By Chris Wright
Despite not being wholly convincing on the evening, Manchester United marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Marseille at Old Trafford last night – courtesy of a brace from their poacher incarnate, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez.
By our slightly dubious calculation, that makes it 16 goals from 18 goal-bound attempts in only 17 starts for Hernandez – not bad for a maiden campaign, not bad at all.
A late Wes Brown own-goal may well have buggered things up for United had Marseille taken any of the three glorious chances they managed to carve themselves just before half-time but, alas, the Little Pea’s shooting boots proved decisive once again.
Photos…
Both sets of players observe a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the tsunami in Japan
Chicharito opens the scoring, turning Wayne Rooney’s cross in at the back post
Chicharito celebrates his first goal of the evening
Gabriel Heinze and Nani scrap for the ball
Chris Smalling rises highest and beats Stephane M’bia in an aerial battle
Wayne Rooney bustles past Stephane M’bia
Gabriel Heinze fells Chicharito
Chicharito steers Ryan Giggs’ low centre in for his second of the evening
Souleymane Diawara and Steve Mandanda are left dejected by United’s second goal
Rafael da Silva leaves the pitch on a stretcher after suffering a hamstring injury
Wayne Rooney receives touchline instructions from Sir Alex Ferguson
Paul Scholes fails to clear Wes Brown’s own goal off the line
Wayne Rooney salutes the United supporters after the final whistle
Photos courtesy of the PA.