Ref joker in the pack as cards fall badly for Reds

It’s not a sentiment normally afforded serial winners, but there’ll be a lot of sympathy for the Red Devils this morning.

And so there should be.

A match packed with game-changing players was effectively decided by a game-changing official. Referee Cuneyt Cakir decided that Nani was guilty of a red card offence when, to most objective observers, it seemed the United winger was stretching to take control of a high ball and, until almost the very instant where his boot made contact high up on Alvaro Arbeloa, appeared to have no eyes whatsoever for the Real Madrid man.