The Reds only needed a point to qualify and finish top of the group but a team featuring six changes beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 at Old Trafford to advance in the tournament with five wins from six games.
Jose Mourinho's men, who returned to the Champions League by winning last season's Europa League, beat FC Basel 3-0 at home and CSKA Moscow 4-1 in Moscow before back-to-back victories over Benfica 1-0 and 2-0 respectively. The Reds' solitary defeat came against FC Basel in Switzerland last month, before the group phase concluded with Tuesday night's success.
It's the first time the club has reached the Round of 16 in Europe's elite competition since the 2013/14 season, when David Moyes's side reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by Bayern Munich following a 4-2 aggregate defeat.
The Reds have also qualified for the knockout phase for the 17th time in this our 21st Champions League group stage campaign.
United join fellow group winners Manchester City, Tottenham, Barcelona, Besiktas, Roma and Paris St-Germain in the next phase. It means the Reds could face Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Spartak Moscow, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Porto and Leipzig in the last 16, with four places still to be decided on Wednesday night.
The draw will take place on Monday 11 December, at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, from 11:00 GMT.
The eight group winners will be seeded and will be away in the first-leg matches, which are scheduled for 13/14 and 20/21 February. The second-leg games are due to take place on 6/7 and 13/14 March.
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