The England striker headed home when it appeared Louis van Gaal was facing another frustrating night at Old Trafford, with the hosts kept at bay until the 79th minute

Wayne Rooney’s late header ended Manchester United’s goal drought and earned the Red Devils a narrow 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow.

The England captain scored his 237th goal for United, moving level with Denis Law in the club-record books, when he nodded home Jesse Lingard’s cross in the 79th minute.

Rooney’s strike, which sealed a first home win for the Red Devils over Russian opposition, moves Louis van Gaal’s side top of Group B on seven points.

It also spares Van Gaal from becoming the first United manager since 1992 to endure a run of four games without a goal. Four hundred and four minutes had passed since they last hit the net when Rooney struck.

United started brightly in their bid to end that barren spell stretching back to Anthony Martial’s effort in the 1-1 draw in Moscow two weeks ago.

The French forward returned to a centre-forward position having been deployed from the left in recent weeks and partnered Rooney up front.

Rooney steered an early attempt wide with his left foot before Martial failed to get enough on a beautiful long pass from Daley Blind to divert the ball beyond Igor Akinfeev.

Lingard, who was picked ahead of Ander Herrera and started on the left wing, lifted a shot over the bar on the half-hour mark as United struggled to change their fortunes in front of goal.

Their best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell to Marcos Rojo, who volleyed Ashley Young’s cross from the right wide of the target after CSKA had failed to spot him creeping into space at the far post.

Rojo then failed to hit the target when he should have scored with a header in the opening minutes of the second half as the hosts’ frustration grew.

Van Gaal turned to Marouane Fellaini shortly after the hour mark and his decision to withdraw Martial, rather than Rooney, for the Belgian was greeted with boos from a disgruntled home crowd.

Rooney and Young had hopeful penalty claims waved away before the former stumbled when it looked as if he would convert Juan Mata’s pass across goal, drawing yet more derision from the stands.

The gloom in the ground might have broken out into mutiny had David de Gea and Chris Smalling not desperately denied CSKA substitute Seydou Doumbia, with the defender brilliantly blocking a goal-bound second attempt.

That set the stage for Rooney to answer his critics and transform United and Van Gaal’s night. Michael Carrick clipped a superb pass behind the defence which Lingard volleyed across goal for the 30-year-old to head home.

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The defender had been on the pitch for just a matter of minutes after replacing Marcelo, but hit home with an excellent strike from out wide to decide matters

Substitute Nacho grabbed the only goal as Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League last-16 with a hard-fought victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The 10-time European champions initially struggled to get going at the Santiago Bernabeu and the French visitors looked the stronger side throughout the first half of the Group A clash.

However, an opportune finish from defender Nacho, helped by some awful positioning from PSG shot-stopper Kevin Trapp, proved decisive.

PSG responded excellently by bombarding the hosts’ goal, Adrien Rabiot and former Madrid winger Angel Di Maria both hitting the woodwork, but the home side held on.

Malmo’s 4-0 defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk meant Madrid are guaranteed a top-two finish with two more games to go while PSG’s undefeated run in 2015-16 is at an end.

Madrid boss Rafa Benitez recalled captain Sergio Ramos and first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas to the hosts’ line-up after the pair missed Saturday’s 3-1 triumph over Las Palmas, while Laurent Blanc strengthened his XI with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta and David Luiz all coming in.

The match began with the same defensive robustness that was displayed two weeks ago when they played out a 0-0 stalemate at Parc des Princes.

The flow of the game was punctuated by a series of injuries 10 minutes in. Serge Aurier and Isco collided heads, with the latter requiring treatment on the sidelines to stem the bleeding, before Verratti was forced off shortly afterwards with a calf injury.

PSG were the better side in the early stages and, after 22 minutes, Ibrahimovic collected the ball on the edge of the box and curled a shot inches wide of the bottom-right corner.

