Ron, the star for MANU against Porto.

Cristiano Ronaldo's astounding early goal left Sir Alex Ferguson to go head-to-head with old rival Arsene Wenger for a place in the Champions League Final as they beat Porto 1-0 in the Dragao Stadium to win 3-2 on aggregate.
The emergence of Chelsea and Liverpool may have taken the edge off battles between Manchester United and Arsenal over the past few years.
But the renewal of hostilities promises to be almost as spectacular as the Ronaldo strike that created it.
The sixth-minute effort was his 20th goal of the season and only his second in the Champions League since completing that astonishing haul of 42 in last year's final in Moscow.
There was certainly no doubting it was worthy of winning any game, and earning United the accolade of becoming the first English team to beat Porto on their own ground.
As almost a side issue, it also keeps the Red Devils on track to win the quintuple in a season they have brought back to life at just the right time.
In calling for the spirit of Turin `99, Ferguson also knew if that momentous evening was to be repeated, he would have to go through the agony of being two goals down before a famous victory could be achieved.
Ronaldo however, has his own history book to fill.
A repeat of last season's 42-goal tally was never likely to be repeated in a campaign delayed because of ankle surgery.
But the 24-year-old has still make a significant contribution to United's attempt to land an unprecedented quintuple, even if, like so many of his team-mates, he has looked a little off the pace in recent weeks.
There could have been no better stage to signal his renewed intent.
Apart from his beloved Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo is roundly jeered when he returns to one of the major clubs in his homeland, Porto being no exception.
They recognise his talent, though, even if no-one expected what followed when Ronaldo collected Anderson's short pass closer to the halfway line than the opposition goal.
Sensing a little trepidation in home ranks, Ronaldo let rip with a shot as brutally powerful as it was audacious in its intent.
Porto keeper Helton did not have a chance of keeping the ball out as it flashed past him to give United the start Ferguson could not have dreamed.
Had Nemanja Vidic been able to keep his close-range effort under the crossbar after John O'Shea had got the faintest of touches to a Ryan Giggs corner just before the interval, the Red Devils would surely have completed their task in half the time allotted.
Unfortunately, the Serbian missed, allowing Porto to nurse plenty of hope during a half-time team-talk delivered by Jose Gomes as banned coach Jesualdo Ferreira apparently watched on TV at a secret location outside the stadium.
After his major blunder last week, Bruno Alves was determined to make amends and threatened Edwin van der Sar's goal on three separate occasions during that opening period.
But this was United at their belligerent best. Their intent showed in the reaction of a normally phlegmatic Dimitar Berbatov to losing possession and, after a public rebuke from his manager last weekend for not doing enough for the team, an apologetic wave of regret from Ronaldo after a misplaced pass.
Just as Vidic spurred the chance of a second immediately before the break, so Berbatov did the same just afterwards when he wriggled his way into the Porto penalty area.
Porto took it as their cue to mount another offensive.
But with Rio Ferdinand back alongside Vidic after his recent groin strain there was an authority about United's defending that had not been in evidence since before they were dismantled by Liverpool five games ago.
There was experience too, with Ryan Giggs and Van der Sar taking just long enough over their set pieces not to incur the wrath of Swiss referee Massimo Busacca while eating up vital seconds.
The introduction of Nani for Berbatov midway through the second period hinted at a strategy of counter-attacking at pace.
It was certainly Porto carrying any threat that did exist and Ronaldo was too close for comfort with a far post header.
Yet this United were different to what has been almost the shadow side that has existed before now.
And while they did not exactly coast home, the visiting supporters were celebrating victory long before the final whistle confirmed it.

Another victory for MANU, en route to final

Sir Alex Ferguson felt the understanding of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic was the key to his side's 1-0 win at Porto on Wednesday night that secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute and United had to withstand a lot of pressure after going into the match on the back of a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last week.

Ferdinand had been a doubt for the game with a back injury but he teamed up with Vidic to again form a formidable partnership.

Ferguson told Sky Sports: "They did well. We showed good concentration at the back and defended very well.

"If we get back to that foundation of not conceding goals, we can do well. We had stability at the back with the recognition of Ferdinand and Vidic and that was a great start.

"I couldn't see the dangers. I thought we controlled that part very well. Nothing really bothered us."

