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Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has said that his club could have won the game, had Marouane Fellaini travelled been part of the matchday squad.
The Belgium international was nursing a minor calf problem sustained during the World Cup qualifiers, and Mourinho decided to rest him for the Staffordshire game.
As a result, Ander Herrera started in a midfield three alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, and this did not work out for United, who had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
In a report covered by The Manchester Evening News, Mourinho admitted that it was game for Fellaini, who could have proved a menace from set-pieces.
"This was a game for Fellaini and then on the set-pieces we would be more dominant than we were, we didn't have much time after the 2-1 to kill the game because if we have a little bit more minutes with the result at 2-1 I think they have more pace for us and we kill the game," he said.
In the end, Mourinho thought that his team was held to a draw with Mark Hughes' side making sure that they do not maintain their 100 percent start to the new season.
The defence was a particular let-down during the course of the game, and the Champions League clash could bring a whole new test with both Phil Jones and Eric Bailly still serving a European ban.
Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof are likely contenders to occupy the heart of the defence against Swiss champions Basel on Tuesday night.
Written by Sri Aswin
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