We had been warned that the game would not see another 7-1 thriller and so it proved. United will be happy with the three points and another clean sheet against a talented, if not revengeful, Roma team. The game lacked tempo and excitement but was actually interesting to watch. A few Roma players caught my eye. Totti was again the composer of most of Roma's best moves but it was Di Rossi that shone. Juan also looked useful and the pace of Cicinho was there to be seen but defensively he looked a bit shakey. Cicinho caught my eye purely because, once again, Neville was missing and given he is now on the wrong side of thirty United may well be in the hunt for a new right back. I don't expect us to be calling Roma anytime soon though. And what's with Mancini? The guy clearly has some talent but gives up way too easily.
For United, there were good performances in defence from Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra. And Kuszczak deserves a mention for keeping a clean sheet and his concentration on his Champions League debut. Nani looked really lively. He again showed his good pace, touch and crossing ability but his decision making is understanably not quite there yet but he has great promise and deserved to start again. Saha will benefit from starting but Tevez impressed with his boundless energy, strength and ability to retain possession when he came on. Rooney looked frustrated all evening until he got his goal and it was some strike. I expect him to hit the goal trail now. Look out Wigan!
In summary, I guess it is easy to dismiss this victory as we have become accustomed to big nights at Old Trafford but the key is not to just have memorable evenings like last years 7-1 but to ensure we build a reputation as favourites to win the competition. Perhaps we were fortunate to take all three points but you have to take your chances when they are presented and for too long it has been the Italian teams teaching us that lesson. If United are to win the Champions League we will need to steal victories like this and not go from winning semi-finals 3-2 to losing 0-3. We must keep things tight and this result sent a more useful if not as dramatic a message as last season to the rest of Europe that Manchester United are right to be considered one of the favourites for the competition.
Man of the match: Rio Ferdinand.
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