Darron Gibson's early strike and a brace from Nani put United 3-0 up on the night after 41 minutes, only for Ivica Olic to quickly reduce the arrears before Arjen Robben hit a superb – and pivotal – second away goal for the Germans 16 minutes from time.
United, who had Rafael sent off for two bookings five minutes into the second half, were seemingly home and hosed after a breakneck start to the evening, but Bayern's 2-1 first leg victory in the Allianz Arena laid the foundations for an unlikely turnaround.
The harsh denouement to the evening was a far cry from the rousing manner with which United had started the game. For all the pre-match tub-thumping about raising the Old Trafford roof and providing a soundtrack to inspire Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, far more inspirational was the shock inclusion of Wayne Rooney.
Eight days of hysterical speculation could finally die down, as the team sheets confirmed pre-match whispers that United’s talisman would play a part after his battle with ankle ligament damage. Alongside him, Rafael and Darron Gibson replaced Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, while John O’Shea made a welcome return to the bench after his long battle with a complicated leg injury.
Bayern could also count on reinforcements, as Robben won his own high-profile race against time and Bastian Schweinsteiger returned from suspension. To accommodate them, Hamit Altintop and Danijel Pranjic dropped to the bench.
Predictably, given the late personnel boon, Old Trafford was abuzz prior to the first whistle. Less than three minutes in, the Theatre of Dreams was a citadel of sound. Rafael superbly rolled off the attentions of Frank Ribery and curled a pass infield to Rooney. He instantly laid off to Gibson and sped towards goal, expecting a return pass. Instead, the young midfielder advanced and powered a low 25-yard shot inside Hans-Jorg Butt’s near post.
The home support erupted, and wild scenes of celebration were replicated in evermore feral fashion just four minutes later as the Reds’ lead was doubled. Again Rooney was involved, spreading a glorious pass wide to Valencia, and the Ecuadorian teased Bayern right-back Holger Badstuber, twice shimmying to cross before firing in a flat delivery which Nani impishly backheeled just inside Butt’s right-hand post.
Eight days earlier, Bayern had recovered from an early concession to overcome United in the Allianz Arena. Two down inside seven minutes and completely under the cosh, the odds were stacked against Louis van Gaal’s side. Not that they were helping themselves. Butt was extremely fortunate that his shanked clearance was not punished by Michael Carrick, who had to fashion space before shooting just off target with his left foot.
United’s dominance was near absolute. The sterling work of Patrice Evra and Rafael – who was booked for an
altercation with Mark van Bommel – was negating the attempts of Franck Ribery and Robben to influence proceedings.
The foundations for Bayern’s first-leg victory had been laid in winning the central midfield battle, but Carrick, Gibson and the omnipresent Darren Fletcher ensured there would be no repeat in the opening stages of the second leg. Gibson drilled a 30-yard rasper just over the bar before feeding Rafael, who could only fire past the far post after running virtually half the field in possession of the ball.
With six minutes of the half remaining, both sides exchanged a flurry of blows. Edwin van der Sar made a superb sprawling save from Olic, and two minutes later Nani grabbed his second goal of the evening to seemingly put United out of sight. Rafael’s quick throw released Valencia, who bypassed Martin Demichelis before pulling the ball back across the area. The ball was out of Rooney’s reach, but arrived perfectly for Nani to steer an unerring finish which brushed the crossbar en route into the roof of the net.
With only four minutes until the interval, United appeared to have put the tie out of Bayern’s reach. Not so. Almost immediately, Thomas Muller headed on for Olic, who held off the attentions of Carrick before firing inside van der Sar’s far post.
In first-half stoppage time, the Dutchman had to make a stunning one-handed stop to keep out compatriot Robben’s curling effort as Bayern finished in the ascendancy, before referee Nicola Rizzoli brought a breathtaking first period to a close.
United’s dominance had been almost total, but given Bayern's first-leg lead, one defensive mix-up had suddenly placed the tie back astride a knife edge.
To further complicate matters, United were reduced to 10 men within five minutes of the second half commencing as Rafael received a second caution for tugging Ribery’s shirt as the Frenchman threatened to break. United had overcome adversity once in overturning Bayern’s lead. Now, a man down and just a goal away from exiting the competition, it would have to happen again.
The early omens were good. Darren Fletcher’s free kick prompted confusion in the Bayern box, and Butt had to flick Nani’s superbly-measured volley over the crossbar as a result. From the resulting corner, Fletcher curled a yard wide of the far post. Between those two chances, John O’Shea replaced Rooney, who had been visibly struggling since taking two heavy hits on his right ankle midway through the first half.
Inevitably, Bayern's pressure grew. Van der Sar needed to be alert to punch away a volley from Ribery, and the Bundesliga leaders had United encamped in front of the Scoreboard End. Just after the hour, however, Evra's fine run and pass released Nani, deployed as the new lone striker who was only denied a hat-trick by the reflexes of Butt. Carrick fired over from a clever corner by the Portuguese as the Reds continued to search for an unlikely killer goal, but defending in numbers was the new gameplan.
Substitute Mario Gomez glanced Philipp Lahm's cross onto the top of the crossbar and Schweinsteiger's low drive tested van der Sar's handling, before Robben struck a hammer blow on 73 minutes, superbly volleying Ribery's corner through a crowd of players and inside van der Sar's far post.
Although Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs were thrown into the fray, Bayern gradually constricted the life out of United with a masterclass in keep-ball. Ribery almost fired in an equaliser late on, but second-leg victory – however hollow – was the least United deserved for an heroic, sweat-soaked show of defiance.