London, Oct 24: United beat Rangers 1-0 in a match dubbed the "Battle of Britain" because both clubs won their respective leagues last season.
Adding to the intrigue was that United manager Alex Ferguson is Scottish and once coached Rangers boss Alex Mcleish at Aberdeen. He also played for Rangers in the late 1960s.
Phil Neville was the star, netting in the fifth minute and clearing a header off the line in the second half. United goalkeeper Tim Howard made a good save in the 89th minute off Christian Nerlinger to preserve the win.
"It was a marvelous game of football," said Ferguson. "The excitement, the atmosphere, the tension. It's everything you want in a European game, and we got it."
Stuttgart beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in the other Group E game, getting goals from Imre Szabics in the 12th minute and Zvonimir Soldo in the 25th. Stuttgart and United have six points, and Rangers have four while Panathinaikos has just one.



Real Madrid controlled possession throughout but could only manage a 1-0 win over Partizan Belgrade. Raul Gonzalez, the leading goal-scorer in Champions League history, scored in the 38th minute, just making contact with a Luis Figo header.



Midfielder David Beckham reportedly suffered a right thigh strain in the game, though the extent of the injury wasn't known. He was to be examined yesterday.



Real Madrid has three wins in three games - the only other perfect team is Juventus - to lead Group F.



"We didn't play at our best," said Raul. "The best thing was the result. (Wednesday) the team made an effort, but we didn't play brilliantly. We were made to suffer up until the end."


Bureau Report