Once again Manchester United insisted on doing things the hard way as Paul Scholes scored in the second minute of stoppage time to snatch the unlikeliest of draws.

For the other 91 minutes, United had been second best to a Panathinaikos side transformed from the one in supposed crisis.

They were awful as the travel sickness which had plagued them in PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht returned with a vengeance.

But as United showed so many times in their Treble-winning season, they never know when they are beaten and they proved that again against Panathinaikos.

Ironically, Scholes' dramatic last-gasp equaliser makes no difference to United's prospects of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Even if they had lost, which they deserved to do, they would still have only needed a point in their final game at home to Sturm Graz to guarantee a place in the last eight.

In a sign of thing to come, Goran Vlaovic almost scored when the Croatian international curled his right-foot effort just wide of Fabien Barthez's right-hand post.

United settled and Scholes rifled a half-volley wide before a dinked effort from Andy Cole was saved by Antonis Nikopolidis.

But the visitors nearly gifted Panathinaikos the opener when Nikos Liberopoulos nipped in after Barthez and Gary Neville had left Derek Boateng's long ball to each other only for the striker to stumble and lose possession.

After seeing that the great United were perhaps human after all, Panathinaikos pressed on and Giorgos Karagounis fired just over Barthez's crossbar.

Panathinaikos adjusted their sights and in the 24th minute they took the lead.

United failed to clear a free-kick conceded by Mickael Silvestre on the right and Giorgios Seitaridis lashed the ball into the far corner from 20 yards out.

The goal rocked United, while a new self-belief, which has been so lacking in recent weeks, flowed through every member of the home side.

This was the same Panathinaikos' side who had lost five of their last seven games and coach Stratos Apostolakis, who has only been in the job a week, could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

United tried to play their way back into the game and Cole turned and shot at Nikopolidis from Scholes' misdirected pass.

Nikopolidis then blocked a Gary Neville shot with his right foot after the defender had played a one-two with Dwight Yorke and advanced into the box.

Back came Panathinaikos, who have never beaten English opposition in nine attempts, and Barthez did well to touch Vlaovic's shot away for a corner.

The ghosts of PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht had returned to haunt United and the Reds defence was disintegrating.

They were wide open down the right where Silvestre was supposed to be playing behind Phil Neville.

The Greek side should have had a second just before half-time when Liberopoulos sprung United's offside trap and raced clear only for the assistant referee to flag for offside when he passed to Vlaovic, who was in front of him.

The Greeks have a tradition for smashing plates, but it would have been teacups which would have been bouncing off the floor in the United dressing room as Sir Alex Ferguson told his players one or two home truths.

United did not look much better at the start of the second half as they committed men forward in search of an equaliser.

In the main Panathinaikos, who went into the game bottom of the group with just one point, were in control.

Once again David Beckham was doing a fine impersonation of the Invisible Man and he was exerting no influence on the game.

Roy Keane was also not his usual dominant self and United just could not get going.

On 63 minutes Ferguson made a tactical switch when he brought on Luke Chadwick, who scored in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Leeds, and took off Silvestre.

Chadwick lined up on the left, with Phil Neville dropping back to full-back.

Panathinaikos still continued to create the better chances and Barthez parried a stinging Karagounis shot.

Barthez was the only United player to distinguish himself and he made another good block to deny Boateng on the right.

But for the Frenchman this could easily have been a real hammering for United and he produced yet another fine save to thwart Agelos Basinas.

As the minutes ticked by, United through on the heroes of Barcelona, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer and Teddy Sheringham.

For one brief second Solskjaer thought he had done it when he headed just wide from Gary Neville's cross.

He need not have worried and two minutes later, Scholes turned and fired home left-footed after Chadwick's shot had been blocked to salvage a point and some pride for red-faced United.

Teams

Panathinaikos: Nikopolidis, Fissas, Henriksen, Goumas, Seitaridis, Olivares, Karagounis, Boateng, Vlaovic (Galetto 58), Basinas (Pflipsen 85), Liberopoulos (Warzycha 66).

Subs Not Used: Chalkias, Sigurdsson, Nasiopoulos, Koutelieris.

Booked: Olivares, Seitaridis.

Goals: Seitaridis 25.

Man Utd: Barthez, Silvestre (Chadwick 63), Stam, Brown, Gary Neville, Phil Neville (Sheringham 77), Scholes, Keane, Beckham, Yorke, Cole (Solskjaer 77).

Subs Not Used: Rachubka, Irwin, May, Greening.

Goals: Scholes 90.

Ref: K Nilsson (Sweden).