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Telegraph: For the third time Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United fail to reach a European Cup final at the final hurdle. But unlike previous semi-final defeats to Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, the United manager could not pretend his team had seen a final stolen from them, and admitted: “We cut our own throats”.
After as one-sided a European defeat as he has known, Ferguson did not shelter behind excuses and kept his dignity throughout. “I am disappointed since we have done so well to get here,” he said. “But I would have to say that we never came out of the box. AC Milan were better prepared physically than us and we did not cope with the start. At that level, you have to see it through, keeping possession and calm the crowd, but we lost two goals very cheaply. ”
After the narrow 3-2 victory at Old Trafford, Ferguson had demanded better defending in the San Siro, a request wilfully ignored by his players. “If we had coped better with keeping simple possession, it might not have hurt us,” said Ferguson. “Seeing off the first 25 minutes without cutting our own throats would have helped but we have to cope better. The atmosphere was fantastic; they started so quickly and sharply, it put us on the back foot immediately.
”Milan put up a fantastic performance and they looked much fresher than us. They kept the ball better but we should have dealt with their thrusts better. It is the name of the game in Europe: you don’t give the ball away and Milan have kept the ball far better than us. We had a gruelling game on Saturday at Everton while Milan could rest players. We had to go the extra mile but I expect more from my players.”
Ferguson noted that the two teams fighting bitterly for the championship had fallen in the semi-finals of the European Cup but said he could not be certain weariness was to blame. He acknowledged that Cristiano Ronaldo had suffered a deeply disappointing night but argued that recovery from defeat in Europe was an essential part of playing for United. The Manchester derby, which the Premier League decreed United must play 24 hours earlier than they would like, awaits.
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Independent : For a moment it seemed Sir Alex Ferguson would grasp an unnecessary leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s managerial book and blame his Champions League exit last night on the fatigue of chasing silverware on all fronts. But then, head bowed and desperate to be anywhere except lingering in the bowels of the San Siro, the Manchester United manager faced the truth with welcome dignity; his team simply could not cope with the magnificence of Milan.
The prospect of facing Liverpool in the European Cup final on 23 May evaporated for the Premiership champions-elect in Italy as the brilliant Brazilian Kaka, the triple European Cup winner Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino delivered an emphatic victory for the six-times winners and destroyed the dream of an all-English final.
“In the first half we were perfect,” said Carlo Ancelotti, whose Milan team overturned their 3-2 deficit with ease. “It is a dream for any manager for his team to play like that.”
United delivered a nightmare for Ferguson. A defence containing the recalled Nemanja Vidic held firm for only 11 minutes, the amount of time Kaka required for his third goal in this tie, and thereafter United were mostly outplayed. For the third time under Ferguson they fell at the semi-final hurdle in the competition he cherishes most.
“It is very disappointing, given how well we have done to get here,” said the United manager. “But I’d have to say we never came out the blocks. Milan were better prepared physically than us, but we never coped with our start to the match. We lost two goals cheaply and you cannot do that at this level. Milan were fresher but you have to say they put in a fantastic performance.
“If there was a difference in us tonight it was because we have been using the same players for the last two weeks without any respite. Milan have been resting players at the appropriate times, but that is not taking anything away from their performance. We had a gruelling test at Everton on Saturday, where we had to go the extra mile, but I still expected more from my team. We just have to take it on the chin and see where we go from here.”
Ferguson dismissed suggestions he had rushed Vidic back too quickly from a broken collarbone but, in echoes of his analysis of United’s defeat by Milan two seasons ago, he cited the inexperience of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney as factors in their demise. “Wayne did OK but it was a disappointing night for Cristiano and he knows it. They are young and, on nights like this, the professionalism and experience of Milan gives a good indication of where we’ve got to go. That doesn’t just apply to Rooney and Ronaldo, it applies to all the players.”
Milan’s victory offers them a swift chance to avenge their 2005 final defeat by Liverpool, but Ancelotti insisted that the events of Istanbul or the Merseysiders’ impressive record in penalty shoot-outs would have no bearing on the reunion in Athens.
