Wayne Rooney double puts Manchester United in charge and David Beckham in the shade

AC Milan 2 Manchester United 3

Sir Alex Ferguson put the burden of expectation on Wayne Rooney and his England striker did not disappoint, scoring with two superb headers in an eight-minute spell midway through the second half to give Manchester United their first victory over AC Milan in the San Siro.

As if Rooney had not done enough this season, carrying the United attack almost singlehandedly at times, Ferguson again called on him in the pre-match press conference to fill the void left by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo “the best in the world” to Real Madrid in the summer.

Having been given precious little service for the first hour of this Champions League match, Rooney met a cross by Antonio Valencia, a second-half substitute, with a majestic angled header on 66 minutes and kept his composure to head past Dida again from Darren Fletcher’s centre after Milan’s defence had frozen, expecting an offside flag.

Even a nonchalant back-heel by Clarence Seedorf could temper United's delight. If was the perfect European performance, but once which had seemed unlikely for much of the match with Milan dominating from kick-off and only being pegged back thanks to an incredible piece of luck on the part of the visitors.

David Beckham may have been given the nickname Goldenballs because he could do no wrong, but even he has probably never scored a goal like the one Paul Scholes produced to haul Manchester United back into this Champions League clash in the San Siro.

United were already a goal down and their depleted defence was struggling to cope with the movement of the rossoneri’s attacking talent led by the evergreen Ronaldinho, when Scholes struck nine minutes before the interval.

Darren Fletcher made good ground down the right and crossed for the former England midfielder, who missed the volley with his right foot, only to then see it cannon off the shin off his left, standing leg, and trickle in past Dida via the foot of the post.

United, missing Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs, were second best for so much of this match that Sir Alex Ferguson will have been mightily relieved to have escaped with a point.

All the talk before hand was about Beckham facing his former club for the first time since he left Old Trafford in 2003, but in truth he was never really a factor aside from having an indirect hand in the Milan goal after three minutes.

The England midfielder swung over one of lazy free-kicks from the right, Patrice Evra failed to make proper contact with an overhead kick and the ball dropped to Ronaldinho. The Brazilian may have been a fading force in world football, but he started the game in devastating form and his venomous drive took a deflection off Michael Carrick that gave Edwin van der Sar in the United goal no chance.

United's defence looked like strangers in the early stages and Milan could easily have scored three times in the opening ten minutes. Ronaldinho cut inside to give himself a clear opening, only to curl the ball into the arms of van der Sar, while Luca Antonini was put clean through after a delightful ball inside the full back by Thiago Silva. The Italian really should have done better than drag his shot wide of the upright.

Wayne Rooney, leading the United attack, was forced to live of scraps for most of the opening period and failed to make proper contact with his one half-chance of the first half.

At the other end, Milan was looking threatening almost every time they went forward and Klaas Jan Huntelaar shot wastefully wide after being put through by Massimo Ambrosini.

Scholes then struck with his standing leg and the San Siro was stunned into silence.

Milan continued to carry the game to United in the second half, and Alexandre Pato should at least have tested van der Sar having been allowed a free header 12 yards from goal.

Andrea Pirlo showed what a superb striker of the ball he is with a magnificent 30-yard free-kick that needed all of van der Sar’s experience and goalkeeping excellence to keep United on level terms.

Ferguson replaced Nani with Antonio Valencia and the substitute had an almost immediate impact, delivering a cross from the right that Rooney met with a magnificent soaring header which went across the helpless Dida and dropped in at the far post.

Rooney did it again eight minutes later, giving the hopelessly exposed Dida no chance with another header from Fletcher’s cross.