![]() ![]() ![]() The admiration for Beckham was arguably surpassed two minutes later when Rooney was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov. Milan had been generous enough, and coach Leonardo then gave Old Trafford even more of what it wanted by sending on Beckham for a 27-minute cameo, which was greeted with a rapturous standing ovation. He took a Paul Scholes pass in his stride before evading his marker and burying his finish in the far corner beyond Abbiati. If Milan harboured any hopes of rescuing this lost cause, they were finally snuffed out as Park put United three up on the hour. Great credit must go to Nani, who played in an inviting cross from the left flank with the outside of his right foot for the incoming Rooney to steer another expert finish past Abbiati. Milan's resolve was drastically reduced by this early setback and United were able to take control for the remainder of the half, with Fletcher almost adding a second with a rising drive that was only inches away.īeckham was in the middle of receiving a standing ovation as he warmed up in the opening moments of the second half - only for Rooney to interrupt with United's second and decisive goal. Neville delivered a cross his old friend and former team-mate Beckham would have been proud of, and Rooney maintained his lethal form in the air by flashing a header past Christian Abbiati. United, in the predictable form of Rooney, made them pay for the failure to take those half-chances as they took the lead after 13 minutes. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar then betrayed his reputation as an accomplished marksman with a desperate piece of control with only Van der Sar to beat. Milan had opportunities of their own amid the early sparring, with Ronaldinho's header falling agonisingly wide for Milan after Nani had unwittingly flicked on Andrea Pirlo's free-kick. The England striker was narrowly off target with a shot on the turn from the edge of the area, then the unlikely figure of Neville followed suit with a left-foot effort from long range that dipped just over the bar. Joel and Avi Glazer were in attendance at Old Trafford, and they were left in no doubt about the strength of feeling against their regime as the protests swept around the ground.įletcher's goal interrupted the well-orchestrated demonstration, but as a show of strength it was as impressive as some of United's play as they outclassed Milan.īeckham milked the applause at the final whistle, but he had received a brutal demonstration of the gap between the club he left behind and the one he graces now, albeit on a temporary basis.Īnd Old Trafford's joy was complete as news filtered through that Real Madrid, regarded as one of their major rivals, had fallen at the hands of Lyon in the Bernabeu.īeckham's hopes of celebrating his Old Trafford comeback with a place in Milan's starting line-up were dashed when he was only named on the bench - and he watched anxiously as Rooney posted the early warning signs. Ji-Sung Park drilled in the third on the hour as United exerted complete control.ĭarren Fletcher added the fourth with a diving header from Rafael's cross three minutes from time to put added gloss on a hugely satisfying evening for Sir Alex Ferguson as he bids to take United to the Champions League final for the third season in succession.īeckham made a greater impact than most of his hapless colleagues after his introduction, with some trademark crosses and a full-blooded volley that flew straight at Edwin van der Sar.Īnd with the football business successfully concluded, United's supporters conducted a protest against the Glazer family, with huge banners unfurled around Old Trafford and thousands of green and gold scarves, the symbol of their discontent, on display. Rooney headed United in front from Gary Neville's cross early on and extended United's 3-2 advantage from the first leg even further seconds after half-time after good work by Nani. Media requires JavaScript to play.įerguson enjoys 'fantastic' night for United ![]()
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