UNITED'S Champions League campaign got off to a nightmare start as controversial hitman Wayne Rooney was sensationally sent off for showing dissent to the referee.

And his outburst after being ordered off could land him in further hot water with UEFA.

The red card, coming just a week after Rooney's confrontational outburst in Belfast while playing for England, came after the teenage striker sarcastically applauded Kim Milton Nielsen's decision to book him right under the referee's nose.

It left Nielsen, who famously sent David Beckham off during England's World Cup clash with Argentina in 1998, with little alternative other than to brandish a second yellow and dismiss Rooney from the field.

Unfortunately, the England man's conduct got no better and he offered Nielsen the benefit of his opinion before he was ushered away.

Whether UEFA look to increase the automatic one-match ban which will rule Rooney out of the Old Trafford encounter with Benfica on September 27 remains to be seen, but the 19-year-old badly needs someone to bring him to heel before his mesmeric talent is totally undermined.

A bad night nearly got even worse for the visitors when Marcos Senna's free-kick crashed into Rio Ferdinand. But fortunately, the ball struck the crossbar rather than found the goal to at least offer Ferguson the consolation of a hard-earned point from what he dubbed the hardest game of United's group campaign.

There was no sign of the controversy to come in the early stages as United coped easily enough with Villarreal's sporadic attacks, which usually ended with a pass out wide and then a poor cross.

Mikael Silvestre did come close to putting the visitors in front with a far-post header Mario Viera did well to claw away.

By some considerable distance it proved to be the high point of Viera's first-half performance. He had already let one angled ball from John O'Shea bounce off his chest when a far more dangerous Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick provoked the same reaction.

The ball was quickly diverted goalwards off Ruud van Nistelrooy's chest but before the prolific Dutchman could bundle home, Rodriguez Gonzalo stretched out a leg and managed to hook the ball out from under his own crossbar.

It was a magnificent effort, although Edwin van der Sar's save from Rodolfo Arruabarrena moments early had almost been as good.

Arruabarrena was sure he had scored when he met Juan Pablo Sorin's inspired back-flick from Antonio Guayre's cross almost perfectly.

But, just as Andy Cole was left disappointed by Van der Sar's reflexes during Saturday's Manchester derby, Arruabarrena was similarly denied.

That incident had followed on quickly from Heinze's departure.

The popular Argentinian, winner of supporters' and players' player of the year awards last term, had the start to his season delayed by his summer commitments at the Confederations Cup.

Now he faces another spell on the sidelines, this time enforced, although Ferguson will hope the jarred knee Heinze suffered in his collision with Jan Kromkamp does not prove to be serious.

Heinze was at least able to try and carry on, although it was not long before the signal went out he was unable to continue.

The substitution brought Kieran Richardson into the fray and the England international was quickly involved in the action, picking up a caution for his pains as referee Nielsen started to flash yellow cards on a regular basis.

Alan Smith, the man United will turn to in midfield in Roy Keane's absence over the next fortnight, was another to end up in Nielsen's book but the Dane's real impact on the game was still to come.

Before Rooney's untimely exit, United had wasted an excellent chance to open their account when Smith got a firm downward header to Paul Scholes' corner.

Van Nistelrooy looked set to ram the ball home and he swivelled towards goal inside the six-yard box. But the Dutchman's usual predatory instincts deserted him and when he missed the ball completely Viera, for once, was able to hang on.

It was the last chance United had before they were reduced to 10 men by Rooney's ill-advised petulance.

Fortunately for Ferguson, there were enough clear heads remaining to keep Villarreal out and when Marcos Senna's free-kick crashed off Rio Ferdinand and onto the crossbar, they were able claim a precious point.

The result means United have still only won once in 16 encounters with Spanish opposition on Spanish soil.

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