Vidic, Ronaldo score for Manchester United

Vidic and Ronaldo score in pre-quarter-final as Red Devils send Mourinho's Inter Milan packing from Champions League

Vidic and Ronaldo score in pre-quarter-final as Red Devilsu00a0 send Mourinho's Inter Milan packing from Champions League

Alex Ferguson for once managed to get the better of long-time rival Jose Mourinho as Manchester United maintained their hunt for five trophies this season by beating Inter Milan 2-0.

Nemanja Vidic heads to score Manchester United's opening goal in the fourth minute of their Champions League pre-quarter-final tie against Inter Milan at Old Trafford in Manchester last night.

Ferguson had beaten Mourinho just once in their 13 previous meetings, but goals from Serbian Nemanja Vidic and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo eased United into the last eight of the Champions League.

Both goals were headers, and both came in the fourth minute of each half against the Serie A leaders, who twice hit the woodwork at Old Trafford via Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano.

The Red Devils got their noses in front as Ryan Giggs floated over a corner and Vidic took maximum advantage of Patrick Vieira's ill-timed slip to steer a precise header into the bottom corner.

Ibrahimovic then looked dangerous when he found space between Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea and rose to meet Maicon's curling free-kick. His header took the ball downwards, then back up, flicking against the bar with Edwin van der Sar beaten.

Ibrahimovic then turned provider, floating over a superb cross for Dejan Stankovic, who had got behind Patrice Evra only to scoop his far-post shot over when he should have done much better.

But four minutes after the restart Inter found themselves two adrift.

The Italians seemed to have regained the initiative in the early moments of the second period but when Giggs and Paul Scholes presented Wayne Rooney with a decent crossing opportunity, Ronaldo rose to power home.

Any feeling the visitors might claw their way back was dispelled just before the hour, when Adriano, volleyed against the inside of the post and saw the rebound bounce to safety. Thereafter United held on to the lead quite comfortably even as the Italians could do little.