Manchester United are so close to
Wembley they can see the traffic.
They moved to within touching
distance of the final of the
Champions League with a
performance that was so mature,
so mesmerizing that it must rank up
there with their greatest ever.
Forget the Olympics; the hottest
ticket in London will be United at
Wembley on May 28. They will treat
Schalke with due respect when the
Germans visit Old Trafford next
week but it is impossible to envisage
an upset. Not with Ryan Giggs
breaking up moves, launching
attacks and scoring goals like
United 's first. Not with Wayne
Rooney sweeping around passes
and scoring goals like United 's
second.
As well as the contribution of this
dynamic duo, United 's victory was
studded with other marvelous
displays, beginning with the
manager, whose adventurous
tactics were utterly vindicated.
Sir Alex Ferguson was bold, chasing
the away goals that flowed in the
second period. To think that United
used to struggle in Germany; here
they rolled in red waves across the
Ruhr, sweeping Schalke aside.
Alongside Giggs in the centre,
Michael Carrick was immense,
proving that he can patrol and
control midfield. He can 't get a game
for England, even a squad call, but
he could end the season a Double-
winner.
Nobody passed the ball as much as
Carrick, whose 108 passes were 87
per cent accurate. Further forward,
Javier Hernandez, the Mexican
leading the charge of the Alamo
around Schalke 's box, did
everything but score. Hernandez
will play worse than this and net a
hat-trick.
Who else? All of them. Antonio
Valencia kept slipping past Hans
Sarpei, kept delivering crosses from
the right. Fabio was a right-back in
name only, the Brazilian almost
scoring twice. Ji-sung Park,
underlining South Korea's reputation
for producing reliable engines,
began on the right but drove all
over. United 's defence dealt
effortlessly with what little Schalke
launched at them.
United were so good they were
applauded off by Schalke 's hugely
sporting fans. They recognized
class. They could see the
devastating mix of dynamism and
discipline that suffused United.
A long with the intelligence and
vibrancy in possession, there was a
resilience to United. Evra even
argued afterwards that United hadn 't
been "brilliant this season but our
mentality has made the difference,
it 's been stronger than in recent
years". Too strong for Schalke
certainly.
As English print presses rolled on
headlines celebrating how United
put Das Boot into Schalke, one
thought inevitably occurred: how on
earth had Inter Milan been so
soundly thrashed in the quarter-
finals by these Germans, whose
fans were great but whose team
looked the 10th-ranked side in the
Bundesliga.
Raul was poor, Edu non-existent
while Jefferson Airplane have
probably put on better shows here
than Jefferson Farfan. One man
stood out. One man prevented
United running up a tennis score.
A man called Manuel was really all
that stood between United and a
final against Spain 's finest, Barcelona
or Real Madrid. Even a keeper as
good Manuel Neuer could hold out
for only 67 minutes.
Until Giggs and Rooney struck like
lightning, twice, Neuer was
absolutely outstanding, a figure of
defiance, a goalkeeper who showed
why Bayern Munich were so
determined to win the chase to get
the German international this
summer. Schalke will miss him
badly. United would have loved him
to succeed Edwin van der Sar.
For 67 minutes, Neuer kept
anticipating danger, kept making
saves, resembling Jan Tomaszewski
1973 at times. United would have
been home and lederhosed by the
break but for Neuer. His class was
immediately evident, Neuer tipping
away Rooney 's curling effort. Then
he denied by Park, then Hernandez.
Schalke briefly showed signs of life
in the first half, Raul heading the ball
down to Edu, whose looping shot
was saved by Van der Sar. They
adore Raul here, a Spanish flag
proudly bearing the words of two
local loves: "Rock 'n' Raul". An
adjacent banner proclaimed
affection for another passion: "Bier
2".
United fans had spent the day
drinking in the sunshine, then
revelling in this master-class.
Rooney shook off a bad tackle from
Christoph Metzelder, whose mask
could not disguise his identity or
malevolent intentions.
The England striker, returning to the
scene of his 2006 World Cup
dismissal, was terrific, teasing a
pass through to Park, who found
Hernandez. Neuer barred the way.
Again.
Some of Rooney's crossfield passes
were pure Paul Scholes, particularly
when picking out Valencia.
Hernandez was always lively,
darting through, shooting wide after
25 minutes. Then Valencia lifted the
ball across, Nemanja Vidic headed
back and Giggs was denied by You
Know Who.
Neuer enjoyed little protection.
Metzelder, the Phantom of the
Opera, was having a nightmare,
pulling down Rooney, who had
broken clear. Still United pressed,
Hernandez and Giggs went close
and Fabio shot over. The half ended
with Rooney inviting Giggs to run at
Neuer, who responded with another
astonishing stop.
New half, same story. Giggs
whipped over a free-kick that Carrick
met, flicking a header goalwards,
only for Neuer to palm over. At last,
the scoreboard paid homage to
United 's superiority.
It required something special to beat
Neuer. Rooney and Giggs duly
obliged. Rooney's reverse-pass was
perfectly weighted for Giggs, who
slid a low shot between Neuer's legs
and in. Ageless, almost peerless,
Giggs continues to be the man for
all seasons.
Hardly had United fans launched
into a rousing rendition of 'Giggs will
tear you apart again" then United
added a superb second. Hernandez
supplied the killer pass, sending
Rooney through and his finish was
expert. Neuer stood no chance as
Rooney placed his shot past him.
With nine minutes remaining,
Rooney departed to a flurry of boos
from the locals and a standing
ovation from the United hordes.
They were soon singing about
Wembley. So close.

I think they deserve that winning.