Manchester United were left to regret missing a glut of chances as the Red Devils slumped to their first defeat of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League season at the hands of Swiss side FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park.

Before their 1-0 loss in Basel, United were among the few teams still to possess a 100 per cent record but were unable to register their fifth win on the trot, which would have seen them secure their last-16 berth.

After thrashing Premier League side Newcastle United 4-1 on the weekend, the Red Devils were in a bullish mood, buoyed by the return of stars Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

And United manager Jose Mourinho sent out a strong starting XI, with Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku at the apex of a 4-2-3-1 formation, with in-form winger Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard starting behind the burly striker.

Centre-back Marcos Rojo started for the first time this season, while goalkeeper Sergio Romero, Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian featured as well.

Nemanja Matic was given a well-deserved rest, with Marouane Fellaini starting for the first time since injury his knee.

Basel, who knew nothing but a win would keep their hopes of qualification alive, began the tie brightly but it didn’t take long before United took control and had their first shot on goal.

Lukaku shrugged off the challenge of a defender and went straight for goal after collecting a through ball from Lingard but Basel custodian Tomas Vaclik was fast out of his blocks and smothered the shot.

United kept pressing and Fellaini had a header cleared off the line and the gangly midfielder would then send a header wide of the post after Blind found him unmarked inside the box.

It seemed a matter of time before the Red Devils would breach Vaclik’s goal, but somehow the hosts managed to ride out the storm. Rojo came close with a deflected effort from distance, but his shot cannoned off the crossbar a minute before half-time.

The first-half had been all United, but they had precious little to show for it and Basel were still in the tie.

They started to look threatening on the counter and all of a sudden, Romero was the busier of the two goalkeepers.

Sensing his side were under pressure, Mourinho introduced Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic after the hour-mark in a bid to wrest the momentum back, but it was in vain as Basel continued to dominate.

The hosts would then hit the post as they continued undeterred and despite the late introduction of Ibrahimovic, United were unable to seriously test Vaclik.

And Basel would get rewarded for their persistent efforts when Michael Lang arrived at the far-post to tap-in Raoul Petretta’s cross in the 89th minute to secure an important win for the Swiss side.

In the other Group A game on the night, CSKA Moscow beat Benfica 2-0 to keep their hopes of qualifying to the knockouts alive. United still top the group with 12 points, while CSKA and Basel both have nine.

The Red Devils are still in control of their destiny and need to avoid defeat in their final group-stage game, a home tie against CSKA Moscow, to secure top spot.

Basel travel to Benfica, who are yet to register a point in Europe this season, for their last game on Matchday 6.