United scrape past gallant Grecians

Exeter City 0 Manchester United 2

An eighth-minute Cristiano Ronaldo effort and a Wayne Rooney strike just before the end smoothed United’s passage to a January 29 meeting with Middlesbrough but when the dust settles, the Grecians will have plenty to remember other than the estimated £700,000 earned from their two extraordinary clashes with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Alex Ferguson claimed Exeter’s two monumental FA Cup performances could provide the impetus to get the west country club back into the Football League.