has the desired effect on the players. A different - and much more recognisable - United team emerge from the break and take the game to their opponents with a confidence that was entirely lacking in the first half.

The game opens up nicely for the spectators, with United looking to fight their way back. Porto's dominance is largely erased, although United themselves struggle to fashion any real chances. But no sooner have the Reds got running than Porto land a sucker-punch. Some very neat one-touch football in the centre of the park leads to a cheeky through ball from the corner of the area directly to the feet of stand-in skipper Lucho Gonzalez, who makes no mistake when slotting it around the keeper with the outside of his boot.

That goal, on 70 minutes, seemingly robs United of their ambition, staring as they are at a 0-3 deficit for the return leg. They're all away goals, too. The final 20 minutes see little in the way of chances for either side as Porto work to protect their advantage. For all United's efforts in the last quarter of the game, Porto hold them at bay comfortably. It's a night to forget for United and the fans are stunned.

Manchester United 0 - 3 FC Porto

Villareal vs Arsenal

Rom Wenger's north Londoners visit El Madrigal with high hopes their young squad can turn in a hot performance, despite the loss of key striker Robin van Persie to injury. Villareal should play with a shortage of first-team talent, too, but manager Manuel Greaves is a bad, bad man and can't be bothered to change his squad. Spanish international winger Santi Cazorla therefore takes to the field with a broken leg.

A cagey and rather disappointing game ensues with few chances for both sides and a lacklustre tempo.

Nicklas Bendtner is the hardest working player on the pitch for the Gunners and an early sprint down the right wing produces a tempting cross for Emmanuel Adebayor. The lanky Togolese striker gets his head on the ball but only manages to loop it high over the bar.

And that's about all the action for the first half. It's a bit like watching Portsmouth play Hull. Passing is bad, defences on both sides are winning easy battles against long-range pot-shots and both teams go in at half time with no goals to their names and lots of fans ruing the fact they paid for this nonsense.

The second half, however, starts with a bang. Bendtner again shows Villareal his heels and brings the ball down the wing before passing it simply to Adebayor in front of goal. Flicking the ball over his head and turning to angle himself towards goal, Adebayor then shaves the outside of the post with a delicate directed effort.

But to say that close miss enlivened The Arsenal would be an overstatement - most of the rest of the half plays out in such a way that leaves fans ruing the fact they've also spent money on pies now. Or tapas. Or whatever you get at El Madrigal. Scared, mainly, I hear.

Anyway, just as commentators are starting to fall asleep, the game wakes up. Eight minutes from a dull scoreless draw, Adebayor suddenly finds his mojo and skips past one central defender to run free on goal. After running 20 yards he streaks the ball under a despairing Villareal keeper to notch a vital away goal for the Gunners.

But that's not all. Andrei Arshavin, quiet until now, latches onto the ball near the halfway line in the 90th minute and sets off on a brilliant jinking run. Tricking his way past two desperate tackles he finally launches a fierce strike from 12 yards, leaving the keeper no hope.

And that is practically the last kick of the game. Despite rarely troubling the home side, two late, late moments of brilliance from Arsenal's headliners seal a solid away victory. They'll be feeling pretty comfortable come the return leg, not that they deserved it.

Villareal 0 - 2 Arsenal