Mighty Rooney eclipses the return of Beckham

Manchester United 4 AC Milan 0. First Porto, now Milan. An away day to England in the Champions League is turning into the stuff of nightmares for Europe's finest as the Reds inflicted on AC Milan a 4-0 humiliation, just 24 hours after Arsenal had humbled Porto 5-0 at the Emirates.

It was a consummate display by last season's runners-up and it earned them high praise from one of the most famous old boys, David Beckham. The former United midfielder came off the bench for Milan just after the hour mark, by which time his side were already 3-0 down. And it was that man Rooney, the most in-form striker in world football at the moment, who had shattered Milan's hopes of clawing back their 3-2 first-leg deficit.

Rooney scored his 29th goal of the season after just 13 minutes – heading a sweet Gary Neville cross past Christian Abbiati  – and then netted a second one minute into the second-half, this time thanks to good work from Nani out wide on the left.

"Wayne is such an exceptional talent," said Beckham, whose arrival came a couple of minutes after Ji-Sung Park had hammered home United's third. "He's one of the best players, if not the best, in the world at the moment, along with Messi and Ronaldo. They don't come much better than that."

When Beckham did trot out on to the Old Trafford turf he received a warm welcome, the fans sang his name and chanted "Fergie, sign him up."

But, despite the party atmosphere in the crowd, United weren't finished giving Milan a footballing masterclass. And Darren Fletcher made it 4-0 on 87 minutes with a spectacular header giving Rafael's cross the finish it deserved. Beckham gave a glimpse of his old self in injury time when he put a cross on a sixpence for Pippo Inzaghi, only for the veteran striker to miss a sitter.

"It was a disappointing night because we lost but returning here is always special," said Beckham, who left United in 2003. "The fans were unbelievable. I have to say thank you to all of them because they were incredible. The Old Trafford faithful's night got even better when news broke of Real Madrid's draw with Lyon, a result that dumped the Spanish giants out of the Champions League. Cristian Ronaldo's ears must have been burning down south as the United fans laughed at his expense.

Rooney is closing in on the 42 goals Ronaldo scored in the 2007-8 season and with two months of the season to go Alex Ferguson believes the English frontman can surpass his former teammate's record. "It's a challenge for Wayne," said Ferguson. "I was just happy for him to reach 30, but he keeps on improving... Wayne's performance was a continuation of his form over the last two or three months – just sensational, unbelievable."

As for the future, Ferguson said he doesn't care who United face in the next round of the competition when the draw is made on Friday week. "We beat Milan 4-0 and not many teams have done that. We are in the quarter-finals and with the kind of team I've got it doesn't matter who we play. "

But as usual it was Beckham who had the last word of the night, albeit one that came from what he did rather than what he said. Applauding the United fans at the final whistle, Beckham picked up a green and gold scarf – the symbol of United fans' opposition to the Glazer family's ownership of the club – and draped it round his neck.

Beckham later claimed it was an innocent gesture but for someone as PR savvy as he is, that seems unlikely. "I'm a Manchester United fan," Beckham told reporters. "When I saw the scarf I put it round my neck, it's the old colours of United. "I'm a United fan and I support the club, I always will. It's nothing to do with me how it's run. That's to do with other people. I support the team. I will always support the team." ·