A performance that promised much but delivered enough is likely to have
provided Manchester United with all they need to survive their
potentially
tricky visit to Poland in 13 days' time and secure a lucrative place in
Uefa's European Champions' League.

While rarely playing with the fluency they can, United totally dominated
the Polish champions at Old Trafford and were rewarded with goals from
Ryan
Giggs after 15 minutes and Andy Cole 10 minutes from time. Had it not
been
for poor crossing, poor finishing and a goalkeeper who lived up to
legend
of Jan Tomaszweski, their manifest superiority would have reaped a even
greater harvest. Having also denied the Poles even a sniff of the
crucial
away goal, United will now travel to Lodz with optimism.

United, as expected, were unchanged from Sunday's Charity Shield
debacle.
Ferguson's decision was, to judge from a local newspaper survey, backed
up
by the supporters. The Poles included the Nigerian Omodiagbe Darlington,
who had passed a late fitness test in time to give the commentators a
brief
respite from the unpronounceable names and indistinguishable
shaven-headed
faces of most of his team-mates.

United's own baldy, Jaap Stam, was the focus of attention after his
uncertain display at Wembley, but this was scheduled to be a night for
strikers and, in particular, the relatively new striking partnership of
Andy Cole and Paul Scholes.

An even rustier element of United's game was first to slip back into the
groove, Roy Keane committing his first foul after just 30 seconds. The
fouls were soon coming from the Poles, however, as United began to
dominate
possession. After six minutes Darlington was booked for upending Scholes
after being fooled by some quick-footed trickery, then Boguslaw Wyparlo,
who had already had to punch clear from Ryan Giggs, was forced to save
from
Cole.

With eight minutes gone United ought to have scored but Giggs, set up by
Cole, was denied by Wyparlo, and Rafal Pawlak just got in front of
Scholes
as he sought to pocket the rebound.

Giggs, drifting in from the wing, drilled a 25-yard shot wide after
quarter
of an hour but it was just a range-finder. A minute later, Scholes
nodded
Gary Neville's long pass into his path and he stepped past one stumbling
defender before sliding the ball past Wyparlo.

Cole brought a fine save from Wyparlo five minutes later before Lodz
finally managed a shot after a harsh handball decision against Ronny
Johnsen. Not that Peter Schmeichel was worried as Rafal Niznik ballooned
the free-kick well over the bar. Schmeichel, incidentally, was making
his
24th European appearance for United, drawing him level third with Paddy
Crerand in the club's standings, behind Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton.
LKS Lodz, by comparison, were playing only their fifth European tie.

Nicky Butt, who has featured in 22 European ties during his short
career -
more than George Best or Denis Law - was then unlucky to be booked for a
foul on Niznik, but it was only a brief interruption in United's
control.
After 33 minutes, only an athletic clearance by Grzegorz Krysiak denied
Stam a goal on his competitive debut, while Beckham curled a free-kick
just
wide four minutes later.

These were the highlights of a concentrated spell of pressure, but
dogged
defence and the composed handling of the 23-year-old Wyparlo - who will
surely be headed west, perhaps to the Premiership, within a couple of
years
- kept United out until the break.

United resumed the assault at the start of the second period, but
suddenly
Lodz broke. Dzidoslaw Zuberek skipped a tackle and sped down the left
like
a latter-day Wlodimierz Lubanski - the ghosts of Wembley 1973 and
Poland's
shock draw with England rushed in, but instead of squaring to Tomasz
Wieszczycki, who was racing through the centre to fulfil the Domarski
role,
Zuberek shot himself, allowing Schmeichel a comfortable save.

United, chastened, rushed back into attack but a little more cautiously.
Cole twice went close, once denied by Wyparlo, once miskicking in front
of
goal.

The incessant pressure reaped a series of free-kicks but neither Denis
Irwin, Beckham nor Stam could even find the target, let alone beat the
goalkeeper. There were several more scrambles around the Polish goal
before, with the supporters' nerves just beginning to fray, Irwin
dribbled
into the box and crossed from the byline for Cole to head in at the far
post.

United can now turn their minds to the beginning of their Premiership
campaign on Saturday, secure in the knowledge that one half of their
season's twin ambitions has begun well.