Champions League: Manchester United lead Moscow march

Manchester United lead Moscow march

Paul Scholes cracks home the Manchester United winner

Golden shot: Scholes, who missed the Manchester United triumph in 1999 because of suspension, scores the goal against Barcelona that put his side through to the first all English Cahmpions League final
Oliver Kay

Amid joyous scenes at Old Trafford, Manchester United last night guaranteed the first all-English Champions League final, with Sir Alex Ferguson and his players declaring that they do not care whether it is Chelsea or Liverpool who await them in Moscow on May 21.

A spectacular goal from Paul Scholes in the fourteenth minute, a superb swerving shot from 25 yards that beat VÍctor Valdés, earned United a 1-0 aggregate win over Barcelona and their first appearance in the final since they lifted the European Cup in 1999, when Scholes was forced to sit out the moment of triumph against Bayern Munich because of suspension.

Ferguson believes that his team have a “fantastic chance” against the winners of this evening’s tie at Stamford Bridge and added that he hoped reaching the final 50 years after the Munich air disaster, in which eight United players died, was evidence that fate may be on the club’s side.

“Fate is fate,” the United manager said, “but I think the important thing is that we’re in the final. We have a fantastic chance, whoever we play.” He will travel to London to watch the second semi-final unfold and joked that a Liverpool victory would mean more tickets for both sets of supporters, suggesting that Chelsea’s Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, would take an enormous allocation if his team got through, given that the final is in Moscow.

“I’ve no chance of predicting who will win, I’ve no idea. I don’t care who we play,” Ferguson said. “This club deserves to be in the final. Our fans saw us over the line tonight.”

An all-English showpiece will provide a serious challenge for the Russian authorities and for Uefa, European football’s governing body, which was widely criticised for the security and ticketing arrangements at last season’s final between Liverpool and AC Milan in Athens. The clubs and Uefa will hope to prevent any fans travelling without tickets – at least on their official trips – but the prospect of thousands of ticketless supporters roaming around Moscow on the day of the match seems inevitable.

United will expect to travel to Russia as champions of England, having claimed the two wins they need to retain the Barclays Premier League title. Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney should be available to face West Ham United on Saturday despite missing last night’s game with facial and hip injuries respectively. Patrice Evra should also be fit after he received a kick in the face from Deco, the Barcelona mid-field player, during a nervous finale Only when the final whistle sounded could United party like it was 1999.
(timesonline)