Manchester United's capacity for brinkmanship appears limitless. It took a goal from Paul Scholes in stoppage time to save them from defeat by Panathinaikos here last night, when their previous poor away form in this season's tournament all but caught up with Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Panathinaikos, with nothing to lose, preyed on some generally slipshod football by United and missed several chances to increase the lead Giorgis Seitaridis gave them midway through the first half. This kept the English champions in the contest and at the last Scholes, turning on a pass from Luke Chadwick following a corner from David Beckham, denied the Greeks victory.

While last night's performance said little for Manchester United's chances of winning the European Cup for a third time, they should still reach the quarterfinals. Valencia's 5-0 win at Sturm Graz means the Austrians have to win by three goals or more at Old Trafford next Tuesday to draw level on points with United and edge them out on head-to-head results.

But for a fateful late lunge by Wes Brown at Old Trafford a fortnight earlier, when the defender turned the ball into his own net to deny United victory over Valencia, Ferguson's team could have treated this trip as a cultural exercise. Instead they needed to tread warily.

Certainly the Greek approach was positive, with Seitaridis and Panagiotis Fyssas always looking to turn United's defence on the wings while in the middle Giorgios Karagounis and Derek Boateng sought links with Nikolaos Liberopoulos up front.

At the start, however, they experienced difficulty finding the subtlety, pace and weight of final pass to disturb Jaap Stam and Brown. A free-kick from Goran Vlaovic swung wide at one end and a shot on the run from Scholes was just off target at the other; otherwise the only early crisis United suffered was self-inflicted.

For once Fabien Barthez's habit of racing out to meet a through pass and demonstrate his ball skills by whipping it away from an attacker let him down.

For an instant it looked as if Liberopoulos had been granted a shot at an empty net but the striker failed to get the ball under control.

United were content to keep the game at an even tempo, trusting that the initial momentum of Panathinaikos would exhaust itself. Certainly as Karagounis, breaking into the area from the right, wastefully drove a shot over the bar in the 23rd minute there seemed little danger.

Two minutes later, however, a free-kick from Vlaovic on the right was cleared low to Seitaridis who met it on the half-volley and with Barthez unsighted, he drove the ball into the left-hand corner of the net from 25 yards. Now not merely the chill of a windy Athens evening was sending a shiver down United spines.

By half-time Manchester United had created only one clearcut opportunity. That was in the 37th minute when Gary Neville gathered a return pass from Dwight Yorke, preferred to Teddy Sheringham,and cut in from the right for a shot which was saved feet-first by Antonis Nikopolidis.

Panathinaikos, on the other hand, set up chances almost every time they moved forward. In the 39th minute only the agility of Barthez in tipping away a swerving, dipping cross-shot from Vlaovic denied them a second goal and had Liberopoulos used his loaf United would have fallen further behind four minutes later.

Sent clear and onside by the timing of Boateng's through pass, Liberopoulos drew Barthez but instead of shooting slipped the ball to Vlaovic, who was flagged offside. Had Liberopoulos found the net the goal would have stood. To cap it all the replay showed Vlaovic level when the ball was played.

To get back into the game United had to get a grip in midfield and establish closer links with Yorke and Andy Cole. First, however, their defenders needed to close the gaps Panathinaikos were exploiting so consistently.

The injured Ryan Giggs was badly missed as United sought the breakaways to help throw the opposition on to the back foot. On the right Beckham was again anonymous for long periods, although Gary Neville continued to threaten sporadically on the overlap. Nevertheless United's football achieved a better shape in the second half and by the hour, with better passing, were starting to maintain pressure for the first time.

PANATHINAIKOS: Nikopolidis, Fissas, Henriksen, Goumas, Seitaridis, Olivares, Karagounis, Boateng, Vlaovic, Basinas, Liberopoulos. Subs: Chalkias, Galetto, Warzycha, Pflipsen, Sigurdsson, Nasiopoulos, Koutelieris.

MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez, Silvestre, Stam, Brown, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Scholes, Keane, Beckham, Yorke, Cole. Subs: Rachubka, Irwin, May, Sheringham, Solskjaer, Greening, Chadwick.

Referee: K Nilsson (Sweden).