A good win for Manchester United tonight in a match that was always going to be difficult against Benfica. It wasn’t the most beautiful thing to watch, and there were moments where I was reminded why Portugal was despised so much during the World Cup. In this one, Benfica’s diving and overacting was extremely disappointing.

Louis Saha showed a touch of brilliance as swayed to the left, picked up speed and sent a curving left footed shot in over the keeper. Wayne Rooney, on the other hand, was extremely poor — as he has been since he returned from suspension. I’m really surprised Sir Alex Ferguson keeps faith with Rooney. Instead, he should be playing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer more often who has showed class every time he comes on the field.

That said, this was an important three points for United. They’re in pole position in their Champions League group. Plus, they can now focus on their next match which will be this Sunday at home against Newcastle United (9am ET, Setanta Sports). It’s imperative that United pick up the points against Glenn Roeder’s team to keep the pressure on Chelsea and to stay near the top of the pack.