Irwin is United's champion

Manchester United still require a crammers' course at finishing school. Either that or Alex Ferguson needs to find a natural goal scorer who has so far failed to catch the attention of anybody else in Europe.

United eventually beat Feyenoord comfortably enough last night to consolidate their lead over Juventus but did not punish last season's modest runners-up in the Dutch league by the margin their superiority demanded.

After Paul Scholes' coolly struck goal just past the half-hour Feyenoord's defence appeared as durable as a sand castle at high tide. But chance after chance was squandered or saved by Jurek Dudek and it took a penalty from Denis Irwin, 19 minutes from the end, to allay the suspicion that Arie Haan's side might snatch salvation.

As it was, Henk Vos came off the bench to beat Peter Schmeichel and condemn Old Trafford to an unnecessarily nervous final eight minutes.

Nevertheless, United have taken maximum points from three of their six Champions League games and, with the return fixture in Rotterdam a fortnight away, followed by the visit of Kosice, they should be even more strongly placed to reach the quarter-finals when they meet Juventus in Turin on December 10th.

Last night the confident, imaginative passing and movement which had produced a memorable 3-2 home victory over Juventus three weeks earlier was once more evident in much of United's football.

Again Ryan Giggs was the inspiration but even he could not reproduce the touch which had bulged the back of the Juventus net. Such profligacy cannot continue if they are to win one of the major honours they have made their priorities.

It was not difficult to see how the Dutch team had lost 5-1 to Juventus in Turin. Their midfield looked pedestrian, their sweeper system hardly bristled with efficiency and, while Dudek stopped several shots or headers from point-blank range, he looked vulnerable under pressure.

With Henning Berg and Ronny Johnsen unfit, Ferguson moved Irwin to right-back with Gary Neville joining Gary Pallister in the middle and Phil Neville coming in on the left. Given the younger Neville's extra pace, this emphasised the need for United to attack, although Irwin's crosses from the right were to prove as big a threat.

His was the centre that nearly set up a goal for Giggs after 13 minutes, Dudek just beating the Welshman to the ball. Fourteen minutes later Giggs headed straight at Dudek when he should have scored and Cole's wafting of the rebound over the bar was accompanied by the referee's whistle for offside.

United went ahead in the 32nd minute, Scholes meeting Cole's lobbed pass with the outside of his right foot, the shot curling beyond Dudek and into the top far corner of the net. Feyenoord were then caught in a storm which saw shots from Nicky Butt and Giggs saved before Cole, having rounded Dudek, hit the outside of the near post.

On the stroke of half-time Teddy Sheringham cleared the bar from five yards and the second half saw similar wastefulness, with Scholes dragging wide a chance easier than the one he had taken earlier.

No penalty was given after Bernard Schuiteman appeared to handle a short cross from Cole but then Graff brought down Sheringham and Irwin drove the penalty into the roof of the net.

Paul Bosvelt's nod of the head sent in Vos to flick the ball past Schmeichel but United still ended the match in control. Their hunger for success in Europe is beyond question but last night, and not for the first time, they mislaid their teeth.

Manchester United: Schmeichel, G Neville, Irwin, Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole (Solskjaer 81), Sheringham, Giggs, P Neville, Scholes. Subs not used: Van Der Gouw, McClair, Cruyff, Poborsky, Thornley, Curtis. Goals: Irwin 72 pen, Scholes 32.

Feyenoord: Dudek, Graff, Van Gastel, Picun, Van Wonderen, Sanchez (Boateng 76), Van Bronckhorst (Korneev 38), Bosvelt, Schuiteman, Van Gobbel, Connolly (Vos 72). Subs not used: Petry, Claeys, Zwijnenberg. Booked: Sanchez. Goals: Vos 83.

Referee: S Muhmenthaler (Switzerland).