Taken by Giggs, it was cleared as far as Gary Neville, his chip was nodded down by Solskjaer and Keane volleyed in. Though Claudio Lopez tested Van der Gouw with an opportunist shot from 35 yards, and Mendieta always looked dangerous, United were beginning to dominate with Keane beginning to look the part. Beckham, from 25 yards, struck the angle of the goal with a free-kick after 31 minutes then, from another free-kick, United scored. The Norwegian, included in place of Dwight Yorke after his four goals against Everton, shot straight at the Valencia goalkeeper. Ryan Giggs was growing in prominence, running with success at the Valencia defence and, after he went close after 22 minutes with a deflected shot which looped wide. He looked as if the negotiations had drained him of energy. Perhaps because of this Valencia were able to play their part in an open start, albeit one which failed to raise Old Trafford, after the brief cheer for Keane's signature, from its customary torpor. The travelling support were chirpy enough having been stirred by a first-minute break from Mendieta which caused panic in the rejigged United defence - Gary Neville was moved to the centre with Henning Berg dropped - before Raimond van der Gouw, with a double save from Francisco Farinos, calmed the mood. United responded with a series of corners but they failed to pressure Andres Palop until the 16th minute when an elaborate free-kick, taken by Beckham, led to a chance for Solskjaer. A miskick in front of goal and a loose pass when a break was on were his first contributions.
They were singing "Keano" on the way to the stadium and the chorus reached a crescendo when the deal was announced. The money may be ridiculous but, in the context of the Champions' League, where every win can be worth millions, it is perfectly sane. Not that Keane did much to justify it in the initial stages. It was clearly nothing less than United had expected for they had set the agenda by announcing his new deal, not before the match, but a few minutes after kick-off. Forty, fifty, sixty grand a week? Whatever Keane gets is excessive compared to nurses, Prime Ministers and most football supporters but there was not a word of criticism at Old Trafford. Without his contribution the likes of Beckham would not be able to strut their stuff and last night, after a slow start, he ran the midfield, totally eclipsing the dangerous Gaizca Mendieta. In front of the referee who sent him off at the World Cup, Kim Milton Neilsen, he underlined his candidacy for the European Player of the Year crown which is to be determined later this month. Good though Beckham's year has been, it is the less eye-catching Keane who really deserves the award. Roy Keane may have taken six months to sign his name to Manchester United's future but he only needed 37 minutes at Old Trafford last night to show why the club spent so long coveting it. The United captain, who agreed a new £10m-plus deal with the treble-winners hours before kick-off, scored his fifth goal in nine games, and fourth in the Champions' League, to put his team's defence of the trophy back on course after their Florentine nightmare. Further goals by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after 47 minutes, and Paul Scholes, after 68, sealed victory for a United side who, at times, produced some beautiful flowing football. The best of it was provided by David Beckham. But we know we have to win this match." Robson will be without his Portuguese defender Helder, who is ineligible, and the Spaniard Marcelino, who is still injured.
Steve Howey, who is also ineligible, received a setback when he damaged a hamstring on Tuesday, as did the striker Paul Robinson, who has been withdrawn from the squad.. Roy Keane may have taken six months to sign his name to Manchester United's future but he only needed 37 minutes at Old Trafford last night to show why the club spent so long coveting it. "We're not winning, we're not drawing, we're losing, so we have to play to some fairly adventurous football," said Robson. "If we play placid football it won't damage our opponents and we have to hurt them. We have to be adventurous and not be afraid, and if we go out [of the competition] playing that way, well so be it. It's a slight problem for us, but if he can give us an hour at the beginning or a good half an hour at the end, that might be all we can get from him." The manager admitted his side will have to play an adventurous game to get through the tie.
"We're having to nurse it, but the problem is that while we do that he doesn't train, and so his fitness level isn't being enhanced. Dyer has not played since undergoing surgery, also on his calf, in October, but his recovery has been such that he almost returned to the squad for the trip to Villa. However, both men are short of match fitness and while it seems likely that they will play some part in the game, which Newcastle need to win after losing 1-0 in Roma, their involvement could be limited. "Duncan hasn't trained since he got the winner on Saturday and he's still having a slight problem with his calf," Robson said. Bobby Robson, the Newcastle manager, will leave it until the last possible moment tonight to name his team to face Roma in their Uefa Cup third round, second leg match as he is waiting on the fitness of Duncan Ferguson and Kieron Dyer. Bobby Robson, the Newcastle manager, will leave it until the last possible moment tonight to name his team to face Roma in their Uefa Cup third round, second leg match as he is waiting on the fitness of Duncan Ferguson and Kieron Dyer. Ferguson, who came off the bench at Aston Villa on Saturday to clinch his side's first Premiership away win of the season, is still having problems with the calf injury which has been hampering him for several weeks.
Rehabilitation, though, has almost been completed and there would be no greater sight than Alston doffing his trademark feathered hat on Sunday in front of the popping bulbs.. Both are represented in the sprint - a race for Orient Expresses - by Tedburrow and Rudi's Pet respectively. There is, however, an acclimatisation problem in the Tedburrow camp. The seven-year- old travelled over most satisfactorily but his trainer was confined to quarters for 48 hours with jet lag. It is a warm sensation to be in the company of men of the North like Eric Alston and David Nicholls. Last year two punters got it to a HK$5 bet (60p) and collected about £6m each. It must have been a struggle to get it home. This is a strange environment even for some of our more bloated participants, so heaven knows what it means to the travelling artisans. This makes it the largest charity donor in Hong Kong and one of the biggest in the world. The most popular bet is the Quinella (a dual forecast) and the most speculative the Triple Trio - the conundrum of providing the first, second and third in any order in three designated races It's not easy, but at least you don't have to work again.