Manchester United 1 Lille 0: Larsson uses his head to stun Lille in home farewell

By Phil Shaw

Thursday, 8 March 2007

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Henrik Larsson's script-writer tested credulity again last night. Just as he invariably delivered decisive goals for Celtic, the Swede took his leave of Old Trafford by redeeming Manchester United's mediocre display with the header that assured their place in the quarter-final draw at the expense of a feisty but limited Lille.

Playing the final home match of his loan spell, Larsson struck after 71 minutes of hard labour for the Premiership leaders. The 35-year-old leaves with three goals for United - in as many competitions - and a place in the hearts of their fans.

It was a bad evening all round for the French. Not only did Lille bow out, still apparently nursing a grievance about the legitimacy of Ryan Giggs's first-leg winner, but United confirmed that Louis Saha's hamstring injury will keep him out for a month. Then, with the match in stoppage time, Mikael Silvestre was carried off with a dislocated shoulder after a collision with Efstathios Tavlaridis.

Sir Alex Ferguson, already without the injured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Darren Fletcher, reiterated that Larsson will return to Helsingborgs after Saturday's FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough. "We made a promise to them," the United manager said. "He also has family to consider, so there's not a lot of point going on about it."

"In the space of a week we've lost five or six players," Ferguson added, calling Silvestre's misfortune "a big blow". He summed up their situation succinctly: "It's been a bad week - apart from results."

Ferguson claimed he had no preference about whom United were paired with tomorrow in their first quarter-final tie since 2003. "We may get an English team - it's a two in seven chance. Being there is the important thing after a few bad years. But the last eight isn't our aim. We want to go all the way to the final."

They will have to play far better than against Lille if they are to repeat their run to the final in 1999. In truth, United are struggling for form at the moment, but a succession of winning goals in the closing stages has underscored their spirit.

Ferguson felt it fitting that Larsson should produce the latest late flourish. "We were hoping he'd score because he has been an absolute pleasure to work with," he said. "He has made an impact at the club, but unfortunately he has to go back." Larsson, meanwhile, said he had had "a fantastic time" but would honour his contract.

Paul Scholes, making his 100th Champions League appearance, earlier threatened to steal Larsson's thunder. In the 14th minute, the ginger pimpernel selflessly chipped the ball across for Wayne Rooney, whose goalbound volley hit Matthieu Chalme. From the corner by Michael Carrick, John O'Shea's header thumped into the bar. Scholes promptly forced a flying save from Tony Sylva and it looked only a matter of time before United's superiority was manifested in a goal.

Instead, Lille should have gone ahead midway through the opening half. Jean Makoun, once a United target, sent a free header straight at Edwin van der Sar from a free-kick by Ludovic Obraniak.

Soon the bad blood between the teams threatened to stain the contest. Cristiano Ronaldo provocatively threatened a quick free-kick, a la Giggs, at which Lille encroached and argued so long that it turned into a slow free-kick. In the ensuing minutes, the referee compounded their sense of injustice by booking Kader Keita, who is black, for a foul by Chalme, who is not, before reversing his decision.

Rooney's involvement had been at best peripheral. All the more galling, then, that when he linked stylishly with Scholes to give Ronaldo a run at Chalme as the interval beckoned, the Portuguese dived to try to win a penalty and was booked.

United's early ascendancy gave way to a scrappy display, littered with misplaced passes, with the back line an honourable exception. They almost paid with a goal for Lille early in the second half, Obraniak's free-kick being headed across goal by Stephane Dumont for Peter Odemwingie to turn the ball against the upright.

When another promising United move fizzled out with an over-hit cross by Ronaldo, cries of "Fergie, sort it out" rose from the fans. As he contemplated changes, Rooney was felled by a ball driven straight at his head by Makoun. A stretcher was brought on but he walked off after treatment.

At last, with 19 minutes remaining, United also stood up to be counted. Ronaldo, seizing possession 10 yards into Lille's half before breaking along the left, crossed superbly for the unmarked Larsson to bid farewell with a header from eight yards.

Manchester United (4-3-2-1): Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre; Carrick, Scholes, O'Shea; Ronaldo (Richardson, 81), Rooney (Park, 81); Larsson (Smith, 73). Substitutes not used: Kuszczak (gk), Heinze, Brown, Giggs.

Lille (4-2-3-1): Sylva; Chalme, Tavlaridis, Plestan, Tafforeau; Makoun, Dumont (Fauvergue, 72); Keita, Obraniak, Bastos (Debuchy, h-t); Odemwingie (Mirallas, 72). Substitutes not used: Malicki (gk), Youla, Frankquart, Lichtsteiner.

Referee: L Medina Cantalejo (Spain).