“Any final can end in penalties and we will be prepared for that,” Ancelotti said. “But what happened two years ago will be of no importance now. We are just happy to be in the final and happy to be facing Liverpool.”
United’s semi-final record in the European Cup
1956-57 v Real Madrid (a) 1-3 (h) 2-2 (Lost 5-3 on aggregate)
1957-58 v Milan (h) 2-1 (a) 0-4 (Lost 5-2 on aggregate)
1965-66 v Partizan Belgrade (a) 0-2 (h) 1-0 (Lost 2-1 on aggregate)
1967-68 v Real Madrid (h) 1-0 (a) 3-3 (Won 4-3 on aggregate)
1968-69 v Milan (a) 0-2 (h) 1-0 (Lost 2-1 on aggregate)
1996-97 v Borussia Dortmund (a) 0-1 (h) 0-1 (Lost 2-0 on aggregate)
1998-99 v Juventus (h) 1-1 (a) 3-2 (Won 4-3 on aggregate)
2001-02 v Bayer Leverkusen (h) 2-2 (a) 1-1 (3-3 on aggregate, lost on away goals)
2006-07 v Milan (h) 3-2 (a) 0-3 (Lost 5-3 on aggregate)
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Independent: Four Milan players swarmed around Paul Scholes after he refused to return possession in the final minutes here last night, pushing, shoving and provoking the midfielder towards the booking that would have brought him an immediate suspension. It was a measure of the ordeal for the men from Old Trafford last night that, had he retaliated, no one would have cared.
What had appeared a primary concern for Sir Alex Ferguson’s club before kick-off - the yellow card that would have cost Scholes a place against Liverpool in Athens - proved inconsequential amid the ruins of United’s Champions League and treble pursuit in Italy. The reality was much more painful for Scholes; his prospects of ever taking part in a European Cup final had diminished even further.
On the sodden surface at San Siro, the plan was that the 32-year-old who has protected United’s nerve at critical junctures this season would command centre stage without care or fear of the yellow card that would deny him a place in a European Cup final for a second time.
Scholes’ designs on the ultimate club prize were dismantled by a United game plan that left him on the periphery for too long, and an awesome Milan opening that mirrored their first-half performance against Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005 as they dissected their opponents’ midfield at will.
Scholes was an isolated, underemployed figure until he dropped deeper and started to instigate more of the play as half-time approached. Some may contend that Ferguson redeployed his midfielder to keep him out of harm’s way, to preserve the promise of a European Cup final appearance by giving him less opportunity to make one of his customary rash challenges in front of a referee, Frank de Bleeckere, whom he was alleged to have abusedagainst Benfica in September. But that would be a disservice to Scholes and his manager.
To most professionals - and suspension also threatened Cristiano Ronaldo and Gabriel Heinze here - the memory of lifting the European Cup in a grey suit and not sweat-stained red in Barcelona eight years ago would haunt every subsequent moment in the game, or certainly play on the mind when piling into a challenge with an Italian midfielder like Gennaro Gattuso.
The exceptions are notable. Roy Keane’s performance against Juventus at this stage in 1999, when he headed in the goal that sparked United’s recovery from 2-0 down, has been afforded the mantle of the most selfless seen by his club but Scholes, subjected to the same fate in that game but with less sympathy, having attracted a booking for dissent, could not rival that performance without support similar to that which the Irishman received in Turin.
That it never came, or perhaps arrived too late, was as culpable for United’s exit as the excellence of the Rossoneri. Back on more familiar ground, picking out the openings in front of him rather than searching for scraps, Scholes helped to orchestrate United’s second-half improvement.
Scholes has always approached his job as precisely that, a job, whether winning Premierships, FA Cups or representing England in his criminally shortened international career.
“I won’t let the bookings situation bother me,” he said before last night’s semi-final. “It is just another chance to get to a Champions League final.”
