Manchester United 4-0 AC Milan

The match was two days ago but I've been so freaking busy I can't even make a simple post!

It was oh-so-easy for United on Wednesday as goals on either side of the break from Wayne Rooney and second-half strikes from Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher helped the Reds cruise into the Champions League quarter-finals.

match report from ManUtd.com


So the match itself was, well, amazing for United fans. I mean, winning 4-0 against one of the best teams in the world is never bad, even when their current team isn't up to their normal standards.

But obviously, the focus of the whole game is David Beckham's homecoming. This is the first time Beckham is back at Old Trafford in a competitive match, seven years after he left.

[Fred the Red and Beckham during warm up]

Okay, technically this is going to be a DB7 (he's still DB7 to me!) picspam! He didn't play from the start, which was the right decision from Milan's coach. As the commentators said, it would have been a testimonial match had Becks played from the beginning. All the pre-match talk has been about his return. His arrival at Manchester was greeted by a mob of paparazzi and fans. Everything everywhere was talking about his return as if he match is not that big of a deal. But it is a Champions League knock-out round and both teams want to win.

[Beckham being introduced around the 62nd minute]

The United fans at Old Trafford went berserk when Becks was introduced. Standing ovation and singing "Fergie, Fergie, sign him up!" whenever he touches the ball. This is taken from the match report above:

Then came the moment David Beckham was introduced against his former employers. He was so often the man with the magic touch during his 11 seasons at the club. But the task that faced him here – to orchestrate the most remarkable comeback in Champions League history – was even beyond his abilities.

Beckham did receive a standing ovation from the Old Trafford faithful, however, and again on 75 minutes when he stung Edwin van der Sar’s palms with a blistering volley from 25 yards.

[Thanking United fans for the nice welcome]

[With old pal Scholesy after the match]

I don't have the picture, but there was a moment that I loved. Becks had just came in and he was playing in the middle of the field, right opposite Paul Scholes. The ball went out of play and Gary Neville, another Class of '92 alum, was being substituted. He went to walk by Beckham and Scholes and had a little laugh with them before going off.

What sent United fans over the top, though, was well after the final whistle. Beckham congratulated his former friends (and United's more recent players) and took time to applaud the fans that have stuck beside him all these years. Then, when he was walking off the pitch towards the tunnel, he picked up a green/gold scarf that a fan had thrown off Stretford End, and he hung it around his neck. Obviously, the LUHG supporters went crazy by this gesture.

[Against Glazer!]

He said that he did it just because it's the club's original colors and he's a fan, that it has nothing to do with how the club was run, he know that that will keep us fans talking about it! Well David, we love you no matter where you stand on these issues, and that little thing, whether you meant it or not, made us love you even more, if that's possible!

[would upload the post-match interview if I can get a decent download]