Ronaldo's goal was a phenomenal strike from fully 40 yards.

"It was a magnificent goal, a fantastic hit," continued Ferguson. "It took them by surprise, the keeper had no chance."

United will now face Arsenal in the last four, and Ferguson added: "It's going to be a great semi, there'll be some good football in that one."

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is hopeful the battling victory will help United emerge from the sticky patch of form they have been in since losing 4-1 to arch-rivals Liverpool in the Premier League

"This will give us confidence," he told Sky Sports. "The last five games we didn't play great and I hope this will change that."

Describing his goal, the Portuguese forward said: "When Anderson gave me the ball I think straight away to turn and shoot in the goal and I score a fantastic goal."

"It is the best I have scored," he said.

"It was a fantastic strike and I can't wait to see it again on DVD. I am very happy with it."

Ronaldo, who joined United from Porto's rivals Sporting Lisbon, is expecting an exciting semi-final.

"It's a fantastic thing," he said of the tie. "Arsenal play fantastic football. It'll be a tight game. We know each other and I hope to win the tie and go to the final."

Porto assistant coach Jose Gomes, standing in for Jesualdo Ferreira who watched the game in a secret location after being banned by UEFA yesterday, felt the hosts had been unlucky.

"It was not a fair result," he said. "We did really well at Old Trafford but the ball just would not go in for us this evening."

Good news for MANU, the fans.

Manchester United welcome back Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes to their Champions League squad for Tuesday's match against Porto at Old Trafford after they were suspended from domestic action at the weekend.

However, manager Sir Alex Ferguson's prospects of establishing a healthy quarter-final first leg lead over Porto were hampered with the news that centre-back Rio Ferdinand will miss the game with a back injury.

Ferguson will also definitely be without striker Dimitar Berbatov who has an ankle injury and will be sidelined for the next two weeks.

Holders United, looking to extend their record unbeaten run in the Champions League to 22 matches, go into the game in a far better of frame of mind than looked likely after 80 minutes of Sunday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

They trailed 2-1 and appeared to be heading for a third league defeat in a row before late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and teenage substitute Federico Macheda gave them a 3-2 win.

The result transformed the mood at Old Trafford with United going back on top of the Premier League and keeping alive their hopes of winning five trophies this season.

United will start favourites although, five years ago, Porto knocked United out 3-2 on aggregate in the last 16 on their way to winning the trophy. Coach Jose Mourinho performed a touchline jig that is still a bad memory for many Red Devils fans.

Jesualdo Ferreira's Porto team are not as organised nor as tactically disciplined as the one Mourinho built, but they have plenty of attacking threat and go into the match in top form.

However, their record in England is poor, losing 11 of the 12 matches they have played. The only exception was the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against United in 2004.

Hulk, the Brazilian striker who has attracted attention in Spain after a brilliant display in the first leg of the last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid, will pose a threat with aggression and pace reminiscent of his compatriot Ronaldo.

"I am at my best moment of the season," he said after Porto beat Guimaraes on Saturday.

The same can be said for his team, favourites to win a fourth successive Portuguese title, after Ferreira turned the club's season around following a weak start which included a 4-0 thrashing by Arsenal in the group phase.

Ferreira found his best eleven after the bad patch in October, starting Hulk regularly and buying Frenchman Aly Cissokho to successfully shore up the left side of the defence.

Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez, who scored six goals on Porto's route to the last eight, said: "We have to consider that we have a very young team, with little experience at this level. For us, the tie is a real final."

Back to top, good for MANU

Federico Macheda enjoyed a truly remarkable introduction to English football as he curled home an injury-time winner to give Manchester United a 3-2 win over Aston Villa which sends them back to the Premier League summit.

It seemed the Red Devils would have to settle for a point after Cristiano Ronaldo's brace had only proved enough to keep United level against a Villa side that thoroughly deserved a lead provided by John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

• Gamble pays off for Ferguson

But Macheda, a former member of the Lazio academy who arrived at Old Trafford in 2007, was to have the last word.

At exactly the same moment as Yossi Benayoun struck for Liverpool at Fulham last night, Macheda turned onto Ryan Giggs' low pass before unleashing a stunning shot that curled past Brad Friedel and sent Old Trafford into ecstasy.

