Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't make the difference for Manchester United during his cameo appearance in their midweek Champions League tie, and one of the big issues surrounding tomorrow's crunch Premier League game against Chelsea is whether he will be named in United's starting line-up.
Sir Alex Ferguson indicated that the Portuguese star was more likely to be on the bench again, but the United manager must be tempted to think again given Ronaldo's importance to the team.
Ronaldo had less than half an hour to make his mark on his return from injury on Wednesday night and, in common with his teammates, he was unable to break down Villarreal's well-organised defence as the game ended 0-0.
He may not be quite ready yet, but what United clearly need is Ronaldo fully fit and back in the starting line-up. In six games in all competitions this season, United have scored only four goals and won just once - 1-0 away to Portsmouth in their second Premier League of the campaign.
Ronaldo's presence has a dramatic impact on United's scoring figures, and therefore their win rate. United have scored more than once in just two out of 10 Premier League games without Ronaldo in the starting 11 since the start of last season, whereas they have scored two or more goals 20 times out of 31 when Ronaldo has started.
United had a similarly sluggish start to last season. With Ronaldo on the sidelines for a month, they lost 1-0 at neighbours Manchester City and then scraped 1-0 home wins over Tottenham and Sunderland. When Ronaldo returned in mid-September, however, he was the catalyst for a remarkable run of 16 wins and one draw (away to Arsenal, who scored a last-minute equaliser) in the first 17 games he started.