HT Wolfsburg 0-1 Manchester United: Michael Owen gives United the lead

Michael Owen gave makeshift Manchester United a priceless half-time lead against Wolfsburg in the Volkswagen Arena.

United went into the game without 14 senior men.

But after soaking up plenty of pressure from the hosts, whose playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic spurred their best chance, Owen ghosted into space and finished off Nani's left-wing cross a minute before the break to put the visitors on course to clinch top spot in Group B.

Sir Alex Ferguson went for Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher as his central defensive combination as his injury-hit Manchester United side tackled Wolfsburg looking to secure top spot in Champions League Group B.

With 12 players missing through injury, Ryan Giggs suspended and Ritchie De Laet ineligible, Ferguson was left to select a scratch side that also included Park Ji-sung at right-back.

Tomasz Kuszczak also kept his place in goal with United needing to keep out Erin Dzeko and company to collect the point required to finish top, or hope CSKA Moscow beat Besiktas in Istanbul.

Instead of taking up an orthodox full-back position, Park was handed a wing-back role, with Nani on the other side.

Park was soon sending in a searching cross too, which Wolfsburg cleared, before stand-in skipper Patrice Evra won a free-kick after a wrestling match with Grafite.

The Brazilian was soon shooting from the edge of the area, although Kuszczak was not really tested to make a save to his right.

With Wolfsburg enjoying the bulk of possession, it soon became clear if United were to cause any damage they would do so on the break.

Zvjezdan Misimovic was next to try his luck but again, Kuszczak got right behind a shot that took a minor deflection on its way through.

United were reasonably measured in possession themselves, with Darron Gibson discovering Park to be a useful outlet as he hugged the touchline, picking out the South Korean with a succession of crossfield passes.

Carrick was lucky to get away with a rash sliding tackle which took down Makoto Hasebe in the box, then Gibson, scorer of three memorable goals in the last week, failed to find the target from 25 yards after being given an opportunity by Paul Scholes.

Christian Gentner drove a shot into Evra as Wolfsburg picked up the initiative once more then, after Kuszczak had come for a corner and got nowhere near, Andrea Barzagli sent a free header fizzing over the bar when he really should have done better.

Misimovic was also off target when Sascha Riether crossed to the far post after charging forward on the overlap.

Dzeko collected Hasebe's cross-field pass and stepped inside Fletcher. But the angle was always against the Bosnian and he drove into the side-netting.

United had to make the most of what possession they did get, so Nani stepping inside Riether, then losing the ball on an uneven surface did not endear him to Michael Owen, who had pulled into space on the far side of the box.

Danny Welbeck had the ball in the net on the half hour but the youngster had strayed offside before collecting Anderson's pin-point through ball.

Kuszczak punched Gentner's cross clear as Dzeko closed in before he made a flying stop at his near post as Hasebe went for goal.

Having soaked up so much pressure, United hit their hosts with the ultimate sucker punch a minute before the break.

Owen might not be the tallest but he still knows how to find space.

And when Nani floated over a cross from the left, the former Liverpool hit-man found enough room to guide a header into the bottom corner.