The veteran Sweden striker, who became PSG’s all-time top goalscorer earlier this season, triggered further gasps around the Bernabeu shortly afterwards when his dipping free-kick only just skidded the wrong side of the same post
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But for all PSG’s pressing, it was Madrid who took the lead with 35 minutes played. Toni Kroos’ hopeful shot deflected off Thiago Silva’s outstretched leg and into the path of Nacho, who had just been brought on for the injured Marcelo.

PSG goalkeeper Trapp made the mistake of watching the looping ball rather than the man and the makeshift left-back deftly placed it into the back of the net off the post from an acute angle.

Rabiot, Verratti’s replacement, almost equalised immediately by slamming an effort against the post from the edge of the box, then Maxwell’s enticing cross somehow evaded Edinson Cavani and Ibrahimovic a few minutes later.

Former Napoli man Cavani will have been furious with himself in first-half stoppage-time when, one-on-one with Navas, he fluffed his attempted chip and watched as his tame shot was cleared off the line.

The Ligue 1 table-toppers continued their momentum in the second half as a launched through ball put Di Maria through on goal but, despite a fine first touch, the Argentine shot straight at Navas.

It wasn’t all PSG, however, and Trapp was forced into a reaction save when Isco’s 30-yard strike cannoned off David Luiz’s back and towards the top corner before the German tipped it off target.

Madrid dampened PSG’s attacking intent as the second half wore on and Isco’s lashed effort from close range required Trapp to save with his legs to keep the hosts only one goal up.

Di Maria almost had the final say late on but his effort struck the bar and bounced to safety.

While Madrid can celebrate a spot in the next round of the Champions League, Malmo’s defeat to Shakhtar ensures that PSG are just one win away from joining the Spanish side in advancing.

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The midfielder was shown a red card in the second half as Massimiliano Allegri’s men missed the chance to seal their place in the last-16 of the Champions League

Hernanes was sent off as 10-man Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Juve would have qualified for the knockout stages with a victory, but the midfielder’s second half sending off for a rash challenge ended their hopes of a win.

Gladbach, who went into the game on the back of three consecutive victories across all competitions, took the lead inside the first 20 minutes through Fabian Johnson, but Stephan Lichtsteiner’s equaliser ended their hopes of qualifying from Group D with two games left to play.

There had been doubts over whether Lichtsteiner would play football again when he was forced to undergo heart surgery to correct a defect at the start of October, and he was a surprise inclusion in Allegri’s starting line-up.

His selection proved decisive in a tightly contested match, and his finish from Paul Pogba’s exquisite pass put the final touch on a fabulous goal.

Last season’s runners-up Juve will seal their place in the last 16 if they defeat Manchester City next time out, while the best Gladbach can hope for now is third place in the group and a spot in the Europa League.

Wearing their striking pink change strip, Juve started on the front foot and almost opened the scoring when Giorgio Chiellini headed a free-kick down for Patrice Evra, who shot narrowly over with the outside of his left foot.

Gladbach soon began to find their flow, and Mahmoud Dahoud almost struck one of the goals of the tournament when he controlled a clearance and thumped a wonderful swerving drive that crashed into the crossbar with Gianluigi Buffon well beaten.

Shortly afterwards, the home side were ahead courtesy of an error by Chiellini, who slipped as he tried to clear Oscar Wendt’s cross, allowing Raffael to play in Johnson to get away from Evra and fire an angled shot into the left corner of the net.

Chiellini almost atoned for his error when he out-jumped Granit Xhaka to head narrowly wide from a corner, and Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer then had to be alert to keep out Evra’s powerful downward header with a fine save.

Just before half-time, Pogba conjured a moment of magic for Juve, scooping a sensational lobbed pass into the path of Lichtsteiner, and the Switzerland international lashed a first-time volley beyond Sommer to level.

Pogba fired narrowly wide shortly after the restart as Juve maintained the momentum that Lichtsteiner’s equaliser had given them, and Alvaro Morata had a shot deflected wide as they probed for a winner.

