Man U 5 Panathinaikos 0
Man U 5 Panathinaikos 0
TAKING THE MIK ... Mikael Silvestre starts the Manchester United rout from close range
MAN UTD
By NEIL CUSTIS
MANCHESTER UNITED sent a shudder through Europe with a breathtaking display to signal their Champions League intentions.
The first-half four-goal performance was one of the most spectacular they have ever produced in this competition as they panned poor Panathinaikos.
And for those who say the team are nothing without Ruud van Nistelrooy, well, he did not even get one goal on the night.
Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nicky Butt were on target before the break with Eric Djemba-Djemba adding his first goal for the club in the second half.
The result equalled United’s biggest win in the Champions League, matching their 5-0 destruction on Brondby in 1998-99 when they went on to win the competition. An omen perhaps?
What stood out most about the display, and indeed since the departure of David Beckham, was the performance of Ryan Giggs.
With Beckham gone, he has taken it upon himself to become a far more pivotal figure. He was involved in four of the five goals last night.
And it was not all just pacy swerving runs either. His positional play and touch was excellent too.
If United were wondering where their corner and free-kick taker was going to come from, well Giggs is doing all that as well.
STRIKE IT RICH ... Quinton Fortune smacks
home a left-foot shot to make it 2-0
To think he feared for his future at Old Trafford last season and there was real doubt behind the scenes as to whether his best days were behind him.
It looks like they are about to come and the reshaped United appear as lethal as the old model.
You can argue about the strength of the opposition but they lead the Greek league after three straight wins and the team makes up half of the national side that is odds-on to reach Euro 2004.
United boss Alex Ferguson warned his team it would not be easy but that is exactly how they made it look after effectively winning the game within the first 15 minutes.
It looks like that patient European game Fergie tried to introduce has been swapped for the full-throttle version again.
Van Nistelrooy went close after just 20 seconds. An ominous warning for the Greeks that was clearly not heeded as United took a 13th-minute lead.
Giggs fired over a corner and Silvestre steamed in, first forcing the ball forward with his stomach before lunging into a crowd of players and volleying home.
The second came two minutes later. Van Nistelrooy knocked the ball into Solskjaer who fired it across the box.
Giggs was off balance but still able to touch it back for Fortune, who released a cracker from the edge of the box into the top left-hand corner.
GIVING CHASE ... Silvestre tries to tackle Konstantinou
Little wonder he celebrated with such joy. It was his first Champions League goal as he turned on a performance that justified his selection.
Keeper Tim Howard had to make a rare save from Michael Konstantinou’s bullet header but that only stung United into hitting a third after 34 minutes — and Giggs was involved again.
Fortune won a thumping header in the centre of the park to send the ball to the Welsh wizard.
His cross was met by a first-time Solskjaer shot but it appeared keeper Antonis Nikopolidis had two hands on it until the ball trickled through his grasp and into the net.
The fourth came five minutes before the break with John O’Shea supplying the left-wing cross and Butt came in with a late run to glance a header into the far corner.
The Greeks were so shell-shocked the beleaguered goalkeeper just had to go at the break, to be replaced by Konstantinos Chalkias.
To think first-choice Nikopolidis said in the match programme that he would love to play for a Premiership club next season. Er, no thanks mate.
His replacement would not suffer quite the same indignity — he conceded only one second-half goal.
That came seven minutes from time when Gary Neville’s cross was flicked on by Giggs and Djemba-Djemba turned it home from close range.
For Fergie, it was not just the perfect start to United’s Champions League campaign but also the ideal preparation for the visit of Premiership rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2...30950,,00.html
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