His clearance off the eyebrows of Ronaldo from Javiet Zanetti's cross will remain long in the memory. "When I was at Blackburn, I was in the team irrespective and, strangely enough, I didn't enjoy my football that much," he said. "At first I became dissatisfied when I was left out of the side at United. When I got back into the squad in January I decided to enjoy every moment rather than concern myself about the next match. It made me more positive about the game."It was a night for men with such fortitude as Inter threw everything at them, from trickery on the ball to a fair amount of chicanery off it as the crowd hurled their customary ammunition of orange peel. Fortunately, United's twelfth man - if you accept Inter's interpretation of events - the French referee Gilles Veissiere didn't throw the book at Schmeichel at a challenge, where opinions ranged from "mistimed" to "the most blatant penalty decision I've ever seen." In refusing to bow to the oppressive atmosphere, it appeared that the official cast his opinions, at least marginally, in United's favour.

When did you last hear Ferguson commending a referee?Stam, who performed a sterling task marking the potentially lethal Chilean Ivan Zamorano, regarded the 80,000 San Siro as "the most intimidating atmosphere I've played in" Though he added: "It didn't intimidate me. We knew from the start that they would throw things on the pitch Fortunately, I like oranges We had to just concentrate on the game We did our job pretty well. Of course you need a bit of luck sometimes."Ferguson, horseracing aficionado that he has become, knows that not every "cert" pounds up the Cheltenham hill with the facile grace of Istabraq, just as football teams do not automatically convert a two- goal first- leg advantage into the elimination of a club boasting the support and status of Inter. Before the substitute Paul Scholes intervened it was a head-to-head tussle to the line and made for a compelling spectacle.Against Juventus it will be equally so; although, as with Inter, the 1996 champions, who lost finals in the last two years, appear to be ripe for defeat.

Their respected coach Marcello Lippi resigned last month, and it may require more than the wiles of World Footballer of the Year Zinedine Zidane to blight United's ambition.Ferguson's team have lost three and won one of their last four meetings, but he maintained: "The important thing is that the players know all about them and, to be honest, we've improved." The only question is: will fortune also continue to favour Ferguson's braves?. GIANLUCA VIALLI'S reaction to Chelsea's unexpected home defeat by West Ham last week was to insist in his ever-improving English that the Premiership is now "a two-horse race". So was the Gold Cup according to most pundits, which did not prevent a 16-1 shot winning it. Outings at Villa Park this morning and Charlton on Saturday may determine whether Chelsea are going to steal up on the rails behind Manchester United and Arsenal or settle for an easy ride and make the European Cup-Winners' Cup engagement with Real Mallorca a greater priority. Consciously or not, Vialli has, in one sense, been saving his best shots for the cups: the early goal that in effect confirmed Chelsea as aggregate winners of an undemanding quarter-final against Valerenga of Norway was his ninth of the season, not one of which has come in the Premiership. Reluctant to play twice in a week, he is unlikely to appear against Aston Villa, which is one reason why Gianfranco Zola was left out on Thursday and Tore Andre Flo - still short of form - was replaced at half-time.A better clue will be revealed in the selection of a back four.