There was only one reason why the score was kept respectable and
his name was Manuel Neuer. There were periods in this match when
the Germany international looked like someone could toss a handful
of pebbles in the air and he would pluck every single one from the
sky. What a pity it is for United that he seems a near-certainty to
join Bayern Munich at the end of the season because, whoever Sir
Alex Ferguson signs to replace Edwin van der Sar this summer, this
was an evening that left the unmistakable sense that Neuer – by all
accounts, the first choice of United's goalkeeping coach, Eric
Steele – should be regarded as the best man for the job. It is rare
for a team to have so many chances in a Champions League tie and the night
would have been even more of an ordeal for Schalke if their goalkeeper had not
produced what could legitimately be considered one of the
outstanding individual performances of this season's
competition.
Here was the biggest game of his life and the 20-year-old played
with a calm that made you think back to 1999 and Ferguson's
description of Paul Scholes, in the quarter-final against
Internazionale in Milan, going "into that cauldron as calmly as
someone popping round the corner for a newspaper." Fábio was quick
to the ball, eager to break forward and, all in all, he
demonstrated why, when he signed for the club, United's coaching
staff rated him as marginally more accomplished than his twin
Rafael. Whether he can keep his place remains to be seen (he was
playing here because John O'Shea was injured and Rafael not fully
fit) but, on this evidence, United's supporters need not feel too
concerned by the presence of such an inexperienced player on the
right of defence. United's defence have not conceded an away goal
in Europe for 384 days since Bayern Munich's Ivica Olic scored
against them in the quarter-finals last season and Fábio played a
considerable part. It felt like the night he truly arrived as a
Manchester United footballer.
There is every chance Nani, with nine Premier League goals and
18 assists, will collect the Sir Matt Busby player-of-the-year
award for United next month, but his form over the previous eight
months was still not enough to merit a place here – and it was
difficult afterwards to quibble with Ferguson's thinking. Antonio
Valencia's return has been so seamless it is easy sometimes to
forget the mangled state of his leg when he broke it in two places
last September. On the left, Park Ji-sung was an elusive opponent,
chasing back, running with the ball, finding space. United's width
was a significant reason for their dominance and, if everything
goes smoothly at Old Trafford in the second leg, that leaves Nani
with the serious possibility of being excluded from the final, too.
Nani has been United's star performer for large swathes of the
season but his form has dipped since Valencia came back into the
reckoning – perhaps not coincidentally.
You wonder what Michael Owen was thinking, watching the match in
his suit, seeing all those chances going begging throughout the
opening hour. Even with the injured Dimitar Berbatov back in
Manchester recovering, it spoke volumes that Ferguson did not feel
Owen merited a place on the bench. There were three defenders among
United's substitutes and not one striker and Owen must be growing
wearily accustomed to these kind of snubs by now. He is out of
contract at the end of the season and it would be almost a shock
now if he were to be offered a new deal to stay at Old
Trafford.
Or can they? It was perplexing to think this was the same side
that had put seven past the 2010 champions, Internazionale, over
the two legs of their quarter-final. United were the superior team
in every department. Let's not overlook the fact Schalke scored
five times when they went to San Siro – but that is starting to
feel like it was a one-off. At Old Trafford, under the floodlights,
the second leg is surely now a mere formality.