With Rio Ferdinand's groin injury failing to ease in time for him to be considered, United were without their first-choice defenders and their first-choice strikers amid six missing men that included Wayne Rooney.

Gary Neville's first appearance for two months was expected to come at right-back, so it was something of a surprise to see him line up alongside Jonny Evans in the centre of United's defence.

Carew's eyes certainly lit up, given his vast height advantage, which he duly exploited to the full.

On the back of an eight-match winless streak, Villa's confidence was a bit fragile too but their dominance in the 14 minutes before Ronaldo's wonder-goal provided enough evidence for them to retain self-belief even after they had gone behind.

During that opening flurry of attacks, Fletcher kneed a Carew header onto a post and Agbonlahor sped clear of Neville only to fail in his quest to find a team-mate with a low cross.

It is difficult to understand why a team that swept all before it for virtually three months should suddenly appear to be so poor.

Beyond question is the individual ability they possess, although the brutal nature of Ronaldo's 19th goal of the season still took the breath away.

Normally the kind of opportunity provided when James Milner and Friedel got themselves into a muddle, forcing the Villa keeper to handle a back pass, could be a bit of a negative given its proximity to the opponents' goal. Not on this occasion.

Ryan Giggs brushed the ball to his illustrious young team-mate, who sent it over the wall and into the roof of Friedel's net in a flash.

A sense of calm should have spread across home ranks. Instead, Villa merely came again.

Showing the form that established them in the Champions League positions at Arsenal's expense by the end of January, Agbonlahor and Ashley Young terrorised the United defence.

Edwin van der Sar was called upon to keep Villa out on three occasions but there was nothing he could do to deny Carew when Gareth Barry wriggled his way into space by the touchline.

The Norwegian crept between Neville and O'Shea to steer a deft header into the bottom corner.

Ferguson responded by putting Neville back to full-back, giving up the unequal struggle of competing with Carew. He also urged the United fans to make more noise, indicating a fear that talent on its own was not going to be enough.

The response was patchy and failed to curb Villa's enthusiasm.

Ronaldo excels at many things. Chasing back is not one of them. And when he gifted possession to Stiliyan Petrov inside the visitors' half just before the hour, he allowed the Bulgarian to sweep upfield unopposed.

Agbonlahor hung around waiting for the cross Petrov presented Carew with the opportunity to supply, then rose majestically to find the bottom corner, just as his strike partner had done earlier.

Ferguson's response was to introduce 17-year-old Macheda, which in itself said something about United's plight.

It did however bring an immediate improvement and when Michael Carrick exchanged first-time passes with Giggs on the edge of the Villa box, he then presented Ronaldo with a lay-off.

The world player of the year did not have a lot to aim at but he found the one small gap Friedel was unable to cover.

Still, when Friedel denied Danny Welbeck two minutes from time, it seemed United would have to settle for a point.

Macheda, however, had other ideas.

· Gamble pays off for Ferguson

After the match Sir Alex Ferguson said he loved watching Manchester United throw caution to the wind as they produced another of those famed stunning fightbacks.

"In those situations, I gamble," said Ferguson. "Winning is the name of the game at this club."

"Risks are part of football and this club has been that way for a long time.

"I love to see that kind of adventure. Yes, there are times when we don't defend properly - and we didn't defend well today - but there is always a goal threat.

"There is always a chance we can win the match - and that is more exciting than anything."

MU new star!

AN unknown teenager who should have been in Italy rescued Manchester United yesterday.

Sub Federico Macheda, 17, struck an injury-time wonder goal on his debut as United came from behind to sink Villa — and storm back to the top of the Premier League.

Boss Alex Ferguson said: “We’re top of the league and that’s where we want to be. We have had a blip recently but we’ve recovered.”

Macheda, nicknamed Kiko by his United team-mates, scored a hat-trick for the reserves at Newcastle last week after arriving from Lazio 18 months ago.

He roared: “This is the day of my dreams. I was going to Italy to play in an international team but the gaffer said I should stay and be on the bench.

“My dad and my family were watching and they deserved this goal.”

Fergie added: “I just said ‘well done’ to him. He will have to keep his feet on the ground.

“He will get a lot of publicity over the next few days and he will have to learn how to handle it.”