Manchester United are a club which, for some obvious reasons, set great store by the past.

Once again however against Lyon, Cristiano Ronaldo provided some telling evidence that the exploits of those years gone by may yet be out-dazzled.

Those with sepia-tinted spectacles may dispute it, but is there a player who has ever done more for Manchester United through his individual contributions than Cristiano Ronaldo?

His goal that proved the winner for United over Lyon was his 30th in 30 games. Simply phenomenal, and we thought his 23 goals last season was impressive.

Eric Cantona and George Best had the brash personality that added to the legends of their footballing talent, but certainly Cantona does simply not match him.

Cantona rarely performed well in Europe; by contrast Ronaldo is joint top scorer in the Champions League this season with six. This is a midfielder mind - an attacking one maybe, but still a midfielder.

Arguably even Best, thanks to his self-destructive streak, did not provide the consistent match-winning that has propelled Ronaldo to the status of the most-coveted player in the world.

His goal against Lyon was not one of his finest, though it was a smart enough finish after the French side had made a mess of clearing the ball. It was also not his finest match, far from it perhaps. But whenever Ronaldo had the ball he terrified Lyon - at one time he had four players on him, trying to derail the side-stepping express at full speed.

With Nani and Anderson making up an attacking midfield line behind Wayne Rooney, United kept Lyon contained in their own half for much of the 90 minutes.

Only Karim Benzema, the 20-year-old product of Lyon's youth set-up coveted by Sir Alex Ferguson among others, looked lively for Lyon. But even his flame only sparked fitfully into life as he was given the task of leading the line on his own.

Lyon started off at Old Trafford defending so deep they were in danger of suffering from 'the bends', perhaps mindful of the hammering United dished out to Roma when the Italians decided on attack, attack, attack in the quarter-finals last season.

Like a boa constrictor, United held Lyon in their grasp and slowly squeezed tighter and tighter. Indeed, they should have snuffed the life out of the game several times before referee Roberto Rosetti blew his whistle to send Ferguson's side through to the last eight.

Rooney should perhaps have done better when he picked up an awful back-pass only for Gregory Coupet to save with his chest, while the England striker, Carlos Tevez and Ronaldo all were guilty of over-elaboration as Lyon pressed for an unlikely winner.

Ferguson will growl at his players that they should have done better: had Kim Kallstrom's ferocious shot from distance not been straight at Edwin van der Sar, had Kader Keita's shot not struck the bottom of the post in Lyon's only real chance in the penalty box, then it could have been a different story.

But United should not brood too long on that. This could be their season in Europe once more, and if any player deserves to hold up that trophy at the final in Moscow in May then surely it must be Cristiano Ronaldo.