Debrecen 0 Manchester United 3: An otherwise perfect evening for Manchester United, and Malcolm Glazer's accountants in particular, was tempered by an injury to Gary Neville that will also have ramifications for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The England right-back will be out for up to six weeks with a torn groin muscle, which rules him out of the World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Northern Ireland and will weigh heavily on Alex Ferguson's mind as he awaits today's Champions League draw.
Ferguson will be troubled to lose such a sturdy defender but he can console himself with the video of this victory, one that will net the Glazer regime a minimum £10 million in competition money.
United have still to concede a goal since Edwin van der Sar's arrival and this was the sort of assured display, capped by two fine goals from Gabriel Heinze and a splendid strike by Kieran Richardson, that should make them formidable opponents.
Protecting a 3-0 advantage from the first leg, Ferguson's players were never in danger of relinquishing their hold on the tie but the desire to beat English opponents had sufficiently pumped up Debrecen to make this a potentially awkward night.
The archaic Ferenc Puskas Stadium, with its bare-chested fans and raucous public announcer, provided an imposing, no-frills setting, but, although the toffee-pudding surface hampered United's passing game occasionally, there were also moments when they routinely emphasised the gulf in class between the two sides.
Heinze, in particular, showed why Paris St-Germain's supporters have just voted him their best defender of all time, alternating between spraying 60-yard passes to the right flank and making a series of telling interceptions.
Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo provided width and penetration and Alan Smith, deputising for Roy Keane, swiftly acclimatised to his new midfield role, even if he picked up a predictable yellow card in the process.
The only negative aspect was the injury that will keep Neville out until October and which could perhaps be attributed to the pitch. Ferguson had strutted on to the playing surface before kick-off to peer disdainfully at the turf and he must have felt a horrible sense of deja vu when he saw Neville collapse to the ground only 10 minutes into the game. At almost exactly the same spot three years Wes Brown had fallen awkwardly against Zalaegerszeg, breaking an ankle.
Neville could at least manage to hobble away without the aid of a stretcher but his injury still meant an early departure and a reorganisation in defence that saw Kieran Richardson come on at left-back, Heinze join Rio Ferdinand in the centre and Brown move out to the right.
If Ferguson had any reservations about the alterations, they were quickly dispelled. On 20 minutes Paul Scholes sent over a corner and the Debrecen goalkeeper Norbert Csernyanszki came to punch the ball only to pull off what a golfer would term an air-shot. Heinze arrived at the far post to direct his header into the exposed net, His first United goal since a debut strike against Bolton 11 months ago.
United did not slacken in the second half, with Phil Bardsley playing in Neville's position, and Heinze's second goal also came via a corner, this time taken by Giggs and met with a flashing header from eight yards.
The outstanding moment, however, was provided by Richardson with a sweetly struck shot for the third goal. Richardson has taken a sizeable gamble staying at Old Trafford when he had been guaranteed first-team football at West Bromwich but, with one swipe of his left boot, he demonstrated why Ferguson believes he can make a considerable impact this season.
DEBRECEN: Csernyanszki, Eger, Mate, Vukmir, Sandor, Dombi (Szatmari 57), Kiss, Boor (Madar 78), Halmosi, Bogdanovic (Brnovic 46), Kerekes. Subs not used: Tomic, Komlosi, Sidibe, Bernath. Booked: Mate.
MANCHESTER UTD: Van der Sar, Neville (Richardson 13), Heinze, Brown, Ferdinand, Ronaldo, Scholes (Bardsley 46), Fletcher (Miller 61), Giggs, Smith, van Nistelrooy. Subs not used: Howard, Pique, Park, Rooney. Booked: Smith. Goals: Heinze 20, 60, Richardson 65.
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland).
