UEFA Champions League It's going down to the wire

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani celebrates his second goal against Manchester City during their Champions League clash at the San Paolo Stadium on Tuesday.

Manchester United and Manchester City's Champions League aspirations will go down to the wire after both English Premier League giants suffered wobbles in Tuesday's group action.

Benfica are now top of Group C after the Portuguese held United to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, while Basel, who host Sir Alex Ferguson's three-time winners in the final match, are only a point behind after edging out Romania's Otelul Galati 3-2.

Mega spenders City, for their part, slid to a 2-1 loss to Napoli - who had already held them in Manchester - with Edinson Cavani twice on target.

With Bayern Munich dispatching Villarreal 3-1 in Bavaria - Franck Ribery twice on target - the Germans winGroup A but City have now slipped to third a point adrift of Napoli after the Italians showed true grit to bag a precious win, helped by Cavani's predatory powers.

Napoli went in front on 17 minutes at a jam-packed Stadio San Paolo - where Mancini then a player lost a 1990 World Cup semi as Argentina beat Italy - when Aleksandar Kolarov, tangling with Cavani, deflected in a Marek Hamsik corner.

Walter Mazzarri's men were unable to maintain their advantage, however, and City were back on terms after 33 minutes, Mario Balotelli tapping in a rebound after Edin Dzeko had fed David Silva, whose initial shot home keeper Morgan De Sanctis beat out.

Napoli came out fighting for the second period and within three minutes they had their noses in front for a second time.Andrea Dossena crossed from the left and Cavani showed great poise to adjust his footing and fire past Joe Hart.

Although United's stalemate with Benfica left them both level on nine points, the Portuguese will progress as winners of Group C if they beat Romanian whipping boys Otelul Galati in their final group game in Lisbon next month by virtue of their better head-to-head record with United.

Phil Jones put through his own net on four minutes under pressure from Nicolas Gaitan to give Benfica - who had drawn the game in Lisbon 1-1 - the perfect start.

Dimitar Berbatov, dropped from last season's final loss to Barcelona and a peripheral figure this term, levelled on the half hour with Nani's cross tailor made for the Bulgarian, who celebrated his first Champions League goal in three seasons.Darren Fletcher then put United in front on the hour at the second attempt but Benfica, United's victims in their first European Cup success in 1968 at Wembley, would not lie down and Pablo Aimar equalised from close range just two minutes later.

RESULTS
Napoli 2 (Cavani 17, 49) Man City 1 (Balotelli 33)
Bayern Munich 3 (Ribery 3, 69,

Gomez 23) Villarreal 1 (De Guzman 50)
Trabzonspor 1 (Altintop 23) Inter Milan 1 (Alvarez 18)
CSKA Moscow 0 Lille 2 (V. Berezutsky 49-og, Sow 64)
Otelul Galati 2 (Giurgiu 75, Antal 81) Basel 3

(F. Frei 10, A. Frei 14, Streller 37)
Man Utd 2 (Berbatov 30, Fletcher 59)

Benfica 2 (Jones 3-o.g, Aimar 60)
Real Madrid 6 (Benzema 2, 66, Jose Callejon 6, 49, Higuain 9, Ozil 20) Dinamo Zagreb 2

(Beciraj 81, Tomecak 90)
Lyon (FRA) 0 Ajax (NED) 0