SOCCER/Exeter - 0 Manchester United - 2: Manchester United hurried for their flight, glad to be out of Exeter and into the fourth round. The next tie, with Middlesbrough, surely cannot bemuse the holders as this one did.

The scoreless draw at Old Trafford led to a win here that would have been slender indeed but for Wayne Rooney's goal in the 86th minute. Until then, Exeter City had never lost hope of an equaliser

United had been sentenced to visit a non-league club, but they had it in their own power to determine the real extent of their punishment. With a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo as early as the ninth minute, they were at once on course to turn this into a harmless oddity of a fixture, even if they then meandered for a while.

Alex Ferguson had attempted to add a therapeutic air to this trip to Devon, with Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs allowed to make comebacks after a few weeks of injury. The pretence that they had no real objection to this replay, though, did not withstand Exeter's inspection for long.

That's the charm of this sort of fixture: the smaller club is pardoned for all its failings and worshipped after each moment of success. Even if Ronaldo scored, in these parts they will enshrine the occasion for the nutmeg Scott Hiley inflicted on the Portuguese winger.

A blind eye would have been turned to even a humiliation since the football world will only have perfect recall of the result of the first match.

As it was, United's situation was no more than satisfactory at the end of the first half. Ronaldo had begun by shooting through the legs of Paul Jones once Paul Scholes had speared a pass through the right flank.

Rooney would soon oblige Jones to parry a drive after Liam Miller had created the opening, but Exeter were in a gradual recovery from the early setback. They regularly made progress on the left wing and found encouragement in the scattiness of Tim Howard.

The American came charging out for a cross after 27 minutes and was nowhere near making the catch. It must have been bafflement that then had Steve Flack misheading the ball.

Just before half-time, Sean Devine sidefooted a yard wide.

Even a near-miss against opponents of this calibre meant that Exeter could live on in the rapturous condition that has enfolded them since their feats at Old Trafford. Their existence is cluttered with wonders.

The kind of club that normally wears itself out trying to persuade the public to come here suddenly had to exert itself turning away the holders of forged tickets.

A glimpse of St James Park temporarily boosted property values. A few homes overlook the pitch and there were no jokes about making sure the curtains were drawn. Many people pleaded for an invitation to these rooms with a view of the game.

The BBC was providing £150,000 to bring Exeter's takings from the tie to £800,000, enough to clear the £300,000 debt to their creditors and offset the weekly losses until, with luck, the books get balanced next season.

There may, however, be some new concerns. How long can they hold on to Alex Inglethorpe? Exeter are 95 steps below United on the great staircase of football but that is much closer than they were before he took over as manager three months ago.

His side is awash with confidence and the waves of self-belief crashed down on the illustrious visitors once he had spoken to his men at the interval. The excellent Alex Jeannin once more picked out Devine with an hour gone, but he screwed his attempt off target.

United enjoyed a fine opportunity just before that. As Scholes moved through, the ball broke from him to Rooney and the teenager's gentle flip over the goalkeeper came to a halt in a patch of cloying mud.

Home turf had literally been to Exeter's advantage.

United had become bogged down. Though Kwame Ampadu was the first man to be booked, there could previously have been yellow cards for Rooney and John O'Shea.

Howard stretched well to hold an Andy Taylor free-kick in the 72nd minute.

Though Rooney fired over later, the holders will not forget their turbulent passage to the fourth round.

EXETER: Jones, Hiley, Sawyer, Gaia, Jeannin, Moxey, Taylor (Martin 89), Ampadu (Afful 69), Clay, Flack (Edwards 74), Devine. Subs Not Used: Rice, Todd. Booked: Ampadu, Clay.

MANCHESTER UTD: Howard, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, O'Shea, Fortune, Giggs (Saha 70), Miller (Fletcher 66), Scholes, Djemba-Djemba (Silvestre 80), Ronaldo, Rooney. Subs Not Used: Ricardo, Bellion. Goals: Ronaldo 9, Rooney 87.

Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).