This is a pivotal week for Manchester United, who must beat Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford on Wednesday to ensure a continued presence in the Champions League. Understandably, therefore, Alex Ferguson chose not to give his leading players a rest on Saturday, instead offering a rehearsal against Coventry City, whose dynamism depends in part on how many AA batteries they can muster at any one time.

"I could have made changes and rested one or two but I felt they needed a game today," he explained.

This was the definitive United team with the exception of the centre-back positions, where Gary Neville and Wes Brown filled in for Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen.

Without Stam's power and authority United are vulnerable at the back, and on Saturday Coventry eventually exploited a weakness in the air when Gary Breen met Paul Telfer's corner with a strong header which the Peruvian Ysrael Zuniga, standing almost on the goal line, nodded into the net.

Coventry's problem on Saturday was that up to half-time a number of their players appeared to believe that they should not be sharing the same pitch as the champions. After the game the feeling was confirmed by Gordon Strachan when he said : "In the first half we were playing the reputation of Manchester United. Roy Keane only got his first tackle when John Eustace came on."

That said, the quality of United's opening goal shortly before the half-hour would have commanded respect from more vaunted opponents than Coventry. In a counterattack of bewildering pace and precision Scholes volleyed a long pass out to David Beckham on the right and he sprinted almost to the byline before crossing low for Andrew Cole to turn the ball in first time at the near post.

Ferguson was not exaggerating when he said: "You won't get many better goals than that this season". Even one would be a surprise.

In contrast United's second goal, 10 minutes later, was all about Beckham's reputation at free-kicks. Paul Williams needlessly fouled Ryan Giggs within scoring range, exposing his goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to Beckham's powers.

Kirkland lined up the defenders and prepared himself for the usual mortar attack over their heads. Instead Beckham's kick surprised him by bouncing tamely through the wall and through his hands.

Late on Dwight Yorke came off the bench to hit a post, enough to have Ferguson reflecting that "we missed chances and might have regretted it".

This is nothing to the regrets that will ensue if United's chance in the Champions League is thrown away on Wednesday.

Coventry: Kirkland, Edworthy, Williams, Shaw, Thompson (Telfer 57), Chippo, Hadji, Breen, Guerrero, Quinn (Eustace 57), Bothroyd (Zuniga 45). Subs Not Used: Hendry, Miller. Booked: Eustace. Goal: Zuniga 64.

Manchester United: Barthez, G Neville, Irwin, Beckham, Cole, Sheringham (Yorke 71), Giggs, P Neville, Keane, Scholes (Solskjaer 51), Brown. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Silvestre, Chadwick. Booked: Keane. Goals: Cole 27, Beckham 37.

Referee: G Poll (Tring).