Marseille 0 - 0 Manchester United

Manchester United will have no safety net at Old Trafford in three weeks' time after they ground out a goalless draw in their Champions League last-16 meeting with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.

United have failed to clinch victory from similar positions before.

But they will still be favourites to progress against a limited Marseille outfit, even if life would have been so much better had a Darren Fletcher snapshot been able to break the deadlock in a drab contest.

Nani blazed one early effort over and he was involved in United's best chance of the first half. It was not in the way he would have wanted though as his woeful corner was only half-cleared to Fletcher.

The Scot had little time to pick his spot. But the shot was clean enough and as it left his boot, keeper Steve Mandanda initially appeared wrong-footed. Mandanda is clearly blessed with quick feet though, and was able to get back in position to make the save before the ball crossed his goal-line.

Marseille offered little evidence of how they won the French title last season. It eventually came at the start of the second period, when Lucho Gonzalez seized on Dimitar Berbatov's failure to control deep inside the United half and whipped over a curling cross for Brandao, whose firm header was directed straight at Edwin Van der Sar.

Andre Ayew then had a shot blocked before a kind bounce from Lucho's deflected effort provided a clear sight at goal. The angle was not great though and with Brandao charging in at the far-post, Ayew seemed caught in two minds and in the end neither threatened United's goal or to pick out his team-mate.

Paul Scholes was introduced for Darron Gibson and his willingness to get hold of the ball instantly brought some direction to United's attacks. Berbatov fed Patrice Evra, then continued his run to collect a return pass from the full-back before firing a long-range effort over.

Berbatov almost managed to thread a pass through to Nani but Mandanda pounced.

What appeared to be a golf ball was thrown into the United area as they set themselves up to defend a Marseille corner three minutes from the end. UEFA might take a dim view of that, although if nothing else it provided a talking point as a desperately disappointing contest petered out.