Guardian:
‘A thousand games as manager is a remarkable feat of longevity but Sir Alex Ferguson, originally a goalscorer by trade, would be the first to admit the most impressive statistic last night belonged to Ruud van Nistelrooy.
‘The Dutchman's winner here means he now has 36 goals in 37 Champions League appearances, a record that will invigorate Ferguson's belief that a side nine points adrift in the Premiership is equipped to return the European Cup to Old Trafford.
‘Maintaining an extraordinary ratio of nearly a goal every game in Europe's premier club competition, Van Nistelrooy's twisting header after 52 minutes ensured Manchester United's safe passage into the knock-out stages, even if they may still have to beat Fenerbahce in Istanbul to qualify as winners of Group D.
‘He also spared the goalkeeper Roy Carroll a torturous inquest after his wretched mistake shortly before half-time. The Northern Ireland international not only presented Lyon with an excruciatingly soft equaliser but inadvertently threatened to spoil a night of rich sentimentality for his manager.
‘Amid all the backslapping Ferguson should not lose sight of the fact he lacks a truly outstanding goalkeeper but there were enough positives last night for him to relegate that particular issue to the sidelines.’
Indie
‘Sir Matt Busby's 1,000th match as United's manager came at a time when the club was building itself up for a final, successful lunge for the European Cup.
‘Watching Manchester United celebrate Sir Alex Ferguson's landmark with a superlative display against a technically accomplished Lyon, it was possible to imagine them in Istanbul in May competing for another.
‘Ferguson thought both teams might travel a very long way in this competition. "There was a magnificent quality to the match," he reflected. "All day I'd been a bit nervy knowing how these things can fall apart. But I said to myself that it was the previous 999 that had got me here."
‘Last night's victory, his 564th, was fittingly sealed by two of Ferguson's outstanding performers in the Champions' League; Gary Neville, who has played more games in the competition than any Englishman, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has scored more times in Europe than any United player.
‘Even in his 1,000th match there was still room for Ferguson to show his capacity to innovate, employing Alan Smith as a central midfielder. He thought the Lyon centre would be vulnerable to counter-attacks and for half an hour, playing off Cristiano Ronaldo, the Yorkshireman proved the gamble correct.
‘Even after 18 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson did not look like a man taking matters philosophically. He chewed his gum with a furious intensity.
‘Wayne Rooney might have scored three times in the first hour; driving one shot firmly on to the base of Nicolas Puydebois' post, hammering another viciously wide and then, just before Van Nistelrooy pounced, he saw Lamine Diatta clear off his line.
‘Rooney's vision for a cross that the Dutchman chipped over Puydebois and which ran agonisingly close to the post was wonderfully instinctive.
‘Instinctive is the single best adjective that sums up Van Nistelrooy. Ferguson has remarked that he is the most natural striker he has worked with as a manager, which given the range of alternatives, is some compliment.
‘There was nothing complicated or flash about his goal; it was simply his unerring ability to pick the right spot to meet an uncannily fine cross from Rio Ferdinand and bury it. It was his 46th goal in 47 Champions' League matches, a statistic that is almost as hard to credit as 1,000 matches at the helm of Manchester United.’
Times
‘The scoreline, if not the drama, matched that of the biggest night in Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial career and if Manchester United are to reproduce the glory of that 1999 European Cup triumph this season, they may see this performance as pivotal in their progress. On the night that their manager celebrated his 1,000th match in charge, United rediscovered the right blend of perspiration and inspiration to secure their place in the knockout stage.
‘In a season when their form has been mercurial, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s eighth Champions League goal of the campaign proved the winner. It followed Roy Carroll committing the kind of error that seems to haunt goalkeepers at Old Trafford but, for much of the game, United played the French champions off the park.
‘This was the first time that Lyons have lost in the Champions League or French league this season, but they could not match the thrust of United’s attacking midfield, in which Alan Smith was outstanding.
‘Anything other than victory would have been an anticlimax on Ferguson’s big night. Awarded a celebratory bottle beforehand and a spontaneous standing ovation midway through the first period, the United manager was left purring at some of the football his team played.
‘The impressive aspect of United’s victory was the manner in which they combined graft with craft. Ronaldo was full of pirouettes but invariably concluded them with a dangerous cross or shot. Keane was mobile in front of the back four; Smith worked away ceaselessly and Rooney played his impish part.’
Telegraph:
‘Sir Alex Ferguson's grand night out went with a swing at Old Trafford, the delighted Manchester United manager celebrating his 1,000th game with a victory that took his team into the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
‘Goals from unexpected and predictable sources, respectively Gary Neville and Ruud van Nistelrooy, guaranteed a memorable night for Ferguson and ensured that Roy Carroll's blunder, which gifted Mahamadou Diarra a brief equaliser, did not ruin the party atmosphere.
‘Ferguson will also have taken pride from the spritely way some of his newer players performed, notably Alan Smith and Gabriel Heinze, and also Wayne Rooney and the substitute Darren Fletcher, all of them displaying great commitment and mobility as the team played their part in making it a special night for Ferguson.’