Rooney 69

Manchester United are on the verge of this season’s UEFA Champions League final after this comprehensive victory over outclassed German opponents in Gelsinkirchen.

Only wayward finishing and an outstanding display of shot-stopping by Schalke’s German international keeper Manuel Neuer kept the score down to manageable proportions.

United dominated totally yet failed to score for the first three-quarters of the game, until veteran Ryan Giggs and in-form talisman Wayne Rooney struck twice in three second-half minutes, making next week’s return leg at Old Trafford a near-formality.

Neuer had an outstanding opening half, denying both Javier Hernandez and Giggs twice as well as Rooney and Park Ji-Sung.

His best save came on 27 minutes when Giggs’ applied a powerful close-range downward header to Nemanja Vidic’s cross from the left and Neuer diverted the ball to safety with an agile right-hand block.

Neuer made another fine save from a Patrice Evra on 46 minutes. And two minutes later, Giggs shot horribly wide from twelve yards.

But the Welshman made amends on 67 minutes, nutmegging Neuer with a low left-foot drive from Rooney’s clever reverse pass.

And Rooney turned goalscorer in United’s next attack, driving right-footed past Neuer’s right hand from Hernandez’s neat through-ball.