Ruud awakening for Rangers

Manchester United 3 Rangers 0

Diego Forlan had already fired United in front with a stunning early effort, and once van Nistelrooy doubled that lead just before the break the result was never in question.

United rode their luck to hold on to a lead at Ibrox last month but on this occasion, using home advantage to the full, they were simply irresistible. The game at Ibrox had been settled by an early Phil Neville strike and the Scottish champions conceded at exactly the same point in this game.

Neville’s goal had been no classic but Forlan’s was more memorable as he met a cross from Roy Keane on the right, which had only been partially headed clear by Michael Ball, with a stunning volley which gave Stefan Klos no chance.

United had already put the visitors under pressure with Keane determined to run the midfield, and Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo posing problems on the flanks with their pace and control. Van Nistelrooy had not scored for a month and passed up a good opportunity when he headed a Ronaldo cross well over.

Rangers were rocking, and when Keane sent Giggs into space in the box it needed captain Craig Moore to stop the ball crossing the line after the United winger had got the better of Klos on the left of the box.

Alex McLeish’s side had been second best throughout but gradually became more composed, although chances were slow in materialising.

One did fall to Michael Mols when Ball picked him out in the box, only for the striker, who had produced a stunning volley against Partick at the weekend, to waste the opportunity with an indecisive first touch.

Strike partner Shota Arveladze was able to head a long ball from former-Red Henning Berg goalwards but United goalkeeper Tim Howard was able to dive to gather, although there was a hint of a fumble for an instant.

United finished the half as they had begun, with Keane and Ronaldo testing Klos with long-range efforts before van Nistelrooy made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.

Ronaldo and Giggs were both involved in the build up, with the former crossing to the latter in the box and Forlan was soon firing a rising drive that boomed off the crossbar straight to the Dutchman, who bundled home from unmissable range.

Van Nistelrooy fired across goal and wide soon after the restart, but Rangers went on to enjoy their best spell of the match.

A goal might have been theirs when Howard could only parry a fierce Ball drive from a free-kick move, and it needed Mikael Silvestre to hack away in front of goal to stop Peter Lovenkrands converting the rebound.

Rangers swapped Mols for Nuno Capucho in the 56th minute but soon found themselves 3-0 down when van Nistelrooy converted a Giggs free-kick, with his boot making fateful contact no more than a couple of yards from goal.

Klos then twice denied the Dutchman his hat-trick in the space of a few seconds with a block from a low drive before tipping over a floated effort.

Arveladze saw a left-footed effort deflected just wide for a corner as Rangers battled to net a consolation effort. Lovenkrands scuffed a fair chance wide from a position in front of goal in stoppage time and Rangers were fated not to find the net in 180 minutes of action against the English champions.

The result was not enough to take United to the top of Group E as Stuttgart came back from behind to win at Panathinaikos, but probably condemned Rangers to the UEFA cup.

MAN UTD: Howard, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Fortune, Ronaldo, Phil Neville, Keane, Giggs (Bellion 67), Forlan (Kleberson 67), van Nistelrooy (Fletcher 77).

RANGERS: Klos, Khizanishvili, Moore (Ross 68), Berg, Ball, Arteta, Hughes, Arveladze, Vanoli (Burke 83), Mols (Capucho 56), Lovenkrands.

Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).