From the Times:
'Old Trafford was the scene of another hostile takeover last night. As if dealing with a cussed, persistent American billionaire was not trying enough, Sir Alex Ferguson was obliged to repel the unwanted advances of a determined collection of Italian aristocrats. Having avoided AC Milan in meaningful circumstances for 36 years, Manchester United’s stock fell heavily. Goalkeepers, meanwhile, face de-listing.
With United fans stepping up their vocal opposition to Malcolm Glazer before kick-off, Ferguson’s players confronted another megalith. It was difficult to present the richest club in the world as underdogs, but as Ferguson had conceded, "they don’t come any tougher than AC Milan, a club with a mighty past and still going strong". The Rossoneri are old money, greedy for further acquisitions.
While Ruud van Nistelrooy, a second-half substitute, should have regained full fitness by the time hostilities are resumed at the San Siro on March 8, Milan may be bolstered by the return of Andriy Shevchenko. Away from home, United have failed to score only against Sparta Prague and Fenerbahçe, but these opponents inhabit a different stratosphere of the European Cup.
Off the pitch, the protesting had been no less voluble. Several thousand fans had participated in an anti-Glazer march around the stadium, with banners ranging from the articulate, "Not Xenophobic But Glazerphobic", to the sinister, "You Buy, You Die", but the tone had been peaceful.'