Manchester United 2-2 PortoThere was a throwback to 2004 as Porto came from behind to register a crucial late leveller at Old Trafford. The visitors led through Rodriguez before goals from Rooney and Tevez turned the game into Manchester United's favour. However, Mariano Gonzalez had the last say...

First Half:
It took some time for the real Manchester United to stand up as the defending champions started as a pale shadow of their usual selves. United did not register a strike on target until after the ten minute mark, by which time Porto had made Edwin van der Sar work twice and pick the ball out of the net once.
After only two minutes, Lisandro Lopez turned Jonny Evans and tried van der Sar from distance, earning a corner. Porto's second effort, two minutes later, yielded a deserved goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo misplaced a pass while clearing a corner; the resulting cross saw Evans surrender his clearance to Cristian Rodriguez, who made no mistake. The Uruguayan buried a left-footer into the United bottom corner - the first goal conceded in this competition by van der Sar since last season's final.
Lisandro had another shot sting the palms of van der Sar following more sloppy defending, before United gradually got going, shaking the shackles of a uncharacteristically sloppy start.
Twelve minutes in and John O'Shea crossed sumptuously for Ronaldo to force Helton to work, and show Porto they were actually in a game. United were level moments later after a fatal error from Bruno Alves.
Under no pressure, the Portugal defender laid a back pass towards Helton but failed to spot Wayne Rooney behind him, who cleverly anticipated the ball through. He bid his time and chipped over the goalkeeper for parity.
Nonetheless, Porto stuck to their task; Lucho Gonzalez took a hold of proceedings temporarily too; he provided two good crosses in the space of a minute for Rodriguez, who headed at van der Sar, and Lisandro, who narrowly failed to make contact at the back post.
Rui Meireles was next to examine the credentials of van der Sar with a fine long range drive, and O'Shea's mistake allowed Hulk to bend the ball narrowly past the post on the half hour.
From there, it was United on top; Rooney used the length and breadth of Old Trafford to try and get things going. Paul Scholes too, was beginning to exercise a semblance of authority with his passing. United's best chance of the remainder fell to the veteran also; his header from Park's cross was just over the top.

Second Half:
United started as comfortably the better side after the break, enjoying a good deal more possession than they did in the previous 45 minutes. It took only five minutes for the hosts to trouble Helton, when Park Ji Sung's half-volley from the edge of the box forced the Brazilian to save.
Rooney was next to try his luck as Porto struggled to find a way out of their own half; the mercurial England forward executed a clever chip from an improbable angle outside the box, but Helton backtracked and tipped over.
From Ryan Giggs' corner, Nemanja Vidic made Helton work to give Giggs another chance to cross. From his second bite of the cherry, the Serb nodded off target.
Porto maintained their positivity and broke with relish whenever possible. Fernando exercised a discreet dominance in the centre of midfield while Cristian Rodriguez was becoming a linchpin, easing his side into enemy territory. He provided a chance for Hulk, who squeezed a shot wide after turning Evans.
Rodriguez then found Lisandro on the edge of the box, whose on-target effort forced United to concede a corner. Aly Cissokho picked up the rebound and struck powerfully on van der Sar's goal.
The Portuguese league leaders then had a legitimate call for a penalty; Hulk tricked Evra and escaped to the byline, as he tried to turn back into play, he was swept into the air by Carlos Tevez but no decision was forthcoming.
As the game ebbed towards the last 15 minutes, the Red Devils had a great chance to sneak a lead on the night; Gary Neville provided an accurate cross, with which Rooney was inches away from making contact.
The hosts ramped it up a notch and another inspired substitution gave Sir Alex Ferguson's side the advantage on the night. Gary Neville's throw caught Porto napping in their own area, and Wayne Rooney's back-flick found Carlos Tevez in front of Rolando to smash home from close range.
There was to be a twist in the tale though and more than a passing echo of 2004. Two minutes were on the clock when Lisandro jinked his way down Patrice Evra's flank, after the Portuguese side played themselves again into an attacking position. His back post cross found substitute Mariano Gonzalez, who bundled past van der Sar from close range.
Ryan Giggs' late free-kick whistled over the bar as United now contemplate a task achieved by no English side - winning in the Estadio Dragao.
Line-Ups:
Manchester United (4-3-3): van der Sar - Vidic, Evans (Neville 71'), O'Shea, Evra - Fletcher, Scholes (Giggs 71'), Carrick - Ronaldo, Park (Giggs 58'), Rooney
Porto (4-3-3): Helton - Bruno Alves, Rolando, Sapunaru, Cissokho - Fernando, Lucho, Meireles (Costa 78' (Madrid 90')) - Lisandro, Rodriguez (Mariano 78'), Hulk
Goals:
Manchester United: Rooney 15', Tevez 85'
Porto: Rodriguez 4', Mariano 88'
Cards:
Manchester United: -
Porto: Bruno Alves 75', Helton 90'
Referee: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

An electric game exposed the reigning champions against their free-spirited and scintillating opposition, writes Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad...

