Match ends, Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0, Manchester United 5.
B LeverkusenBayer 04 Leverkusen0Man UtdManchester United5
Manchester United reached the Champions League's last 16 with a game to spare after thrashing Bayer Leverkusen.
Wayne Rooney, who had a hand in four goals, chipped to the back post for Antonio Valencia's tap-in for the first before Emir Spahic scored an own goal from the United striker's free-kick.
Stefan Reinartz's header hit the post after deflecting off Ryan Giggs before Jonny Evans turned in from a corner.
Chris Smalling then touched in and Nani rounded the keeper for a fifth.
The result is United's biggest away win in the Champions League and confirmed a miserable night for the German side, who are second in the Bundesliga and lost an unbeaten home record.
Sami Hyypia's team could not cope with the irrepressible Rooney and the evergreen Giggs, who two days short of his 40th birthday showed his class and composure alongside Phil Jones in the centre of midfield.
United's two first-half goals obliterated any momentum the hosts had, and although United were without the injured trio of Robin van Persie, Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic, plus the suspended Marouane Fellaini, the visitors were rarely troubled.
The victory meant United boss David Moyes has reached the latter stages of the Champions League at his first attempt with the club and it will give further credence to claims from first-team coach Phil Neville that the players are beginning to believe in his methods.
Last year's Premier League champions extended their unbeaten run to 11 games, and ahead of a tricky run of domestic fixtures against Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle, they can at least relax about their final Champions League match at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.
A point in that game will mean they top Group A.
Leverkusen are only four points behind leaders Bayern Munich in Germany and looked like they were beginning to pose a threat to the heart of United's defence early on.
But the game's course changed after 22 minutes when Evans did superbly to block Stefan Kiessling's shot before United immediately swept down the opposite end to open the scoring after a swift counter attack.
The ball was fed to Giggs and the Welshman found Rooney, who chipped to the back post where Valencia pounced.
It was a hammer blow to the 2002 Champions League runners-up and the home supporters were stunned further when United extended their lead eight minutes later.
Shinji Kagawa, who also impressed and had a hand in the first goal, was brought down by Reinartz on the left wing, and Rooney's perfectly dipping free-kick was headed in by Spahic, under pressure from Smalling.
Leverkusen had an isolated chance around the hour mark when Reinartz's header from a corner hit Giggs and clipped the post.
But after Nani dragged his shot wide and Rooney was also inches off-target after nutmegging Simon Rolfes, Evans touched in after Rooney had drawn a save from Giggs's corner.
With that, the contest was over but after more poor Leverkusen defending, Rooney lobbed to Smalling for a close-range finish and Nani then raced onto Giggs's pass to round Bernd Leno and seal a historic victory.
Line-ups
B Leverkusen
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Leno
- 26Donati
- 10Can
- 3ReinartzSubstituted forHegelerat 70'minutes
- 21Toprak
- 5Spahic
- 8BenderSubstituted forKohrat 81'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 6Rolfes
- 11Kießling
- 27Castro
- 7Son Heung-MinSubstituted forDerdiyokat 70'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Stafylidis
- 4Wollscheid
- 9Derdiyok
- 13Hegeler
- 23Kruse
- 31Kohr
- 36Lomb
Man Utd
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1de Gea
- 12Smalling
- 3EvraSubstituted forBüttnerat 70'minutes
- 11Giggs
- 5Ferdinand
- 6Evans
- 25A ValenciaSubstituted forYoungat 80'minutes
- 4Jones
- 10RooneySubstituted forOliveiraat 80'minutes
- 26Kagawa
- 17Almeida da Cunha
Substitutes
- 8Oliveira
- 13Lindegaard
- 14Hernández
- 18Young
- 19Welbeck
- 23Cleverley
- 28Büttner
- Referee:
- Svein Oddvar Moen
Match Stats
Home TeamB LeverkusenAway TeamMan Utd
- Possession
- Home48%
- Away52%
- Shots
- Home9
- Away18
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away7
- Corners
- Home8
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away14
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0, Manchester United 5.
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Attempt blocked. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Nani (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Ömer Toprak (Bayer 04 Leverkusen).
Booking
Dominik Kohr (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) is shown the yellow card.
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Foul by Nani (Manchester United).
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Emir Spahic (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt saved. Eren Derdiyok (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Stefan Kießling.
Goal!
Goal! Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0, Manchester United 5. Nani (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ryan Giggs.
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Chris Smalling (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Emir Spahic (Bayer 04 Leverkusen).
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Attempt missed. Anderson (Manchester United) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Nani following a fast break.
Substitution
Substitution, Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Dominik Kohr replaces Lars Bender.
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester United. Anderson replaces Wayne Rooney.
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester United. Ashley Young replaces Luis Antonio Valencia.
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Attempt missed. Alexander Büttner (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
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Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Bernd Leno.
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Attempt saved. Phil Jones (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Wayne Rooney with a cross.
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Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Emir Spahic.
