At times this season, Ruud van Nistelrooy must have felt as if Manchester United’s Champions League campaign was a one-man crusade. No more. He may have stolen the show again last night, claiming both goals to become the club’s highest scorer in the European Cup, but this time he was merely the leading man. United would not have underlined their credentials in such ominous fashion without impressive performances from several of the supporting cast, which also allowed the audience to be treated to a cameo from David Beckham.
It was to United’s immense credit that, against one of the best teams in Europe, they were able to introduce Beckham, who had missed the previous six matches with a fractured rib, as a matter of luxury rather than urgency. Van Nistelrooy will inevitably steal the headlines, having scored his nineteenth and twentieth goals in just 21 matches for the club in the competition, but his was by no means the only significant contribution.
Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Mikael Silvestre, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Neville brothers were superb, while Juan Sebastián Verón, dare one say, is finally starting to look the part in midfield.