This wasn't supposed to happen, but any and every neutral lover of football is glad it did.

Not so much to deny back-to-back Champions Leagues or quintuples, nor because the Premier League teams must be defied for the good of football or any other such envy-inspired ideological reasoning, but because from the first minute to the last, this was a victory for football.

Porto, very much the only strong team in a comparatively weak Portuguese league, were seen as a 'gimme' for the reigning champions. And yet, they came to Old Trafford brimming with unadulterated panache and a vast amount of elegance - certainly more than almost anyone had expected.

For the entirety of this European campaign, it has been asserted that the Premier League is a stone too strong and a second too fast for the foreigners, but Porto played the champions of England, Europe and the world off the park at times, and it was the Prem's finest who struggled to track the unremitted passing and movement of their Portuguese visitors.

After the embarrassment that was Sporting CP's obliteration at the hands of Bayern Munich in the last round, this Porto performance was a boost that could do proud the whole of Portugal proud. That applies even if many - Benfica fans in particular - may lament their champions qualifying for the competition as they did, after a corruption scandal threatened to see them thrown out altogether.

Sir Alex Ferguson has for several weeks been touting Barcelona as the main threat to his side's supremacy and it's no wonder that today, up against a Porto side very much in the mould of the Catalans, his side looked second best for so long.

Make no mistake about it: the 4-3-3, the free-roaming forwards, the creativity, the flying full-back, even the customary defensive blunder that tarnished the end result. The players may not all be quite in the same weight class, but this was Barca all over.

The front three of Cristian Rodriguez, Lisandro Lopez and the incredible Hulk (had to get that out of the way) were irresistible. Their interchanging was as seamless as it was ceaseless and their combination of speed and power gave United's defence a series of headaches.

There may have been no Rio Ferdinand and no Wes Brown, but John O'Shea and particularly Jonny Evans have been brilliant deputising for large parts of this season, so there can be no excuses on the part of the Red Devils.

Lucho Gonzalez was the Master of Puppets, pulling all the right strings in midfield while Fernando, though understated, was perhaps the best player on the park off the back of immense defensive midfield work.

At the back, their best man in Bruno Alves reached a level of stupidity previously reserved for ex-American presidents when his back-pass gifted United an equaliser against the run of play. That may have put off his alleged suitors, Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Cissokho's boundless energy and promising crosses from left-back will have attracted plenty of attention, particularly from the Premier League.

What best encapsulated Porto's resplendency was the awkward silence that engulfed Old Trafford for large parts of the game. They knew not how to react to such an incredible performance from a visiting team.

The end-to-end electricity in the game - the first leg of a Champions League knockout - was like something from a bygone era. You just don't see it anymore. For sure, the line-ups suggested that this game could have goals, but no one well acquainted with the high stakes and tentative tactics of modern day knockout football at the highest level could have realistically expected anything quite like this. But what a breath of fresh air it was.

Porto proved more than a match for the champions, and this was no Mourinho curse of 2004 rearing its head, it was all down to the 11 men out there, the two subs and their coach. Their real test will now be in taking home the tie on their own patch against a revitalised and no doubt determined United side.

So: who's your money on now?

The Portuguese stunned Old Trafford with a terrific display in a thoroughly entertaining draw. Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad rates the players...
Manchester United
Edwin van der Sar (7): Showed safe hands all night and was powerless to stop the two goals. Made some good saves.
John O'Shea (5): Made one big mistake that almost cost his side. Was regularly beaten down the flank by Cissokho, but nevertheless gets points for his work rate.
Jonny Evans (4): Had a nightmare moment in the fourth minute when his non-clearance went straight to Cristian Rodriguez, who he then allowed the space to cut inside and score. He never managed to live it down.
Nemanja Vidic (6): Was not able to stamp any kind of authority on the game or intimidate the forwards. He just about coped, but it was by no means a vintage performance; the Porto forwards were too free-moving for him.
Patrice Evra (6): Perhaps committed himself forward too often and was caught on the break a lot in the first half. Nevertheless, as always, he was a terrific presence down the left flank and provided some good crosses.
Cristiano Ronaldo (6): Was an enviable aerial threat and almost scored with a trademark towering header. Did well when going up front as a forward, but was guilty of losing possession more often than he would have liked - particularly for the opener - and not making any effort to atone for his errors.
Darren Fletcher (5): Was put in the middle of the park to charge down anything and everything but failed to do so. The game was open and he could not contain it at all. Improved in the second half and made half a fist of things at right wing, but never looked quite good enough to make the difference.
Paul Scholes (4): Was far too poor with his passing in the first half and regularly lost the ball. Improved for brief periods but ultimately was not up to the pace of the game at all.
Michael Carrick (6): Was guilty of not marking Cristian Rodriguez from corners but luckily was not made to pay for it. Again, this was a game too fast for him to be truly in his element and play his passes. Made a better fist of things in the second half and can be credited for part of United's improvement.
Ji-Sung Park (5): Had a wasteful evening, despite usually being a reliable and key component in knockout fixtures. Squandered possession going forward and didn't even double up in defence as often as he should have.
Wayne Rooney (7.5): Anticipated well and finished coolly to score what was a gift-wrapped chance and also provided a superb flick to assist the second. He was not able to recapture his England form as he was not playing off any kind of target-man, but still made the difference when it mattered.

