VIEW: United vs Schalke. 4-1

Good.

Performance. When I first saw the line-up, heavily influenced by tomorrows league game - no Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Giggs, Rooney or Hernandez - I was confused. It looked as thought we were going into an insignificant 4th round Carling Cup game against second tier opposition, not a game that, if  we overcame the opposition, would see us enter the most prestigious continental cup final in the world. However, as with in the first leg, the quality that our opposition lacked provided our largely inexperienced side with a surprisingly straight forward encounter. Schalke have been  possibly the weakest, least challenging side we have ever faced in a Champions League semi-final, however our displays over both legs - the coherence we showed as a unit, our confidence and prowess in front of goal, and the solid defensive displays (even though two completely different sets of defenders were used for each game) - should not be ignored, nor disregarded due to the lack of ambition displayed by the opposition. On this form and with this enhanced level of desire, following on pertinently from our brilliance against Chelsea in the previous round, we thoroughly deserve to be where we are: entering our third Champions League final in four years.

Gibson. A coming of age performance? Perhaps. Sandwiched in a midfield consisting of his idol and mentor, Paul Scholes, as well as his far more popular, energetic peer, Anderson, it was going to take something special from Gibbo to shine in that line-up. But as with all great prospects and players deemed good enough to make the grade at United, he stepped and performed brilliantly. The opposition, as has been discussed in some detail, were shoddy but his dominance in the centre of the field and maturity in front of goal, rewarded with the scoring of the second, deserves some credit.

Schalke: a team so bad, Anderson scores twice. Arguably the most popular acquisition of recent seasons due to his energy and undoubted natural talent, Ando's hardly been the most potent in front of goal (even though he was bought as an attacking midfielder), scoring only twice in 127 appearances. That tally was doubled after Wednesday's game, with two thoroughly deserved goals against the best 'keeper in the world. Brilliant performance all round from the Brazilian, who is really stepping up when we need him to in this vital stage of the season.

Bad.

Champions League finalists? Really? There was a strangely and disappointingly subdued nature to proceedings going into Wednesday's game. This was undoubtedly down to any one, or a combination of, the following factors:

- The tie was effectively done and dusted in Germany last week as we took a 2-0 advantage into the second leg;

- Our starting line-up therefore didn't scream excitement or a sense of occasion, did it?

- And the opposition, compared to Arsenal in the Semi's two season's ago, or Barca the season before, again failed to maximise or at least match the level of excitement attached to such a game.

A shame, of course, however we're there. We have made it, even though we're supposed to be sh*t. And undoubtedly, in the build-up to the 28th May, our fluctuating moods - a blend of euphoria that we are so nearly there, and fleeting sensations of nausea every time the thought of Wembley enters your head - will remind us of just how important it is. Even if Schalke failed to do so.

Player Ratings.

Van der Sar 6; Rafael 7, Smalling 8, Evans 7, O'Shea 7; Valencia 8, Gibson 8, Scholes 7, Anderson 8; Berbatov 6