Manchester United 3

Rangers 0

Scorers: Forlan (6), van Nistelrooy (44, 60)

A night to forget for Rangers, and a night also,

surely, for Alex McLeish to erase from his mind and those of his players as quickly as possible. Rangers were contemptuously swept aside by Manchester United in this one-sided match which made a mockery of its tabloid billing as the

so-called Battle of Britain.

This was no battle at Old Trafford last night. It was, alarmingly, a mere workout for United, who found an injury-ravaged Rangers team tame and malleable. For United, the chore of emerging from Group E in the Champions League now looks all but complete. For McLeish and Rangers, though, a mountain of a task looms.

A rifling volley from Diego Forlan after six minutes and two further goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy, the man supposedly without his scoring touch, did for Rangers.

By contrast, from the visitors, there was only grafting sweat in the middle of the park as move after move foundered upon United's excellence. In contrast to Ibrox two weeks ago, where Rangers were quite courageous, this match proved something of an embarrassment.

There were passages

when McLeish's team were hopelessly outclassed.

In Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Forlan, United had players whose movement and passing were beyond reproach, and

certainly beyond the plodding efforts of Rangers to get to grips with it.

The gulf in class was not missed around Old Trafford, where United's supporters mocked the visiting brethren, for instance, when cheering erupted among the Rangers supporters at their team winning a corner.

It was gruesome, frankly, watching Rangers grind their way through this while their supporters bemused this football shrine with their constant chanting about ''Fenian bastards'' and other heartfelt issues.

The home side's superiority was reflected in the poor, harassed, often shambling efforts of Rangers to build possession. Michael Mols may get by on his lack of true physical ballast in the SPL, but not at this level, not with a Rio Ferdinand effortlessly swatting him aside.

Craig Moore, before being injured, made timely interceptions, and in Shota Arveladze Rangers did have a player who threatened to trouble United, but the true threat of the visitors was feeble.

Already two goals adrift by half-time, this was a cruel night for Alex McLeish, whose renowned strength of character must have been tested as his team were outplayed. Given Rangers' injuries and their lack of options, nor was there much McLeish could do about it. With Paolo Vanoli, for one, grafting gutsily but to no avail, might a Capucho or an Emerson have done better?

With its towering bank of 67,000 seats, Old Trafford can be intimidating enough, though a raucous gathering of Rangers supporters produced their own unique noise. But there was, in truth, already apprehension in their ranks, especially with a Rangers team so denuded of resources through injury. McLeish must have sent up a private prayer for their survival.

As it transpired, he would hardly have time for a brief intercession before United scored. It was the sort of calamitous start, within six minutes, which the Rangers manager must have dreaded, especially as his side had already looked dreadfully inferior in those opening moments. Roy Keane's cross was headed out by Michael Ball and Forlan's subsequent volley sped ferociously past Stefan Klos.

United enjoyed various permutations from which to choose. Sir Alex Ferguson went with Ronaldo instead of Darren Fletcher and also dropped John O'Shea, delegating Quinton Fortune to left-back. When McLeish looked over and appreciated that a player like Nicky Butt sat resting on United's bench, he must have envied the luxuries of his old mentor.

Rangers had the strength of character to claw their way into the match but their passing was woeful and their finishing simply non-existent. On top of all this, and their early misfortune, players such as Vanoli and Mols struggled to meet the pace of the game. Mols, for instance, receiving a decent punt from Ball in behind United's defence, simply botched his attempt to control the ball.

Rangers were also rent asunder on the flanks. Giggs, such a proven player over so long at this level, gave poor Zurab Khizanishvili a wretched time of it. The Welsh international tore at the young Georgian all night, resulting in a series of scares in front of the agile Klos. On the other flank, Vanoli was made to look cumbersome by Ronaldo.

United bulged Rangers' net again after 44 minutes and once more Rangers were found wanting in the wide areas. Ronaldo's cross eventually fell for Forlan, whose venomous shot pranged back off the bar. Van Nistelrooy knew little about it as the ball bounced off him into the net, though the goal was no less merited for United.

Rangers' best period was when they spliced together a few salvoes early in the second half, but these were quickly hosed down by United. No sooner had Ball come close with a blocked effort than United were scoring at the other end. Giggs' 60th minute free-kick evaded every Rangers defender, but not van Nistelrooy, whose deft touch directed it past Klos.

On this evidence, Klos could feel particularly hard done by. It seemed last night that, on a number of occasions, the German goalkeeper dived to smother a shot or leapt to produce a fine save. You might never have known it, though, from such a comfortable scoreline. Group E is now a grisly task for Rangers.

group e

Panathinaikos1VfB Stuttgart3

PWDLFAPts

VfB Stuttgart4301849

Manchester Utd43011029

Rangers4112364

Panathinaikos40132111

Nov 26Panathinaikos v Manchester Utd

VfB Stuttgart v Rangers

Dec 9Manchester Utd v VfB Stuttgart

Rangers v Panathinaikos

manchester united

Howard

G Neville Ferdinand Silvestre Fortune

Ronaldo Keane P Neville Giggs

van Nistelrooy Forlan

rangers

Klos

Ball Moore Berg Khizanishvili

Vanoli Arteta Hughes Lovenkrands

Mols Arveladze

Substitutions

Manchester United Kleberson (Giggs 68), Bellion (Forlan 68), Fletcher (van Nistelrooy 77)

Rangers Capucho (Mols 56), Ross (Moore 68), Burke (Vanoli 82)

Subs not used

Manchester United Carroll, Butt,

Djemba-Djemba, O'Shea

Rangers McGregor, Emerson, Ostenstad, Dowie

REFEREE Pierluigi Collina (Italy)

Attendance 66,707

MATCH FACTS

Manchester UtdRangers

Shots On Target

72

Shots Off Target

4 4

Blocked Shots

22

Corners

23

Fouls

1613

Offsides

43

Passing Success %

78.975.3

Tackles

3036

Tackles Success %

76.755.6

Possession %

53.546.5

Territorial Advantage %

51.548.5