That chance, yet another one, has now been obliterated.
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Sun: THEY had been greeted at the San Siro by thunder, lightning and torrential rain.
And then Manchester United walked into the greatest force of all — an AC Milan team playing a brand of football several streets ahead of anything the three English semi-finalists had managed.
United went two goals behind in the opening 30 minutes to Kaka and Clarence Seedorf, the outstanding Milan players of the two games and performers a class above anything their opponents possessed.
Alex Ferguson gambled on Nemanja Vidic — and it didn’t come off.
More embarrassing for a manager of his experience was the unravelling of his game plan.
Setting up his side with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left and Ryan Giggs on the right, United quickly found themselves outnumbered 5-3 in midfield.
Yet Ferguson did nothing until the 40th minute — when they had already been trailing 2-0 for 10 minutes.
Despite the overpowering evidence of Milan’s superiority, he put too much faith in the attacking qualities of his own side.
Fergie believed their fearless, gung-ho football would again see them through.
But this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill Everton at Goodison Park. This wasn’t a craven, callow Roma side at Old Trafford.
This was the most experienced team in world football, a team heading for its third Champions League final in five years and one with, at its epicentre, a couple of the most extravagantly-talented players in the business.
Only for a brief 20 minutes or so during the second half did United offer any serious threat to opponents who always appeared to have the measure of England’s champions-elect.
But credit to Ferguson the man. As ever, he was at his best in defeat, applauding Milan as he said: “They were better prepared, sharper, quicker to the ball and they pressed well. They were good winners.”
And so Athens and Europe is spared the terrifying prospect of a Liverpool-United final and 70,000 Englishmen descending on the Greek capital.
Instead it will be a re-run of the epic 2005 contest when Rafa Benitez’s Reds came back from the dead to lift the trophy after a penalty shoot-out.
What a prospect we have in store with eight of that night’s Milan side still plying their trade for the Rossoneri — all hellbent on revenge.
In the end, United’s appalling away form in Europe’s premier competition proved their undoing.
There can be no greater Jekyll and Hyde side in the tournament.
Unbeaten at home this season, they had — before last night — still lost three of their last four Champions League matches on the road and eight of the previous 13.
You cannot hope to win the Champions League with a record like that. Added to that was their historical failing at this penultimate hurdle. This was their ninth appearance in the semi-final — and their seventh defeat.
Much to the consternation of the travelling fans, it took just three minutes into the game for all United’s old faults to resurface.
Inside a minute, Kaka powered past the helpless Vidic to lay on a cross that skidded narrowly across the face of the United goal.
Two minutes later, visiting keeper Edwin van der Sar produced a miraculous save to keep out an effort from Seedorf.
United needed to settle down. Kaka, though, didn’t give them the chance as he drilled his shot past Van der Sar after just 11 minutes.
It was the Brazilian’s 10th European goal in 12 games — and his 18th strike of the season.
Milan had made a blistering start and one that boss Carlo Ancelotti, pumping his fist on the touchline, must have dreamed about. Milan, playing the sort of football that destroyed Liverpool in that first half in Istanbul, did much as they pleased as they waltzed their way round the United midfield.
Then, on the half-hour, came a goal that will give Ferguson nightmares for the rest of his career.
First, Gabriel Heinze played a stupid pass back to Vidic, who slipped and sent the ball spinning back in the Argentine’s direction.
Heinze then somehow allowed Andrea Pirlo to get in a cross which was headed out by Vidic straight to Seedorf.
The triple Champions League winner evaded one tackle by Darren Fletcher, another by Vidic before crashing the ball past Van der Sar.
Ferguson had said before the game that United would need the spirit of 1999 to get them through their sternest test yet.
In that season, Roy Keane inspired a fabulous comeback in Turin when United trailed 2-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate to Juventus in the semi-final second leg. Fergie’s troops fought back to win the match 3-2, 4-3 on aggregate.
Last night, though, they had no one with Keane’s inspirational qualities.
