Star performances

With Manchester United preparing for a 250th fixture in Europe"s premier competition, we cast an eye over some of the best individual performances by Reds over the years…

1. George Best vs Benfica (A) 5-1, 09.03.1966 
“El Beatle” was born on a magical night in Lisbon when he tore the much-vaunted hosts to shreds. The wing wizard had already scored a header when he embarked on a solo dribble that yielded one of his personal favourite goals. The torment continued for the Benfica defence as an incredible scoreline was racked up. “It was surreal stuff,” Best enthused. “To be a part of such an experience was unreal.”

2. Roy Keane vs Juventus (A) 3-2, 21.04.1999 
The Reds captain may have shrugged off Sir Alex Ferguson"s accolade that he “covered every blade of grass” this night by claiming it was merely his job (likening it to a postman delivering letters), but it was the manner of Keane"s performance that said everything about the inspirational Irishman. Despite collecting a yellow card that ruled him out of the final, he headed in a David Beckham corner to reduce the deficit and led his side to the most remarkable of comebacks.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Arsenal (A) 3-1, 05.05.2009 
On a beautiful, sunny evening in the capital, the stupendous free-kick from long-range that deceived Manuel Almunia was brilliant in itself. However, the breakaway strike to make it 3-0 on the night(4-0 on aggregate) was even better and thrilling in its execution. Proving to be the best player in the world, Ronaldo was simply too hot for the Gunners to handle.

4. Wayne Rooney vs Fenerbahce (H) 6-2, 28.09.2004 
As good a debut as there has ever been, the teenager"s first appearance since injury had cruelly ruined his fun at Euro 2004 suggested a fee in excess of 25 million was going to be money well spent. Taking to Champions League football like the proverbial duck to water, Wayne"s confident free-kick in front of the Stretford End to seal a hat-trick had everybody visualising just how big an impact he would have.

5. Ryan Giggs vs Juventus (H) 3-2, 01.10.1997
The Welshman also produced a stellar display away to the Bianconeri in 2003 but this was a swashbuckling display that underlined his position as one of the best in Europe. The fact United bounced back from conceding a first-minute goal to Zinedine Zidane was largely due to Giggs” masterful form and his searing strike was one of the club"s very best in Europe"s premier competition as Angelo Peruzzi was left with no chance.

6. Tommy Taylor vs Athletic Club (H) 3-0, 06.02.1957
Trailing 5-3 from the first leg in Bilbao, the Busby Babes staged the most miraculous of comebacks under the Maine Road floodlights with England"s centre-forward wreaking havoc. Jesus Garay may have beenhighly regarded but the defender had no answer to Taylor"s power. Not only did Tommy score the equaliser on aggregate with a mixture of finesse and sheer brute force, he also hit the woodwork and outpaced Garay to tee up Johnny Berry"s winner. “It was Tommy"s match,” enthused assistant manager Jimmy Murphy. “He played some of his best games in the European Cup and this was one of them.”

7. Ji-sung Park vs AC Milan (A) 3-2, 16.02.2010 
Sometimes the best performances are not the most eye-catching. The South Korean"s selfless marking job on playmaker Andrea Pirlo had his manager purring. Indeed, it stuck in Sir Alex Ferguson"s mind on the day Park left for QPR. “The Milan games over there and at Old Trafford, when I asked Ji to play directly against Pirlo, are memorable,” the Scot recalled. “He never gave Pirlo a kick and he kept running off him which was brilliant too.” Park reserved some of his finest work for Europe and deserves great credit for putting the manager"s tactical plan into practice.

8. John Aston vs Benfica (N) 4-1, 29.05.1968
Many of the plaudits would latterly go to two-goal Bobby Charlton and the brilliant Best for his solo strike but the man of the match at Wembley was clearly the jet-heeled left winger. Aston had the beating of his marker Adolfo from the opening exchanges and tormented him with a series of raids down the flank. “Johnny had a particularly good game,” recalled Charlton. “He ran the legs off their full-back to produce somegreat crosses. He pulled their defence wide which gave the rest of us more room.” Benfica coach Otto Gloria agreed, admitting: “I laid plans for coping with Best and Charlton and the other stars, but nobody warned me about this boy Aston.”

9. Mark Bosnich vs Real Madrid (A) 0-0, 04.04.2000
The Australian may have ultimately struggled to fill the giant gloves of Peter Schmeichel, arguably the club"s greatest goalkeeper, but this one-man show of defiance in the Bernabeu is widely accepted as his finest hour for the Reds. Superb saves thwarted Michel Salgado, Steve McManaman, Fernando Morientes and also a Roberto Carlos free-kick. “Mark Bosnich has, without question, kept us in the game,” admitted Sir Alex afterwards.

10. Ernie Taylor vs AC Milan (H) 2-1, 08.05.1958
Not many gave a team devastated by the Munich tragedy only months earlier much hope of beating a sublime Milan side, particularly only days after the disappointment of losing the FA Cup final at Wembley. Yet Ernie Taylor, somebody whose immediate impact after the disaster is often overlooked, pulled the strings to upset the Italians in the first leg. Probing throughout and taking the game to the defensive Rossoneri, he even had the nerve to fire in the penalty winner to cap a marvellous comeback.