Champions League - SK Sturm Graz 0 Manchester United 2

Ryan Giggs appeared as a late substitute to seal this win for Manchester United with a goal two minutes from time but Graz failed to live up to their reputation as a strong home team.

David Beckham swung a long pass down field to Dwight Yorke who cut inside and fed the ball through to Giggs on an overlap and the Welsh winger, who had come on three minutes before, swept the ball into the net with a low left foot shot.

Giggs had not started the game as United preferred to keep Nicky Butt in midfield to stem any counter attacks from Graz but their caution was ill-founded as the Austrian side barely managed a shot in a dire first half and barely improved in the second session.

United hammered Graz 3-0 last season and the scars were all too evident as the home team kept ten men back at all times failed to test the United defence at all.

The Premiership leaders dominated the possession in the first half but they were unable to create many chances. It was the sort of night when thy did not need to though.

Graz had twenty shots in the game last year in which united scored three times in the opening half hour but settled on damage limitation from the start despite a record of three wins at home up to this point in the Champions League.

Indeed, Graz had not conceded a goal until Paul Scholes clipped in an excellent finish to give United the lead in the 18th minute.

A succession of passes eventually put Dwight Yorke down the left wing and his cross was allowed to over run by Sheringham who back heeled the ball to Scholes. He controlled the ball with a touch that took it away from the goal but as goalkeeper Kazimierz Sidorczuk advanced, the midfielder lifted the ball over him into the net for a quality finish.

This failed to rouse the home team although Ivica Vastic forced a low save at his post by Fabien Barthez after a thirty metre free kick skidded around a two-man wall and at the target with 33 minute gone.

Graz improved slightly after the break but they had no conviction.

United's recent form away from home in Europe has not been good and it was conceivable that sustained pressure would have found some way through their defence.

Graz never managed this and went down to their second successive defeat in the second stage - exposed as a very average team at this level.

Scholes forced a good save from Sidorczuk in the 53rd minute with a low angled volley after Yorke set him up and seventeen minutes later came the home team's best chance.

In the 70th minute Kosijan turned on the edge of the penalty area and slapped a left fot shot against the cross bar with Barthez beaten.

Seconds later Teddy Sheringham scored but Roy Keane, who started the move with a strong run into the penalty area, was standing in an off side position and the strike was ruled out.

Keane almost scored an own goal in the 81st when he deflected a cross at Barthez but the goalkeeper parried the ball away.

Then Giggs was brought on to create the finishing goal and he did just that as the score line started to reflect United's domination.

United can now enjoy a ten week winter break from the Champions League knowing that they are one win away from the quarter finals.

They can now go back to slaughtering the Premiership where many teams are made to look as poor as the Austrian team tonight.