Manchester United 4 Sparta Prague 1
Sir Alex Ferguson's European wish was granted as Ruud van Nistelrooy netted
his first Manchester United four-timer to take the Red Devils to a brink of a
place in the last 16.
Ferguson's misfiring side have found the net just 11 times in the Barclays
Premiership but thanks to van Nistelrooy's one-man super show, they have now
eclipsed that number in just four Champions League outings.
In restoring the prolific Dutchman to his starting line-up following his
recent domestic ban, Ferguson hoped all his side's chances would fall at van
Nistelrooy's magical feet.
His wish did not quite come true as a series of squandered opportunities would
testify - but five did and four of them ended up in the net.
No matter how many striking stars he has bought lately, van Nistelrooy is the
man Ferguson cannot do without.
Having resisted his pre-match threat to give himself a game, Ferguson had come
up with a novel way of addressing his team's striking problems - forget about
defence, concentrate on attack, at all times.
It might not be a guaranteed way to gain success against ultimate pragmatists
like AC Milan or even Chelsea but it was enough to see off Sparta and contribute
to one of the most entertaining encounters Old Trafford has hosted in recent
times.
Evidence to prove the end-to-end nature of the contest came in the knowledge
that goalkeeper Roy Carroll had a plausible claim to be United's player of the
opening period, even though his team scored two goals and should have had many
more.
The Northern Irishman pulled off a string of fine stops but his double effort
near the end of the opening period which denied first Tomas Jun, then Lukas
Zelenka was worthy of comparison with anything the great man Schmeichel
produced.
Had Sparta scored at that stage, United's fragile confidence could have been
shattered. After all, they had dominated possession and created an incredible
number of clear-cut chances.
Their onslaught started in the fourth minute, when Gabriel Heinze latched onto
van Nistelrooy's deep cross and smashed a fierce 25-yard volley off the inside
of a post.
Wayne Rooney had a shot beaten away and Paul Scholes then inexplicably headed
wide after Rio Ferdinand's half-hit volleyed shot straight into his path barely
four yards out.
By then though, United had the cushion of an opening goal gifted to them by
Jiri Homola, who clearly did not realise van Nistelrooy was still making his way
out of the Sparta box when he delivered an ill-advised backpass straight into
the Dutchman's path.
Any spot-kick demons still swirling around in van Nistelrooy's mind were
extinguished by the penalty he netted against Arsenal 10 days ago, so when
Martin Petras wiped Scholes out after the former England man had darted into the
box after seizing on Zelenka's attempted clearance, the former PSV Eindhoven man
strode forward with the air of a man who was not going to miss and sent Blazek
the wrong way.
Ronaldo's magnificent skills have been one of the few consistent forms of
entertainment for United over the last 18 months and his brilliance tonight
earned him a standing ovation when he left the field midway through the second
half.
At such a tender age though, perfection is impossible and there is clearly
work required on his final ball.
Time and again, Ronaldo's jet-propelled heels left the visitors for dead but
the finish his trickery deserved wouldn't come.
Clean through in the final minute of the opening period after Van Nistelrooy
and Rooney had combined to split the Sparta defence, the 19-year-old winger
could only blast his shot against Blazek.
And it was the goalkeeper who denied him again when his 30-yard free-kick
sailed towards the corner shortly before Phil Neville replaced him.
Poor finishing is obviously not a problem van Nistelrooy suffers from. And,
after Zelenka had pulled Sparta back into the game by finishing off a flowing
attack with a clinical first-time finish from Jun's lay-off, the United striker
emulated Rooney's achievement against Fenerbahce by completing his sixth United
hat-trick.
The goal was pure route one as Heinze delivered a crossfield pass from the
left, Rooney challenged for it and missed but as the ball bounced up Radoslav
Kovac failed to get a firm enough contact with his intended header back to
Blazek and van Nistelrooy nipped in to lob the ball over the goalkeeper and into
the net.
The Dutchman was not done though and after Blazek had kept out his close-range
effort in stoppage time, he loitered around long enough to sweep home Keane's
cross with virtually the last kick of the match.
Teams
Man Utd Carroll, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Heinze,
Miller, Keane, Scholes (Phil Neville 69),
Ronaldo (Kleberson 69), Rooney, van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Saha, Giggs, Smith, Djemba-Djemba.
Booked: Miller, Brown.
Goals: van Nistelrooy 14, 25 pen, 60, 90.
Sparta Prague Blazek, Pergl, Homola, Kovac, Petras, Sivok,
Vorisek (Meduna 72), Poborsky, Zelenka, Urbanek (Simak 81),
Jun (Pacanda 81).
Subs Not Used: Bicik, Michalik, Cech, Koubsky.
Sent Off: Poborsky (87).
Booked: Poborsky, Homola.
Goals: Zelenka 53.
Att: 66,706
Ref: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg).
