Uefa Champions League:With Manchester United it is never over until the fat lady has collapsed in a wheezing heap. "No other team scores as many late goals as us," Alex Ferguson likes to boast, and whatever happens in the remainder of this season's Champions League there can be no doubting their current status as the most exciting team in Europe.
"Fantastique Manchester United" was one headline in France yesterday as the world's press salivated over another exhilarating demonstration of attacking, one-touch, stylishly penetrative football.
The accolades are richly deserved given the way Ferguson's players seem intent on obliterating the reputation of Italian defending but, amid the euphoria of Wayne Rooney's late and dramatic winner in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Milan, it should not be overlooked that the Rossoneri's players were also claiming a victory as they left Old Trafford. With two away goals, nothing can be taken for granted in the second leg.
"I believe we are favourites," Kaka, Milan's sweetly gifted Brazilian, said in the bowels of the stadium, and the six-times winners will glean hope when they analyse United's record in this competition over the past few seasons, with only two wins in their past 13 away games.
A draw would suffice for the Premiership leaders but Ferguson's team have lost at FC Copenhagen, Celtic and Roma this season and Milan have not dropped a point in a home game in Serie A since a scoreless draw against Torino on December 10th.
News from Milan suggests Paolo Maldini should be fit for the second leg, having lasted only 45 minutes on Tuesday, and that Gennaro Gattuso is fine despite his rather hammy departure on a stretcher.
Rooney did not peak until Maldini's withdrawal and even though Gattuso failed to exert his usual influence he is such a vital player for Milan that the visitors suffered without him. Cristian Brocchi, his 52nd-minute replacement, was responsible for losing the ball to Ryan Giggs in the build-up to Rooney's second goal.
Ferguson was sufficiently emboldened by his team's display to talk of his players being in a "fantastic position". They will begin at San Siro as favourites but the word "marginal" should be applied and if that sounds pessimistic then refer to what Ferguson himself said after United lost the first leg of their quarter-final against Roma. He said the 2-1 deficit represented a "good result" because "the away goals are invaluable in these two-legged fixtures".
The trick will be to prevent Milan from scoring and Ferguson will be without the injured Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic plus the suspended Patrice Evra, although he clings to hope that Rio Ferdinand will have recovered from a groin strain even though the defender was originally ruled out until the visit to Chelsea on May 9th.
Gabriel Heinze is a feisty left-back but has not been the same player since rupturing knee ligaments 19 months ago and was partly culpable for both of Kaka's goals, outpaced for one and outmanoeuvred for the other. Those lapses may make it imperative for United's attacking players to take the game to Milan, searching for an away goal of their own, rather than being cagey. Despite United's reputation for going "goal crazy", as Kaka put it, Ferguson frequently tries a more defensive 4-5-1 formation on the club's European excursions.
"We wanted to keep a clean sheet because away goals are key in this competition," observed the seasoned Giggs. "We didn't want to give away one goal, let alone two, so that has knocked the stuffing out of us a little bit.
"We'll probably have to defend better in the away leg but we're capable of doing that. It's going to be difficult, as it always is in the San Siro, but we saw enough in the second half to show we can get a good result if we keep our character and nerve."
Guardian Service
