RIO'S MEMORY NOT WHAT IT COULD BE

"We know it's going to get harder from here on in, but I think this result was proof of how far this team has come. I think last season we were a bit gung-ho a lot of the time and it didn't pay off.

"I think this result has shown the maturity of the side and it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully, if we can have the fruits of that this season, that would be fantastic. I'm just pleased there was an assured authority about the team, which we haven't seen in the Champions League for a few years.

"It was a very professional performance. The manager told us to go out there and try to win the game, and we did that the best we could. Maybe we were a bit cautious at times, but this is the Champions League and teams can hurt you in an instant with one moment of brilliance. And we kept them down to a minimum.

"It will be difficult to win it but we believe in ourselves."

The excellent Tim Rich in the Telegraph:

Before he took Manchester United into a European Cup quarter-final for the first time since their title-winning season of 2002-3, Sir Alex Ferguson commented that their form in Europe had seen them "get the job done".

That is a perfect summation of United's progress from their manager. Apart from the dramatic opening game against Celtic and a brief period at Old Trafford when it seemed they might be knocked out by Benfica for a second successive season, their football has been efficient - or rather dull - depending on your viewpoint.

When they last reached the quarter-finals, it was via a 3-0 mauling of Juventus in the Stadio delle Alpi. The ensuing tie was lost 6-5 on aggregate to Real Madrid in two games unlikely to be forgotten by anyone at either club.

The Champions League this season has not been set ablaze by United but that is not to deny the possibility of Gary Neville lifting the trophy in Athens. As Ferguson said after seeing off Lille on Wednesday, the surviving clubs in the Champions League are "much of a muchness".