Manchester United dominated the first half away to FC Basel but the hosts rallied in the second and deservedly edged a 1-0 win to keep them in the hunt for a spot in the Champions League round of 16.

The visitors were guilty of not taking their chances in the opening period while Marouane Fellaini and Marcos Rojo both rattled the woodwork and were punished by Michael Lang’s 89th minute winner.

The defeat still leaves United in prime position to win Group A or at the very least qualify unless they suffer a heavy six-goal defeat to CSKA Moscow while and Basel beat Benfica in the final round.

Here are three things learned from the encounter in Switzerland.

POGBA RETURN LEAVES LUKAKU WITH NO EXCUSE

It’s no coincidence that Paul Pogba’s first game back from injury saw Romelu Lukaku end his seven-match drought for United. The Frenchman creates chances for the striker whether directly or just by making the rest of the team tick.

Against Basel as well, there was the chance in the first half, when Pogba played Lukaku clean through only for the Belgian to force a save from the keeper when he really should’ve scored.

Early in the second half as well, Pogba crossed for the striker who couldn’t direct his header on target. Lukaku is the kind of player who needs service to thrive and you could say that has been absent while Pogba was sidelined but not anymore

If United’s summer signing wants to establish himself among the elite centre forwards in Europe, he needs to be more clinical and assume the role as the team’s match-winner.

THE END OF THE ROAD FOR SHAW?

Pogba returns to fitness and goes straight back into the team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns and makes two appearances off the bench, Marcos Rojo gets a start against Basel but Luke Shaw still can’t get a game from Jose Mourinho.

It appears that the Portuguese has completely lost faith in the young left-back, choosing to start Daley Blind instead. The Dutchman lack of mobility regularly exposes him when he plays as a full-back and looked out of his depth again on Wednesday night.

Blind was beaten for pace on a few occasions and couldn’t offer much going forward either, visibly struggling to keep up with Anthony Martial. Somehow, Shaw was still left on the bench even with United searching for a winner.

For the goal as well, Blind looked over and saw Lang over his should twice before the cross came in but didn’t act quickly, was sluggish and failed to intervene.

ROJO BOOSTS MOURINHO’S OPTIONS

One of the positives of the game in Basel for United will be the return of Rojo.

The centre-back put in a solid performance in his first game back. He was excellent on the ball and even managed a shot from over 35 yards out that took a slight deflection and rattled the cross bar.

The Argentine made two interceptions on the night to go with his three clearances and two tackles while his one block was a crucial one to deny Dimitri Oberlin.

He also had the most passes in the game (92), six more than Ander Herrera. With Phil Jones and Eric Bailly recovering from injuries and the left-back role perpetually up for grabs, Rojo’s return could prove to be a timely one for Mourinho heading into the busy fixture period.