Champions League review:Wayne Rooney rose to the task for Manchester United in Italy to inspire what looked an improbable 3-2 win at the San Siro after the English champions were completely outplayed in the first half. In the other second round tie of the night, Jean Makoun gave Lyon a 1-0 advantage to take back the Bernabeu next month.
The England striker superbly headed home twice in the second half to breath life into Alex Feguson’s side after an error-strewn opening 45 minutes that should have seen the hosts go in at least three up at the break.
As it transpired, it was all square at halftime after Ronaldinho’s deflected opener was cancelled out by a fortuitous Paul Scholes effort which saw Darren Fletcher’s cross come off his standing leg to trickle past Dida.
Rooney got United back in the driving seat when he headed home brilliant crosses from Antonio Valencia and Fletcher before a sublime flick from Clarence Seedorf kept Milan in the tie ahead of the return leg on March 10th.
United's first ever goals and win at the San Siro were soured somewhat by the late sending off of Michael Carrick for a second bookable offence, but Ferguson will know his side had their fair share of luck in the tie.
It looked ominous for United early on, with the past seemingly coming back to haunt the Old Trafford boss who watched David Beckham's third minute free-kick force Patrice Evra into an acrobatic clearance that landed at the feet of Ronaldinho, a player the Scot tried to sign in 2003.
The Brazilian struck his volley well from just inside the box but the deflection off Carrick proved crucial as Edwin van der Sar was wrongfooted. From then on, Ronaldinho and to a lesser extent Pato were electric.
Their passing had United twisting and turning, looking for all the world like a team on the edge of a very big cliff, not knowing precisely where the bottom was.
Ronaldinho, Luca Antonini and Klaas Jan Huntelaar twice came agonisingly close to finding Van der Sar’s net again. If a couple of them had gone in, Ferguson could not have complained.
As it was, apart from Beckham, the only other ‘Class of 92’ graduate on the pitch was about to make a decisive contribution.
Scholes has peppered the intervening years with a number of howitzers, goals that will be admired decades from now.
This was not among them. Swinging at Fletcher’s low cross from the byline, Scholes missed the ball completely with his right foot, but connected with the shin of his standing left.
What could only be described as a freakish deflection not only took it the six yards to Dida’s goal, but right in the bottom corner, giving the Brazilian no chance of keeping it out.
Milan’s response was admirable, given what a shattering blow that away goal was, United’s first in five away games against a fellow European heavyweight.
Andrea Pirlo forced a one-handed save out of Van der Sar with a 30-yard free-kick, then the 39-year-old Dutchman required every inch of his massive frame to flick a goalbound Ronaldinho effort round the post.
Yet in that one stroke of good fortune for Scholes, it seemed the destiny of the tie had been shaped and a minute after what turned out to be an inspired substitution, Rooney broke his European duck.
Valencia, who had just replaced Nani, was the provider, sending over a cross from the right that allowed Rooney to steer a header back over Dida into the opposite corner.
It was Milan's turn to look all at sea and and when Fletcher chipped another cross into the box, Rooney stole between defenders to head home once more and put United firmly in the driving seat.
It seemed victory and progress was assured, so Ferguson will be livid at the Seedorf effort five minutes from time that ensured an uncomfortable ending and gives Milan a flicker of hope for the return in three weeks’ time, when Carrick will be unavailable following his dismissal deep into stoppage time for kciking the ball away after a free-kick was awarded to the home side.
In Lyon,Makoun's brilliant second-half strike gave Lyon a deserved lead in their tie against Real Madrid.
Following a scoreless first half that saw Lyon make most of the running and also hit the woodwork, Makoun struck what would prove to be the only goal of the game two minutes after the break with a stunning 25-yard effort.
That goal consigned Madrid to their third successive defeat at the Stade Gerland, and the Spanish giants - who host this year’s final - have work to do if they are avoid being dumped out at the last-16 stage for the sixth successive campaign.