The visitors were in the ascendancy when Hernanes slid into a challenge with Alvaro Dominguez two-footed with his studs up, and referee Bjorn Kuipers showed the Brazilian a straight red card.

Despite the setback, Juve continued to press and Pogba went close again with a free-kick that swerved narrowly wide of Sommer’s near post.

The home side then came agonisingly close to scoring the winner when Lars Stindl was denied by Buffon, and the veteran goalkeeper made another brilliant late save from Thorgan Hazard to earn Juventus the draw and send Gladbach out.

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The Premier League side scored three times inside the opening 36 minutes to seal an impressive win

Manchester City booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a fine 3-1 win over Sevilla on Tuesday night.
City needed an injury-time winner from Kevin De Bruyne to secure a 2-1 victory over the La Liga side in the reverse fixture last month, but were dominant from the outset at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The travelling supporters continued their frosty relationship with Uefa by again booing the Champions League anthem before kick-off, but they were roaring with delight soon afterwards as Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho put City 2-0 up inside 11 minutes.

Sevilla battled their way back into the contest as Benoit Tremoulinas headed home before Wilfried Bony added City’s third nine minutes before half-time.

Juventus’ second consecutive draw against Borussia Monchengladbach means Pellegrini’s men will head to Turin on matchweek five as group leaders aiming to take another significant scalp heading into the knockout rounds.

The Chilean’s decision to include Fernando in a holding role granted attacking license to Fernandinho and the midfielder was at the heart of much of City’s fine work during a devastating opening spell.

Having had a penalty appeal rejected, the Brazil international strode forward and threaded a sublime pass for Sterling to slot home left-footed in the eighth minute.

Roles were reversed three minutes later – with Sterling pouncing on a slip from Sevilla full-back Coke to feed Bony, whose shot was magnificently saved by Sergio Rico before Fernandinho nodded in the rebound.

Rico’s attempted heroics were almost in vain once again when he got down to tip a strike from former Sevilla winger Jesus Navas onto the base of his right post.

Fernando Llorente fired wastefully over on the end of Vicente Iborra’s flick on, but Sevilla reduced the deficit after 25 minutes with a wonderful team goal.

Vitolo deftly picked out Coke, who atoned for his earlier error by skipping past Nicolas Otamendi and chipping a cross over Joe Hart for his fellow full-back Tremoulinas to charge in for a simple headed finish.

After Sevilla defender Adil Rami blasted into the side netted, City restored their two-goal cushion nine minutes before the break as Navas collected a Hart clearance to twist past Tremoulinas and cut the ball back for Bony to pick out the bottom corner.

Unai Emery’s team began the second half on the front foot, seeking to respond once more, but they were indebted to sharp reactions from Rico to deny Fernandinho a second – Sterling crafting the opportunity with another mazy run in the 53rd minute.

Enjoying arguably his finest performance since joining City from Liverpool in a protracted close-season transfer, Sterling then had a strike blocked on the end of a Fernandinho pass that was delightfully dummied by Bony.

A one-two between Ivory Coast team-mates Bony and Yaya Toure saw the latter curl wide as the match entered the final 20 minutes, with Sevilla looking increasingly low on confidence.

The Europa League holders now trail second placed Juventus by five points and can’t overtake City due to an inferior head-to-head record.

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The former Arsenal striker levelled things up in the second half, only for the Portuguese side to re-take the lead and claim top spot in the group

Benfica moved into pole position in Champions League Group C with a 2-1 victory over Galatasaray at the Estadio da Luz, despite going down to 10 men late on.

Following a defeat by the same scoreline to Hamza Hamzaoglu’s men on matchday three, Rui Vitoria’s side were level with Atletico Madrid heading into Tuesday’s fixtures.

With the Spanish outfit drawing at Astana earlier in the day, the Portuguese side knew that a win would send them two points clear at the top.

After a frustrating first half, Benfica deservedly took the lead through Jonas in the 52nd minute, only to see Lukas Podolski level with a clinical finish six minutes later.

