Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was left disappointed and shocked as he watched his side dumped out of the Champions League in a 2-1 defeat to Basel.
The Swiss side’s victory means the Red Devils finish third in group C and drop into the Europa League, the first time they have not made it out of the group stages of the Champions League in six seasons.
The defeat sees United, finalists in two of the last three years, drop out of the competition, and the manager highlighted the draw at home to Basel as the moment they can look back and regret in the group.
United were coasting in that game, leading 2-0 but allowed the Swiss side to come back and earn themselves a sensational 3-3 draw at Old Trafford.
“I think the Basel result at home is the one where it went wrong,” said Sir Alex to the press after the match.
“That’s the one where we’ve got to hold our hands up and say that was stupid. We threw it away that night – it was carelessness. It was 2-0 and could have been 5-0, so we’ve only got ourselves to blame in that aspect.
“Of course it is disappointing to go out, our record in the last few years has been outstanding and it’s a loss to us going out because this is the best tournament in the world – it’s a marvellous tournament.”
Sir Alex highlighted a disappointing start, which included Marco Streller’s ninth minute opener, as an important factor in his team’s defeat on the night.
“It wasn’t a good start to the game, which surprised us,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“I expected us to try and get control of the game immediately through possession but they have scored with what was really their first attack, a cross into the box that comes back in and then they are 1-0 up.”
Many, including the United boss, expected the Premier League champions to step up their performance and earn themselves the point they needed to qualify but they failed to take their chances.
Then, an Alexander Frei goal condemned them to defeat despite Phil Jones’ late consolation and the Scot admitted his side’s reaction to going a goal behind was something he was not pleased with.
“When you are 1-0 down away from home it gives you a serious job to do,” added Sir Alex.
“The opportunities we had we didn’t take and that was really the story of the game.”
As a result of being knocked out, United drop into the Europa League and the Red Devils boss admitted that was something he would need to prepare his squad for due to the fixture schedule it causes.
“The Europa League is a competition I have never been in with United,” he said.
“It does mean one thing, that we play Thursdays and Sundays right through the season, so that has to be dealt with.
“It is not the best news but that is our penalty for not qualifying tonight.”