Galatasaray 1 United 0

Phil Jones was inches away from nodding in at the far post.

Nick Powell, in his first Champions League fixture, went even closer when he thundered a header off the crossbar on 43 minutes. And there was still time for the home side to threaten before referee Carlos Velasco Carballo brought a brilliant half to a close.

Lindegaard was twice called into action early in the second period. He held well from former Liverpool and Manchester City left-back Albert Riera’s volley and then spectacularly turned over Felipe Melo’s bullet header from 10 yards.

Melo urged the crowd to give more, to sing louder, and they responded immediately. It did the trick, as Galatasaray took the lead from the resulting corner, Burak succeeding where he had previously twice failed.

Minutes later, United looked certain to equalise as the Reds broke at speed and in numbers. But when Welbeck laid the ball across the box to Javier Hernandez and the Mexican checked back inside and pulled the trigger, Melo was there to bravely block.

He celebrated as if he’d scored and it was then you realised just how much the home side craved a famous scalp.

Galatasaray, sensing this was their night, moved in for the kill. Eboue forced Lindegaard into an athletic stop and Altintop, who toiled