Ronaldo Back at His Most Menacing Aas United Reflect the Manager's Mood

Manchester United's DNA means the club will always seek glory in performance and players. Yet a determined and quiet revolution staged by Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager whose lifeblood is winning, seems to have added a permanent tweak to Old Trafford's dominant gene.

At a raucous San Siro on Tuesday United controlled imposing opponents yet could not score. In previous seasons where the campaign for the Champions League has foundered in tight knockout ties against European giants with chess-like instincts, this failure to end Internazionale's hopes at the first attempt might have caused concern. However, the United players speaking directly afterwards all sounded supremely confident that they will glide through to the quarter-finals. Each of them, when reflecting on a satisfying evening, was relaxed and at ease, suggesting this is a squad playing with the simple rhythms of a freshly acquired maturity, as their manager repeatedly suggested before, during and after the match.

The defending European champions departed Milan leaving no doubt who were the superior side despite Jose Mourinho's claim that the referee had helped them, for which Uefa said last night he would face no disciplinary action. Possibly more concerning for the Italian champions was the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo back to his ravaging and pillaging best and the idea of a United who can slip seamlessly into continental mode because the style is almost the same as they play in the Premier League.

"We look forward to Old Trafford where I think we have a great chance and hope to win," said Ronaldo, who was upbeat despite being denied a hat-trick by the goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Inter's best player on the night. "We tried to score but it's not possible because the goalkeeper especially managed some great saves. But we play a nice, good football, we showed our great team and the second leg is in Manchester, I hope [we] play like we did here and if we do I think we will win."

Two years ago against Milan, the other tenants of San Siro, United were humiliated 3–0 in the semi-final second leg. Now it is Ferguson's team who hold the European Cup and such is their progress that dominance of Italian opposition is hardly unexpected.

So far this season United have won 11 domestic games 1–0 which is, of course, the classic way to squeeze opponents out on the way to European triumph. Last season the Champions League was won with United setting up in the now familiar 4-5-1 when playing away on the continent, scoring only seven goals in seven knockout games.

"I'm very proud," said Ronaldo. "The lads did brilliant – midfielder, defenders and attack – we played like a real team. The only bad thing is we didn't score. But this is football. Now the lads look forward to the [return]."

When asked about the missed opportunities, Dimitar Berbatov, United's most advanced player on the night, accepted that United should have scored a few goals but they should not be worried about the return leg. "The first half we were the better team and had three or four chances to score – we hit the post as well," the Bulgarian said. "But in the end it was 0–0 so I hope at Old Trafford we will be the winner, I think we'll be the winner."

How was the mood in the dressing room? "Maybe a little disappointed that we didn't score the chances we have. But everybody is excited about the second game. Matches like this against big teams are always good to play so we're looking forward to that.

"[Ferguson] was a little bit disappointed because sometimes the concentration is not 100% just before the final pass and that we must work on. This is what the boss is telling me all the time – concentration and then if we score there is a big advantage."