United stroll into quarter finals

Manchester United 1-0 Lyon

There can be a fine line between confidence and complacency. It was one Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to straddle in his selection before his team showed that the Manchester United manager remains firmly on the right side of it. As Manchester United equalled Juventus' Champions League record of 10 successive home wins, they ensured their participation in the quarter-finals without requiring many of their supposed stars.

Injury deprived them of Ryan Giggs, but Ferguson denied them Carlos Tevez, Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves for the majority of the match. It has come to something when the Champions League knockout stages can used to practise squad rotation, but that is an indictment of their opponents.

Alternating for Fulham is one thing, but for Lyon it should be another altogether. United are accustomed to witnessing visitors to Old Trafford arriving without the belief they can win. They are not used to the champions of France being among them.

But with Lyon so timid, Ferguson's central midfield combination of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Anderson were comfortable. His surprise selections toiled rather than starred but, in such an uneventful game, they did not need to. Lyon only threatened to progress to the last eight when the substitute Kader Keita's low drive rebounded back off the post. 'Apart from that, I don't think they made a chance,' said Ferguson.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, showed again that he can permit Ferguson to alternate elsewhere in the team. His 30th goal of the season decided the tie and, appropriately given the nationality of the visitors, provided a hint of déjà vu. Ronaldo being the match-winner has been the most regular theme of United's season.

At this time of the campaign, numerous, and normally tedious, mentions of mind games abound. Yet, far from the barbed comments that seem to proliferate when Ferguson is in a scrap, a couple of compliments confounded this week.

Tevez, he said, was reminiscent of Eric Cantona in his capacity to score crucial goals and Scholes, suspended in 1999, would figure in the Champions League final, should United reach it. Cue the selection of both on the bench.

Fletcher's presence on the pitch has long induced groans from sections of the United support. His excellence in the 4-0 win over Arsenal may have changed that, but if the theory that Ferguson often favoured his compatriot for the biggest matches has not totally been debunked, there was the sense that this hardly counted as United's toughest test.

'He emerged from the Arsenal game with great credit,' explained the United manager. 'He always plays well against Arsenal. That was a matter of horses for courses but it was a big decision for me tonight. Scholes' performance against Fulham was vintage Scholes, if the game tomorrow was I would have played Scholes.

'Darren came in to do a job, which he did effectively. I wouldn't like to play against him, he has such a stretch in terms of winning the ball and most of the time he wins it without conceding fouls, which was important because we knew of Juninho's threat from free kicks. Darren's shown the things you always admire in people, he's a good professional.'

That almost counted as a eulogy, but perhaps it entailed an element of justifying his own selection. Neat, tidy but unexceptional, Fletcher epitomised United and while it bemused that Hargreaves, signed with this competition in mind, was only granted one minute, it mattered not.

Ronaldo ensured that, providing a precise finish to an imperfect move. Wes Brown played a one-two with Nani and pulled a cross back to the edge of the box. Anderson may have intended to shoot or planned to pass; whatever, it fell to the Portuguese, who steered it into the only possible part of the goal. In the mould of many a prolific striker, his was not a great performance, but it contained a telling contribution.

Wayne Rooney, muted until the introduction of Tevez for a 20-minute cameo, twice should have doubled the lead in the closing stages, but it was only then that Lyon showed any inclination to attack.

Alain Perrin's policy of keeping nine men behind the ball whenever United were in possession placed plenty of onus on the remaining other - Benzema - to instigate attacks. Without providing the explosive finish that illuminated the first leg, the lone striker displayed pace and perseverance and considerable skill, but his was a one-man effort.

His sparring partner, Hatem Ben Arfa, was particularly ineffective and while Kim Kallstrom displayed a fondness for long-range shooting, Benzema was isolated for much of the match. Whether such an unambitious side have provided any incentives for a striker coveted by Ferguson, among others, to stay, is doubtful.

'From the effort we put in, we might have deserved more but you can't argue with the fact Manchester United deserved to go through over the two legs,' admitted Perrin. 'When you look at things in the cold light of day, it was decided by that late goal (by Tevez in the first leg).'

In Lyon's minds, it was, anyway.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Rio Ferdinand
This was not a match of outstanding displays, but Ferdinand was smoothly authoritative in a reliable rearguard. Despite Keita hitting the post, United never looked like conceding. Or, to put it another way, Lyon never looked like scoring.

MANCHESTER UNITED VERDICT: Not for the first time, they showed that winning when below their best is a useful habit to have. Ferguson's 4-5-1 was solid enough, but Rooney looked happier after Tevez's introduction and their strongest side for Champions League games surely includes Hargreaves as well.

LYON VERDICT: Selling a star player every summer has hampered, if not ended, their chances of winning the Champions League. With Michael Essien and Mahamadou Diarra, among others, they may have been capable of beating United. Without them, they are very much in the second tier of European clubs. Even their domestic dominance is endangered and if Benzema leaves, Ligue 1 may finally have a different winner.

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