Scholes goal was enough to dump Barcelona

Manchester United are through to the Champions League final in Moscow thanks to some dogged defending and a Paul Scholes screamer. Alex Ferguson's team will meet Chelsea on May 21rst after dumping Barcelona out of the competition.



Scholes capitalised on Xavi's wayward pass in the 14th minute to score only his second goal of the season, lashing an unstoppable shot past Valdes in the Barcelona from 30 yards. It was a moment of footballing poetic justice for the 32 year old United midfielder as he missed United's 1999 Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich due to suspension. Barcelona huffed and puffed throughout the game and Deco went close on a couple of occasions.

But for all the efforts of Eto'o and Messi, the Catalan team were disjointed and United defended well with Ferdinand and Brown looking impenetrable at the back. Even a cameo by United's former nemesis Thierry Henry wasn't enough to turn the tie as Barcelona threw the kitchen sink at United in the last few minutes. But Scholes &Co. hung on to ensure an all English Champions League final.