Substitutes
Ryan Giggs (6): Did his best to slow down the game and add his sophistication to proceedings. Never looked rushed, but couldn't make any kind of telling impact, either.
Gary Neville (2): After a calamitous afternoon against Aston Villa on Sunday, the skipper was benched, came on tonight and gave away the game. He drifted in from his position when he shouldn't have and left Mariano unmarked to slot home the equaliser. A dreadful moment he will not be able to forget unless United go on to win the tie in Oporto.
Carlos Tevez (6.5): Made a late challenge on Hulk that should have resulted in a penalty, but he got away with it to go back to doing what he does best: popping up in the right place at the right time at the death - usually after having come off the bench - to score what at the time looked to be a winning goal.

Porto

Helton (7): The blunder king made no notable mistakes this evening. He was peppered with a few straightforward shots that he saved well enough, and made one particularly good stop from a Ronaldo header.
Sapunaru (7): Had a fairly quiet game but certainly didn't let the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrice Evra scare him into any mistakes.
Bruno Alves (2): Known as Porto's only good defender, 'keeper included, yet he was the man who made a monumental error with an awful backpass that gave away the equaliser. He also picked up a bad yellow card for a foolish handball and was wrong side of Rooney as he flicked on for Tevez's equaliser. Not a night to remember for a man being courted by Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Rolando (5): Had a good game for the most part, but was guilty of a late slip when Tevez got in front of him to score the equaliser.
Cissokho (8): An admirable showing from a virtual unknown. His athleticism was a joy to behold. His power and strength up and down the flank was immense and he did a good job of digging out a number of decent crosses. A real prospect.
Raul Meireles (5): Lost the ball a lot in midfield and was inconsistent with his set-piece delivery. Had one good shot that was tipped over the bar.
Fernando (9): The Man of the Match, for doing the simple things well all game long. Made several tremendous saving challenges and nearly always distributed very well.
Lucho Gonzalez (8): Was nothing short of a maestro in the first half, as Porto picked apart their illustrious hosts. His influence lessened as the game went on, but his free movement made his influence ever-present. Played several deadly balls and was significant in both goals being scored.
Cristiano Rodriguez (8): Shocked Old Trafford with his powerful opener after just four minutes and they could not contain him all game long. Was a nuisance in the air from set-pieces, but should have scored one particularly free header. Made fantastic runs throughout the 80 odd minutes of his outing.
Hulk (7): Grew in confidence after a slow start and his power certainly made him problematic, but his lack of guile and team play at times cost him, when he ran down a number of dead ends. He did, however, have a good penalty shout turned down late on.
Lisandro Lopez (7.5): Had a few good shots and looked a much better player than his team-mates gave him credit for, in the sense that he did not see enough of the ball as the game went on. A tremendous worker up front and always a threat.

Substitutes

Tomas Costa (6.5).
Mariano (7): There he was: off the bench, right place, right time at the far post to slot home what could prove to be an invaluable second away goal.

Another game without a clean sheet for Manchester United; it's now four in a row since they last stopped the opposition scoring. The Red Devils must travel to Porto in need of a win
The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, rued his side's lack of concentration as Porto snatched a late draw in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils had led 2-1 with just three minutes left on the clock, but were outdone by a late strike from Mariano Gonzalez.
Cristiano Rodriguez gave Porto an early lead, but United turned the tide through goals from Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
Ferguson acknowledged that Porto deserved a result from the encounter but could not hide his disappointment at his team's capitulation.
He told ITV1, "First half they were the better side but second half we improved and got more possession. But getting the goal [through Mariano] the way they did, we should really have defended that. It was a bad goal to lose.
"It's been a hard two days for them, but they were lacking in concentration.
"You get a 2-1 lead with four or five minutes left, you really should see it out.
United now face the prospect of facing Porto in the Estadio do Dragao looking for a win, something which has never been done by a visiting Champions League side.
Before that, there is Premier League duty with which to contend, and Ferguson is under no illusion about the enormity of the task facing his side.
"We've got a game on Saturday [against Sunderland], there's still a lot going for us, but it's a difficult game now in Porto, no question of that."