And what of Ronaldo? He started with an extravagant flick that went straight to a Milan player and, from that moment, had the crowd and the powerful Gennaro Gattuso on his back.
But you can’t take anything away from Milan — especially their defending which included some outstanding blocks on the edge of the box. And they managed it all without the services of skipper Paolo Maldini, who had played his 167th European game at Old Trafford.
As the game entered its last third, Milan started to slow it all down. On their way to yet another final, they were in no hurry.
The steady march on Athens then become a procession when substitute Alberto Gilardino ran clear beyond the United defence to apply the coup de grace.
A night that had started with so much hope saw United out-thought, out- manoeuvred and, worst of all, outclassed.
And that by a team all Italians — quick to ridicule extravagant claims of English club dominance in Europe — will point out are trailing in third in Serie A.
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Sun: MANCHESTER CITY are itching to put a massive dent in their neighbour’s title ambitions this weekend.
If they succeed, their players believe it could wipe away the misery of a sorry season at Eastlands.
The Manchester derby takes on an extra special significance, with United able to set up the clinching of the Premiership title.
But if they lose to City on Saturday and Chelsea beat Arsenal the following day, the gap at the top is back to two points with two games to go.
And remember United still have to visit Stamford Bridge next week.
City’s England international defender Micah Richards insisted: “If we can beat Manchester United, everyone will forget all those games when we have failed to score at home this season.
“For City to get one over United is always good. But to be able to affect their bid for the title at the same time is obviously going to give us and the match an extra edge.
“It is going to be more important for them than ever to win this game. But we are fully aware of what it will mean to our fans if we win.”
To do that, City must break a barren home run which has seen them fail to score in the Premiership since New Year’s Day.
Richards added: “This season has been very up and down for us. The problem is we have not been scoring. We are not doing that on purpose.
“Everyone is trying. What we need to do is spend some money in the summer and get some quality up front.”
Certainly the £6million spent on Greek international forward Georgios Samaras looks to have been money down the drain.
City’s lack of goals saw them flirt with relegation before easing
away with some decent results on their travels.
Yet those boos have been ringing round Eastlands too often this season. Not much fun for Richards, who has had to suffer the same sound at the final whistle in his brief England career.
Richards admitted: “It has not been great hearing the boos at home. Then I have had to listen to them with England as well. I just hope that come the final whistle on Saturday it is our fans cheering.”
Unfortunately for Richards, he will not even be part of the action. He had to undergo an operation last week which will keep him out of action for the rest of the season.
He revealed: “I keep hearing it’s a calf problem but it is actually the muscles to the side of my shin bone.
“They have become so tight I have had to have an operation to release the tension in them.
“Obviously, I would love to play in the derby. I came off injured in the last one and now I am not playing at all. I’m gutted but I will be cheering the lads on.”
Richards is also likely to miss England’s next internationals against Brazil on June 1 and Estonia on June 6 thanks to the op.
He said: “It was one of the best days of my life to get in the England squad and I thought I played well on my debut against Holland.
“Then I played the next two games and did all right again. But I have to keep that up. This is not just about two or three games. I want to be playing for England for the next 10 years.”
Richards, like many of the England players, takes no urging to leap to the defence of manager Steve McClaren.
England’s boss has been vilified for the defeat by Croatia, draw with Israel and dismal performance in Andorra.
But Richards insisted: “Everyone in the squad is behind Steve McClaren. People have to realise that when we play a lot of teams they tend to put 11 men behind the ball and just come to hurt you by defending.”
Richards’ performances at right-back this season brought him to the attention of Chelsea.
He said: “When a team like Chelsea come in for you, something must have gone right.
“But now I am at the beginning of a four-year contract with City and am happy here.”
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Guardian: At the end of a season in which Sir Alex Ferguson proved that rumours of his demise had been horribly premature, last night his Manchester United players were forced to bend the knee to opponents who looked a cut above anything seen in Europe this year. Milan played as if the Premiership leaders were merely an obstacle standing between them and revenge against Liverpool for the famous indignity inflicted in Istanbul two years ago.
