IT WAS a peacock-like spreading of Manchester United's feathers. Ever since the draw was made the club's unofficial websites have been filled with supporters swapping information of budget flights to Barcelona.

To fans of other clubs it may seem arrogantly presumptuous - a little bit like the Germans' habit of booking their hotel for the World Cup final - but the followers of Alex Ferguson's team will feel entitled to show such optimism.

Some have already booked their accommodation for Moscow on May 21st and, even though Barcelona might have something to say about that, United will not be fazed by their probable trip to Camp Nou in the semi-finals. Not, at least, on the evidence of a near-perfect evening for the Premier League champions in Rome.

United have happy memories of playing in Catalonia and they played with such control last night that if, as seems highly likely, they are paired with Frank Rijkaard's team it may be almost as happy an occasion as they enjoyed in 1999.

The thing that is really in United's favour in this tie is that they are a far more dangerous side at their own ground. Old Trafford, particularly under floodlights, is an imposing arena where even the most intrepid travellers can suffer a wave of apprehension. The really top players are inspired by it, but there are more who find it a difficult experience and some who wilt with stage fright.

Ferguson's men equalled a Champions League record when they beat Lyon in the first knockout round, their 10th home win in a row, and their opponents next Wednesday will be acutely aware that Cristiano Ronaldo, for one, is an even more penetrative player in familiar surroundings.

Then, of course, there is the lingering memory of the 7-1 scoreline when the two sides met at this stage of the competition last season - a performance of such destructive beauty that even now, a year later, it seems faintly preposterous that the nation that gave us catenaccio could allow itself to be subjected to such humiliation.

Away from home, Ferguson's tactics tend to be more conservative, with Carlos Tevez starting only one of their five foreign excursions this season. At Old Trafford, Ferguson is often bold enough to deploy a 4-2-4 formation. Here, the line-up reverted to the 4-5-1 system that, in one of the more chastening periods of Ferguson's two decades in office, prompted rebellious chants from United's hardcore fans. Two-and-a-half years on, those days have begun to feel like a trick of the imagination.

That is not to deny it is always a pity to see Wayne Rooney shunted out to the left wing and ordered to curtail his roaming instincts. Yet Ferguson did not come up with this system by plunging his hand into a bran-tub and picking out 11 numbers.

The emphasis was on keeping the ball, stifling the midfield and protecting Edwin van der Sar, and for long spells it worked beautifully. United had three central midfielders who seldom strayed out of position. At every Roma corner, each United player retreated back to the penalty area. When they had the ball they made sure they kept it.

The intriguing aspect was the absence of Owen Hargreaves given that this was exactly the type of match for which he was recruited. Anderson's impact has surprised everyone at Old Trafford, but it must be an issue for Hargreaves that he has started only 17 games in his first season for the club.

United's supporters can never have envisaged reaching April with his longest run of consecutive games standing at three, going back to a period of the season when the leaves had not even dropped from the trees.

Hargreaves, in fairness, has been hindered by problems with tendinitis and perhaps just needs more time. Ronaldo, after all, went through some difficult periods early in his United career. In the worst moments he was in danger of being cast as little more than a playground show-off who never grew up. Yet Ferguson was right: it was just a question of growing up, of being at the right club and flowering fully.

Ferguson had acknowledged before this match that it was legitimate to say Ronaldo had struggled to find his best form on United's foreign trips. United's fans have wondered for a long time when Ronaldo would start having a telling impact away from Old Trafford and now, finally, they have their answer. His goal was one of courage, a running leap to meet Paul Scholes's cross and a thumping header that will have reminded United fans of a certain age of Tommy Taylor.