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David Beckham and Paul Scholes - Source: Reuters -
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Wayne Rooney scored twice again as Manchester United cruised
into the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a 4-0 win
over a feeble AC Milan sent them through 7-2 on aggregate on
Thursday.
Rooney, who scored twice in the 3-2 San Siro win, was on target
with a 13th-minute header that broke the hearts of the seven-times
winners.
He added his second at the start of the second half and in a
virtual exhibition match, Park Ji-sung after an hour and a late
Darren Fletcher header completed the crushing victory.
"We got the break with the early goal in the second half and after
that we played very well. When we play at that tempo we are
difficult to play against. With the team I've got it dosn't matter
who we play next," said United manager Alex Ferguson.
Milan, without injured centre back Alessandro Nesta, striker
Alexandre Pato and midfielder Luca Antonini looked off the pace
from the start but few could have predicted their total
capitulation.
Rooney shot wide after three minutes and even fullback Gary
Neville was allowed to let fly just over the bar with his left foot
soon after.
Milan should have scored from their first real attack though as an
Andrea Pirlo free kick reached Ronaldinho but the Brazilian's
header went just wide after eight minutes.
If Klaas Jan Huntelaar had managed to control Thiago Silva's
through ball with the goal gaping things might have turned out
differently.
With Daniele Bonera forced to operate at centre back Rooney was
wandering free and when Neville found him on the penalty spot there
was never any doubt that he would thunder his header beyond
Christian Abbiati.
That left Milan needing three goals to progress and it appeared
that nobody in their lineup had the confidence to find
them.
Biggest cheer
Within a minute of the restart they needed four as more slack
defending allowed Nani to charge forward down the left. He then
sent in an inviting low cross with the outside of his right boot
and Rooney made sure he reached it first to score his 30th club
goal of the season.
Paul Scholes sent Park through to slide in the third as Milan just
about went through the motions.
The introduction of David Beckham as a 65th-minute replacement for
Ignazio Abate raised the biggest cheer of the night as the
midfielder, who left United for Real Madrid in 2003, was given a
standing ovation and even tested Edwin van der Sar with a sharp
shot.
With not much of a contest to keep them occupied United's fans
spent most of the last 20 minutes chanting anti-Glazer songs and
displaying their green and gold protest scarves against the
American owners of the club - Beckham left the pitch wearing one at
fulltime.
They were brought back to the action two minutes from time when
Fletcher stretched well at the far post to head home the fourth
goal and complete Milan's humiliation.
With Arsenal moving though against Porto on Wednesday, Chelsea can
make it a hat-trick of English sides into the last eight if they
can turn round their 2-1 deficit against Inter Milan at Stamford
Bridge next week.
