Shakhtar holds Manchester United to 1-1 draw
Manchester United and Shakhtar played 1-1 draw in their Champions League Group A clash.
DONETSK (AP) - Manchester United allowed a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar to take a point from their Group A clash on Wednesday, giving David Moyes more than any other manager of an English club returning from Donetsk in the Champions League.
Moyes didn t get the morale-boosting win United needed after sluggish start in the Premier League, but the point was more than Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea managed in previous Champions League trips to Shakhtar.
Danny Welbeck gave United an unexpected lead in the 18th as he slid in between two players to finish off after defender Yaroslav Rakitsky failed to clear Marouane Felliani s low cross.
But the highlights were rare for United. Shakhtar s Brazilian attacking quartet of Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Luiz Adriano and Taison created numerous chances and the constant threat paid off in the 76th minute, when Taison finally broke through with a powerful volley after Nemanja Vidic failed to clear a cross from Rakitsky.
"United took advantage of our mistake, it was a chance goal," Shakhtar coach Mircea Liucescu said. "United then sat on its half of the pitch and played for counterattack. It was our plan to bring it on in the last 25 minutes, which is why the ball ended up in the penalty area of United often. Too bad we scored only once."
Both teams had opportunities early. Robin Van Persie tried his luck first in the 9th with a volley that sailed over the cross bar. Three minutes later Rakitsky seized possession and sparked an attack that lead to Luiz Adriano s narrow miss. A minute later Teirxeira fell to the pitch in the area but his appeal for a penalty was ignored.
Rakitskiy s free kick from 40 meters went just wide in the 50th minute and, despite relentlessly pressing forward, Shakhtar was held in check by the stubborn United defense until Taison s goal.
It wasn t until the last 5 minutes that Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was forced into making more meaningful saves.
"Yes, tonight I m disappointed not to have won 1-0, but Shakhtar played a good game and deserved a draw," Moyes said.
