Manchester United raced to a four goal half time lead on the way to a 5-0 beating of Panathinaikos Tuesday as Alex Ferguson's team began its quest for an elusive Champions League title with a scoring burst at Old Trafford.
American goalkeeper Tim Howard marked his Champions League debut with a shutout as Mikael Silvestre (13th minute), Quinton Fortune (14th), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (34th) and Nicky Butt (40th) put the Reds in control in Group E.
Cameroon midfielder Eric Djemba Djemba added a fifth near the end to complete Panathinaikos' misery as top scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy failed to hit the target.
"I think our overall performance was excellent," Ferguson said. "We didn't do the same as we did in the first half. But it was a sensible performance."
Ryan Giggs, who was involved in four of the goals, said the job was done by half time.
"I think at half-time we could obviously take our foot off the pedal," the Welsh star said.
"We had to work hard in the opening minutes but I think our passing and movement all over the pitch just killed them."
United went ahead in the 13th minute when goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis pushed a long range left-footer from Phil Neville round the post and Giggs floated the flag kick into the danger area.
Van Nistelrooy pulled the 'keeper and the defender out of position with a run to the near post and Silvestre was first to connect, blocking the ball and then volleying home with his left foot.
Within a minute it was 2-0 when Solskjaer fired a low pass into the area from the right and Giggs teed up the shot for Fortune to rifle home a low right footed shot from 20m.
Howard dived to his right to make a one-handed save to keep out a powerful header from Michalis Costantinou in the 28th minute. But that fightback was short lived as United went further ahead in the 34th minute thanks to a blunder by the Panathinaikos 'keeper.
Giggs got clear down the left and found Solskjaer in front of goal. The Norwegian struck his shot well but straight at Nikopolidis only for the ball to squirm under his body and inside the post.
The fourth arrived five minutes before half time when John O'Shea swung over a left wing cross and Butt, the smallest player on the field, rose unchallenged to glance home a header.
Raimondas Zutautas had Howard diving full length early in the second half only to fire just past the post and Costantinou flicked past the same upright minutes later.
But a fifth game came eight minutes from the end when substitute Djemba-Djemba arrived unmarked at the far post after Giggs had tried to flick on a right wing cross and fired into the roof of the net.
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