David Moyes was denied a morale-boosting Champions League win in Donetsk last night, but still left the Donbass Arena as the first manager of an English team to nick a point from a trip to Shakhtar in this competition.
Moyes can do with all the little snippets of good news he can lay his hands on just now.
However, with Arsenal (twice), Tottenham and, last season, Chelsea all beaten by the Ukrainians, Moyes can look back with some satisfaction on a result which consolidates a decent start to Group A.
Yet the Scot may also lament the fact his side got within 15 minutes of what would have been an impressive victory.
Scorer of United’s last away goal in the competition, against Real Madrid, Welbeck was on the mark again, steering home after Yaroslav Rakitskiy had made a hash of clearing Marouane Fellaini’s low cross.
It was Welbeck’s third goal of the campaign, one more than he managed in the whole of last season, and for a good while afterwards seemed set to prove the difference.
But Shakhtar continued to press and when Taison thrashed home an impressive effort, United needed all their qualities to gain the draw their industry deserved.
United were more impressive for the fact Wayne Rooney was missing after suffering a shin injury in training before he had even left England which had swollen up overnight.
The visitors, however, were not entirely perfect.
Tom Cleverley got away with a sliding penalty area challenge on Alex Teixeira which got the faintest of touches to the Shakhtar man, but enough to offer the opportunity of an exaggerated fall, looking for a penalty.
Thankfully for Cleverley, Czech referee Pavel Kralovec was unsympathetic to Teixeira’s plea.
Robin van Persie curled over following a neat control and turn onto Cleverley’s pass before Welbeck put the visitors ahead.
Yaroslav Rakitskiy will not look back on the goal with any fondness, virtually teeing Welbeck up as he tried to intercept Fellaini’s cross.
The England striker needed no second invitation though and drilled his first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Shakhtar dominated for long periods thereafter. However, Nemanja Vidic had one of those nights which confirms his status as a central component of Moyes’ squad.
Always in the right place to make a block or decisive intervention, the Serb’s defensive instincts are such that any concerns about his dodgy knees will surely be overlooked when discussions begin over an extension to the contract which expires at the end of the season.
Taison did get past Rafael to fizz a low cross into the area which David de Gea, one of only two survivors from Saturday’s home defeat by West Brom, got down to smother.
It was also Taison who belted a free-kick into the wall after Vidic had been booked for upending Luiz Adriano.
The introduction of Ryan Giggs for a record 145th Champions League appearance was supposed to shore United’s defence up for the final assault.
Instead, it was followed within minutes by Shakhtar’s equaliser as Vidic could only turn Rakitskiy’s cross into the path of Taison, who fired home.