A dank Manchester drizzle settled over San Siro shortly before the kick-off, accompanied - as if to provide a fanfare for a fixture with a history going back to 1958 - by a succession of thunderclaps. The history strongly favoured Milan, with that first meeting, also in a semi-final, seeing the end of United’s interest in the competition. Having won 2-1 at Old Trafford, on that occasion they fell to a 4-0 defeat in the return. At last night’s final whistle history was only a single goal away from repeating itself.
History of a more recent kind was in the mind of Paul Scholes, who started the match with an asterisk next to his name on the team sheet, denoting the threat of missing the final should he incur another caution. Such was his fate, along with Roy Keane, in 1999, when the pair celebrated the ultimate victory at Camp Nou wearing club suits and ties, having played no part in the final itself.
It was in order to avoid the kind of indignity suffered by Scholes in the recent quarter-final against Roma, when the inefficiency of his tackling was punishingly exposed, that Ferguson again played him a little further upfield than usual last night, as he had in the first leg against Milan a week earlier. With Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher sitting ahead of the back four, Scholes was effectively removed from the zone in which a tackle on an opponent in possession would be an imperative rather than an option.
The negative consequences could be seen as early as the fifth minute, when Clarence Seedorf was briefly guilty of dwelling on the ball 20 yards inside Milan’s half. Scholes confronted him, but the Englishman’s attempted block carried no conviction and the Dutch midfielder was able to continue on his way with the ball still at his feet.
Gennaro Gattuso, by contrast, was enjoying the freedom to make his interventions with all the conviction of an unleashed mastiff, his shin-pad cartwheeling into the air after one such example of focused aggression. His colleagues were able to give another master class in the art of retaining possession by passing the ball with marvellous vision and velvet touch. Each time the ball was stroked from one Milan player to another it seemed to create new space in which they could do their work.
United, by contrast, were delivering the ball into areas that immediately became congested. So little were Ferguson’s men able to create from an abundance of possession in the central areas that Scholes was having to drop back to pick up the ball in an effort to open a chink of light in the trap of the Milan defence. In doing so, however, he was losing touch with his forwards.
Each one of Milan’s midfielders was in outstanding form, even the unsung Massimo Ambrosini, who wore the captain’s armband in the enforced absence of Paolo Maldini and rose to the occasion with a series of clinical interceptions. At the back Alessandro Nesta was an imperious presence and no meaningful questions were asked of Kakha Kaladze, Maldini’s understudy.
The measure of Milan’s supremacy came just before half-time when Gattuso chased Cristiano Ronaldo down the wing and shouldered him aside with an air of brusque disdain. Hearing the cheers from his side’s supporters, the former Rangers player gestured for more.
For United, hope could only come from the knowledge that Milan had played exactly the same way for 45 minutes in Istanbul, only to collapse beneath the force of Liverpool’s rekindled passion - and, of course, a radically realigned formation. Rafael Benítez made the right decisions during the interval that night, but Ferguson had made no such obvious mistakes in his starting line-up last night and had less scope for tactical rearrangement.
In the event his team came out for the second half with Ryan Giggs moved from the right to the left wing, Ronaldo switched to the centre alongside Wayne Rooney, and Fletcher wide on the right flank. This left Scholes and Carrick with the responsibility for both winning the ball and distributing it against a opposition midfield already enjoying almost total dominance.
If United were waiting for Milan to fall into the sort of becalmed stupor that had enabled Liverpool to catch them, they were to be disappointed. Sustained by the knowledge of their own ability to conjure a couple of goals from a game that seemed to have passed beyond their control, in the final stages they were drawing on reserves of raw spirit.
It was to their credit that they eventually forced the home team to abandon their urbane calm before Alberto Gilardino’s goal took the score within a goal of the aggregate by which Matt Busby’s team were removed from the competition almost half a century ago. However they try to rebrand it, this is a competition that will not let go of its past.
