Controlled United stymie Poles

Few goalless draws have ever been as valuable to Manchester United as this one. The result in the qualifying round second leg saw United through to the Champions' League for the fourth time and guarantees them a windfall of as much as £5 million for competing against Europe's elite.

Not that United manager Alex Ferguson will be bothered by the extra millions, he'll just be glad to be in today's Champions' League draw in Monaco.

This was a controlled performance from United and they were rarely in trouble against the Polish champions. Indeed they could, and should, have scored to make their victory margin even greater. Ferguson had predicted a transformed Lodz from the side which defended so deeply at Old Trafford in the first leg and he was proved right.

The lively Rafal Niznik turned Denis Irwin and fired past the post after just 30 seconds, while Zbigniew Wyciszkiewicz had a shot blocked inside the six-yard box.

United, though, dealt comfortably with the Poles and midway through the half they began to assert themselves.

Nicky Butt pounced on a loose ball just outside the area and unleashed a shot which Lodz goalkeeper Boguslaw Wyparlo could only parry.

Teddy Sheringham should have done better when he rose to head a Ryan Giggs corner, but the striker directed his weak effort wide of the post.

Ferguson will not have been impressed by David Beckham after the midfielder needlessly got himself booked for a clumsy tackle on Tomasz Kos on the half hour.

United continued to threaten an away goal, which would have killed the tie, and Ronny Johnsen hit a bouncing effort into the arms of Wyparlo from a Giggs corner.

Wyparlo was called into action again three minutes before halftime when he produced a fine finger-tip save to touch Beckham's shot over the bar.

United continued to control the match and they went close again when Roy Keane found Beckham in space on the right and Sheringham was just inches away from connecting with his inviting ball into the middle.

Lodz, though, gave United a scare after 61 minutes when Kos' free-kick took a massive deflection and dropped just wide of the goal with Peter Schmeichel stranded.

United were soon back in charge and Keane shot wide after Beckham's effort had been saved by Wyparlo, while a Butt drive was just inches over the bar.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who turned down a move to Tottenham at the weekend, almost stole a late winner three minutes from time only for Wyparlo to block his point-blank shot.

United could be paired with two seeds in tonight's draw in Monaco, but Ferguson is upbeat about his side's chances.

"It does on paper look more difficult than before," Ferguson said afterwards. "But it may suit us because we proved last year that we can win a section.

"We did that well and if we go into a group with two seeds it will make it more difficult for those two teams also."

Lodz: Wyparlo, Bendowski, Krysiak, Pawlak, Lenart (Pluciennik 81), Jakubowski (Bugaj 84), Kos, Niznik, Wyciszkiewicz, Wieszczycki, Zuberek (Piotr 51). Subs Not Used: Slawuta, Paszulewicz. Booked: Kos. Man UTD: Schmeichel, Neville, Irwin, Stam, Johnsen, Butt, Keane, Beckham, Giggs (Solskjaer 64), Scholes, Sheringham. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, May, Berg, Cole, Cruyff, Brown. Booked: Beckham. Referee: C Graziano (Italy).