Fergie’s wish upon a star

Man Utd 2 Lyon 1

Roy Carroll’s horrendous first-half blunder had threatened to spoil Ferguson’s party when he let Mahamadou Diarra’s long-range effort slip through his grasp to level Gary Neville’s early opener.

But, as he has so often in the past, van Nistelrooy pounced, nodding home Rio Ferdinand’s cross to ease United into the last 16 of the tournament Ferguson holds most dear with a game to spare.