Statistics show that United are still a force

Champions League/Group D/Manchester United 2; Lyon 1: A thousand games as manager is a remarkable feat of longevity but Alex Ferguson would be the first to admit the most impressive statistic last night belonged to Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman's winner here means he now has 36 goals in 37 Champions League appearances, a record that will invigorate Ferguson's unstinting belief that a side currently nine points adrift in the Premiership are equipped to return the European Cup to Old Trafford.

Maintaining an extraordinary ratio of nearly a goal every game in Europe's premier club competition, van Nistelrooy ensured United's safe passage into the knock-out stages, even if they may still have to beat Fenerbahce in Istanbul to qualify as winners of Group D.

Simultaneously, he also spared the goalkeeper Roy Carroll a torturous inquest after his extraordinary mistake in the 40th minute. The Northern Ireland international not only presented Lyon with an equaliser that will be replayed on blooper videos for years to come but inadvertently threatened to spoil a night of rich sentimentality for his manager.

Certainly the smile was wiped from beneath Ferguson's ruddy cheeks after the wretched mistake with which Carroll allowed Lyon the softest of equalisers shortly before half-time.

Carroll has justified his selection but the manner in which he allowed Mahamadou Diarra's 35-yard shot to slip through his grasp was reminiscent of the infamous blunder that Massimo Taibi made against Southampton in 1999.

That particular faux pas effectively ended Taibi's career at Old Trafford and Carroll must have genuine fears that his place in the team will be handed back to Tim Howard for Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion.

Ferguson was entitled to be aggrieved because his side had dominated most of the opening half, even if their opponents looked bright and dangerous on the counter-attack.

Lyon, the outstanding team in le Championnat, were certainly not here to indulge their hosts but Wayne Rooney had already struck Nicolas Puydebois's right-hand post and Paul Scholes had wafted a good chance wide by the time Gary Neville volleyed in the seventh goal of his Old Trafford career.

One of the more notable side-effects of David Beckham's departure has been the improvement in Neville's forward play and this was an incisive move he both started and finished. A smart one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo set him on his way and when he flicked the ball out to Alan Smith on the right the full-back continued his run into the penalty area.

Smith's low, teasing delivery shimmered with menace and, between them, Anthony Reveillere and Lamine Diatta succeeded only in diverting the ball into Neville's path. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, even for someone of his limited finishing skills, and his shot possessed equal measures of power and precision.

It is amazing how a goal can have such healing powers. Only a few seconds earlier Neville, who was suffering from a virus, had been signalling to Ferguson that he would need to be replaced. Wes Brown was even limbering up on the touchline, but Neville was able to continue until half-time. The same bug had ruled out his brother Phil while Ryan Giggs was also absent, having tweaked a hamstring in training.

It meant Scholes played in an unorthodox left-sided role, with Ronaldo on the right and Smith partnering Roy Keane in a midfield that dictated the pattern of the game. Rooney flickered only sporadically but his understanding with van Nistelrooy is clearly developing. One second-half move, culminating in van Nistelrooy lobbing his shot just over, oozed with class.

By then, van Nistelrooy had already restored the home side's lead. If the identity of the scorer was of little surprise, the source was. Rio Ferdinand had trotted forward for a corner and when the ball broke to him on the right of the penalty area he showed some elusive footwork to manoeuvre himself some space and cross to the far post. Van Nistelrooy, whose two goals had salvaged a draw in the corresponding fixture in Lyon two months ago, did the rest with a twisting header from six yards.

Keane departed in injury time after taking a heavy blow, but Ferguson was entitled to reflect on a thoroughly satisfactory way to make it 1,000 and counting.

MANCHESTER UNITED: Carroll; G Neville (Brown, h-t), Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze; Keane (Fortune, 90); Ronaldo, Smith, Scholes; Rooney, Van Nistelrooy (Fletcher, 71). Subs not used: Howard, Bellion, Djemba-Djemba, O'Shea. Booked: Keane.

LYON: Puydebois; Reveillere, Diatta, Cris, Berthod; Essien, Diarra, Juninho; Govou (Wiltord, 60), Frau (Bergougnoux, 72); Nilmar (Malouda, 72). Subs not used: Jaccard, Clement, Gomez, Hima.

Referee: K M Nielsen (Denmark).