Filed under: Manchester United, Champions League, Football, Match Reports
Manchester United planted one foot into the Champions League final after second-half goals from Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney rewarded a dominant display.It could have been even better for Sir Alex Ferguson's side had a combination of missed chances and Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer not kept them at bay for long periods of this one-sided semi-final first leg tie.
The visitors could have racked up a cricket score before the break as Javier Hernandez (twice), Ji Sung-Park, Fabio, Giggs (twice) and Rooney were either foiled or missed the target.
Schalke were somehow still in this first-leg and United's watefulness in front of goal continued after the restart, with Giggs and Herndandez once again among the guilty parties.
But Neuer was finally beaten when Rooney's pass split open the German side's defence for Giggs to finally slot home in the 67th minute.
Schalke were cut open then and Rooney put Ferguson's side in the driving seat two minutes later when he found space to put the finishing touch to another flowing move.
The Bundesliga outfit could have no complaints and never looked like becoming the first side to score past United on their travels in this season's Champions League campaign.
And on this evidence, it would now take a minor miracle to prevent Manchester United booking a European Cup final spot at Wembley next month after this walk in the park.
REACTION:
Ferguson hailed the performance and reckons his Red Devils side are now at the peak of their powers after dismantling Schalke:
"Our concentration, intensity and speed of our passing was excellent. It was a top performance and everyone has done fantastically well. When Hernandez scored but was offside, it told the players they could beat the goalkeeper. It's a marvellous result. They kept playing their football, had trust in each other and we are coming to a peak."
On Schalke's Bayern Munich-bound goalkeeper Neuer:
"I think we know that (he is going there). He was fantastic and it was one of the best performances I've seen against Manchester United."
On picking the same side that beat Chelsea in the previous round:
"We have a good formation, experience and work-rate. I've got good options and selection problems, but that's what you want with important games coming up. It was going to happen though and we were going to score here. We have more experience now."
On the run-in:
"I want to get Sunday's game (against Arsenal) over first with a positive result as it's an important game for us. From there, I could make two or three changes. It's a seven-day period that is crucial to the club but the players are relishing it."
Rooney admitted Manchester United should have put the tie to bed after cruising to a win at the Veltins Arena:
"We played very well but we are disappointed we didn't take more chances. But overall we are delighted, with two away goals for us, so it's a good win. In the first half especially we had some great chances. We kept going and dominated possession and fully deserved the victory."
On seeing the job through in the second leg:
"They are a good team and we can't take them lightly. You see how they won in Inter Milan so we have to remain professional and finish the job off at home."
Giggs said his team-mates were disappointed not to have killed off Schalke for good:
"We knew if we kept creating chances they would eventually go in. We could have been four or five up. At the start we would have taken 2-0, but we are slightly disappointed now at that score."
WHAT IT MEANS: Manchester United won't have enjoyed an easier European night than this, certainly not in the knock-out stages. They took a giant step towards facing either Real Madrid or Barcelona after outplaying Schalke from start to finish and scoring two away goals. The German side, who looked out of their depth, showed why they are 10th in the Bundesliga and are fortunate they aren't out of the tie altogether.
SCHALKE 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 2 (Giggs 67, Rooney 69)
PLAYER MARKING:
Schalke (4-4-2): Neuer 9, Uchida 6, Matip 6, Metzelder 6, Sarpei 5 (Escudero, 73, 5); Farfan 6, Papadopoulos 6, Jurado 7 (Draxler 83), Baumjohann 5 (Kluge 53, 6); Raul 6, Edu 5
Subs (not used): Schober, Plestan, Charisteas, Karimi
Manchester Utd (4-4-2): Van der Sar 6; Fabio 7, Ferdinand 7, Vidic 7, Evra 7; Valencia 7, Carrick 8, Giggs 8, Park 7 (Scholes 73, 6); Rooney 8 (Nani 83), Hernandez 7 (Anderson 73, 7)
Subs (not used): Kuszczak, Smalling, Rafael, Evans
ATTENDANCE: 54,000
REFEREE: Carlos Carballo (Spain)
NEXT UP: Manchester United v Arsenal (a), Premier League, 01/05, 1405 BST
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Manuel Neuer (Schalke): The German goalkeeper, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, put up a one-man barrier at times. Neuer is destined to leave Schalke in the summer and you can see why after this man-of-the-match performance kept his side in contention until the final stages.
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