The hosts responded positively and regained their advantage through captain Luisao in the 67th minute and, despite a late red card for Nicolas Gaitan, they held on to edge closer to a place in the last 16.

Just as he did in the previous encounter in Istanbul, Gaitan started well, firing wide following a sublime solo run in the third minute before releasing Raul Jimenez, whose effort from an acute angle was kept out by Fernando Muslera.

Burak Yilmaz – already on a booking that will rule him out of Galatasaray’s next encounter with Atletico – could have been dismissed shortly before the interval following a handball, but Gaitan was instead shown the yellow card for his protests as tempers flared.

Benfica began the second half as they did the first and within seven minutes of the restart they were ahead.

Jardel headed Gaitan’s deep free-kick into the centre of the box and, after Luisao brought the ball down, Jonas fired into the back of the net, following up on his fine form in the Primeira Liga, which has yielded eight goals in eight games.

Benfica’s lead did not last long, though, as Podolski rifled a clinical strike across Julio Cesar and into the bottom corner.

Vitoria’s team immediately set about regaining their advantage, and – after Jimenez and Anderson Talisca fired wide – Luisao was afforded time in the box to control Gaitan’s pass and pick out the top corner.

There was almost a third five minutes later, but Muslera did well to keep Gaitan’s low free-kick out of the bottom corner before blocking Jimenez’s follow-up.

A fine save from Muslera thwarted Jimenez following a swift break led by Gaitan in the 84th minute, but moments later the Argentina international was dismissed for a second booking following his trip on Emre Colak.

Selcuk Inan fired a venomous strike wide in the closing stages and Umut Bulut was denied from inside the six-yard box in stoppage time, but Galatasaray were unable to find an equaliser against the 10 men, leaving them without a win in 10 away matches in the Champions League.

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Atletico failed to break down the hosts, meaning they could be overtaken by Benfica at the top of Champions League Group C

Atletico Madrid were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by a spirited Astana side in Tuesday’s Champions League clash at the Astana Arena.

Diego Simeone’s side held top spot heading into Group C’s early kick-off and could have pulled three points ahead of Benfica with victory in Kazakhstan.

Koke struck the woodwork in both halves but Atletico toiled too often in possession against a well-disciplined home side.

Fernando Torres – chasing his 100th Atleti goal – also spurned a good chance and Antoine Griezmann came close in the second half, but Astana held on for a famous point which keeps alive their hopes of at least battling for a Europa League spot by finishing third.

Astana, in their maiden Champions League campaign, now have two points from their four matches following a 2-2 home draw with Galatasary on matchday two.

Tiago came close early on for Atletico with a blocked effort inside the area but Astana, roared on by a vociferous home crowd, denied them any real rhythm in the opening 25 minutes.

Junior Kabananga’s scuffed volley from 20 yards forced Jan Oblak into a save but chances were few and far between in the opening half-hour, until Torres stole in behind Evgeny Postnikov following Juanfran’s long ball and prodded wide across goal.

Koke looped an effort onto the crossbar with a free-kick just before half-time but Atletico otherwise struggled to find a way past a stubborn home side.

Diego Godin glanced a header straight into Nenad Eric’s hands and Tiago dragged a shot wide from 20 yards as Atletico began to turn up the pressure after the interval.

Simeone threw on Jackson Martinez in an effort to break through a robust defensive line but Atletico’s build-up play on the synthetic turf was too often laboured or undone by wayward passes.

Griezmann, who had been quiet throughout, fizzed a low shot just wide of the far post after a neat one-two with Koke, before the Spain midfielder almost got lucky with a looped cross from the left that bounced off the top of the bar.

Eric saved down low from Jose Gimenez’s header as Atleti began to push further forward as Astana legs grew tired, and the 2013-14 finalists almost snatched the victory with the last kick of the game, as Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco collected Griezmann’s cross and shot across goal, only for the goalkeeper to claim well low to his left.

But Astana held on for a famous point and restored some pride following their 4-0 defeat in Madrid on matchday three.

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