As this magnificent theatre was enshrouded with mist at the final whistle last night, José Mourinho performed a vanishing act, disappearing down the tunnel and leaving Sir Alex Ferguson looking mildly flummoxed. It was just about the only surprise that Inter Milan produced on an evening when they were outplayed on their own pitch, but no doubt it was a calculated act designed to leave the Manchester United manager with something to think about before the second leg at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

Logic, along with all the available evidence, tells you that United should progress to the quarter-finals, having been by far the more impressive team here, but first they must overcome the Mourinho factor. It feels a little facile at times to characterise this as an encounter between two great managers, rather than two great clubs, but, with players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic raising doubts about whether they can deliver when it really matters in the Champions League, you were left with the impression that Inter’s hopes lie primarily with their Portuguese coach.

The result is all that has ever mattered to Mourinho and, for that reason and no other, he will be happy as he looks forward to the return match in Manchester. Little went to plan for the Inter coach, with United making light of Wayne Rooney’s unexpected demotion to the bench to create enough chances to have won the tie in the first half here. But, while Mourinho may have appeared to lose the tactical battle, he will have told Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Javier Zanetti and their team-mates that a goalless draw at home is a fine result in the Champions League knockout stages and that they are well placed to win the war at Old Trafford, contrary to all the indications offered by their performance.

Ferguson had claimed, not entirely convincingly, that the tie would be decided last night. As such, he and his players will have flown out of Malpensa airport in the early hours of this morning wondering what to make of the number of opportunities they created and missed.

They were remarkably comfortable for the most part with Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher running the midfield, Park Ji Sung and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively offering perspiration and inspiration on the wings and young Jonny Evans performing manfully in defence against the disappointing Ibrahimovic. A goalless draw away from home is not, however, a result to savour in the Champions League knockout stages, particularly against a team coached by Mourinho, who stated confidently afterwards that the tie was perfectly balanced, offering a 50-50 chance that his Inter side would go through.

Mourinho admitted that he had been surprised by Ferguson’s team selection, which had Ryan Giggs operating behind Dimitar Berbatov in attack, with Rooney on the bench. It was a surprising choice, one that Ferguson explained by citing that Berbatov was better than Rooney at defending from set-pieces, but it also posed questions of the Inter defence, questions that they seemed unprepared to answer, like a student who turns over his exam sheet and is aghast to see that none of his specialist subjects has come up.

It was half an hour before Inter gained even a little of the composure and control that are the hallmarks of any Mourinho team. By that time they were fortunate not to be at least one goal behind, with United having mustered ten attempts on goal. Four of them came from Ronaldo, but Júlio César, the Inter goalkeeper, kept out everything that the United forward could produce, flinging himself to repel two rasping free kicks and a towering header. Finally, from a cross by Giggs in the 29th minute, Ronaldo rose and sent a header floating past Júlio César, but the ball drifted inches wide of the post. Between times, Giggs, turning the unconvincing Nelson Rivas inside-out, missed the best chance of all, shooting straight at the goalkeeper after taking the ball a little too wide of the goal.

Mourinho did not like what he was seeing. Nor did Francesco Toldo, his substitute goalkeeper, who was shown the yellow card for remonstrating with the fourth official just before half-time. By that stage, Mourinho was already planning his first substitution, replacing Rivas with Iván Córdoba, his fellow Colombian. No doubt a few choice words were uttered in the Inter dressing-room as well, because Mourinho’s team re-emerged sharper and hungrier. Esteban Cambiasso burst down the left wing and sent in a cross from which Adriano should have done better. Then Zanetti escaped down the right and Adriano, marshalled by Rio Ferdinand, threw himself to the ground in the vain hope of winning a penalty. It was not much, but it had United on their heels for the first time.

United, though, remained composed, not least Evans, who, having passed a late fitness test on a sprained ankle, ensured that Nemanja Vidic’s suspension was not a serious factor. He was helped by half-hearted performances from Adriano and Ibrahimovic, who in turn were hindered by a lack of quality service from the midfield, but, considering the size of the occasion, Evans handled himself magnificently.

With Inter’s brief resurgence quelled, Ferguson sent on Rooney for the final six minutes, which was long enough for the forward to pick up a yellow card and to get a sniff of goal, racing on to Carrick’s pass, only to be beaten to the ball by the ever-ready Júlio César. Rooney will have a part to play in the second leg, but so too, you suspect, will Mourinho. On this evidence, he may represent Inter’s best hope of dethroning the European champions, but, as he disappeared in the mist, already plotting United’s ultimate downfall, the suspicion was that he likes it that way.

Inter Milan (4-3-1-2): Júlio César — Maicon, N Rivas (sub: I Córdoba, 76min), C Chivu, D Santon — J Zanetti, E Cambiasso, S Muntari (sub: J Cruz, 46) — D Stankovic — Adriano (sub: M Balotelli, 76), Z Ibrahimovic. Substitutes not used: F Toldo, N Burdisso, Maxwell, L Figo. Booked: Maicon, Chivu, Toldo.

Manchester United (4-4-1-1): E van der Sar — J O’Shea, R Ferdinand, J Evans, P Evra — C Ronaldo, M Carrick, D Fletcher, Park Ji Sung (sub: W Rooney, 84) — R Giggs — D Berbatov. Substitutes not used: B Foster, Fábio Da Silva, D Gibson, P Scholes, Nani, C Tévez. Booked: Fletcher, Rooney.

Referee: L Medina Cantalejo (Spain).