Nothing will ever make up for the way Manchester United denied Bayern Munich the Champions League in 1999 - but tonight's win at Old Trafford must surely come close for the Germans.

There was a certain irony to the lateness of Paulo Sergio's goal five minutes from time and the fact that he had just entered the fray.

This will not be lost on United, who in typical fashion must once again do it the hard way if they are going to qualify for the semi-finals.

Despite United's famed acts of escapology over the years, an away victory in Munich's Olympic Stadium in two weeks' time looks highly unlikely on the basis of this performance which ended in their fifth European defeat on home soil.

Bayern deserved to win on their second-half showing and might even have won by more had substitute Alexander Zickler not hit the bar and wasted a glorious chance in stoppage time.

After resting several key players for what used to be United's biggest game of the season against Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson made five changes for what undoubtedly was the highlight of their campaign so far.

Mikael Silvestre, Jaap Stam, Andy Cole, Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all started in this re-run of that never-to-be-forgotten final.

United started with five survivors from the Nou Camp and Bayern six - and before kick-off the Old Trafford PA system boomed out 'Barcelona'.

One man, however, who refused to wallow in all this nostalgia was Ferguson - and he claimed the players and fans must put the events of Barcelona to the back of their minds.

He warned in his programme notes: "Forget it we must because in football you are only as good as your next game - never even mind the last one - and we simply cannot afford to dwell on past glories."

Initially it seemed his players had taken his message on board, and they began intent on establishing a lead to take to Germany.

Silvestre made a couple of dangerous runs down the left a la Ryan Giggs, which caused one or two moments of panic in the Bayern box.

It was Bayern, though, who came closest to opening the scoring when Scholes cleared Patrick Andersson's header from Mehmet Scholl's corner off the line.

Cole then squandered a great chance when he mishit a volley after Beckham had found him unmarked in the area.

The game began to open up, and the giant Carsten Jancker held off Silvestre before hitting a shot which was saved by Fabien Barthez.

Scholes miscued a shot wide, and then Cole fired over the bar from just inside the Bayern box.

In between those two efforts, David Beckham received his third booking of the competition for a foul on Stefan Effenberg which rules him out of the return leg.

Both sides continued to create half-chances, and Hasan Salihamidzic missed the target at United's back post before Scholes cracked an effort well wide.

Salihamidzic picked up a yellow card for a foul on the edge of the Bayern box, which means he will also be suspended for the second leg - and from the free-kick Beckham curled the ball into the grateful arms of Oliver Kahn.

Cole then released Solskjaer with a flighted ball over the top of the Bayern defence. But the pass took the Norwegian too far out to the left, and the visitors managed to get back to block his shot.

Bayern were just inches away from taking the lead just after half-time when Effenberg pinged a free-kick from just outside the area over the bar.

Barthez was called into action and produced a couple of saves to disprove former Bayern defender Markus Babbel's claims that he is United's weakest link.

First he touched a shot from Giovane Elber over his bar before he held a glancing header from the big-mouthed Brazilian.

United were making little headway, but Silvestre almost provided them with the breakthrough they so desperately wanted.

Kahn could only parry his drive, and Cole tried to play the rebound back to Scholes only for Scholl to nip the ball away from the toe of United's leading Champions League scorer.

Roy Keane then drove narrowly wide before Barthez made a great save to deny Jens Jeremies.

It was proving not to be United's night, and further evidence of that came when the normally deadly Beckham fired a 20-yard free-kick over the Bayern goal.

Barthez continued to thwart Bayern and he appeared to save another Jeremies shot with his head.

The third man ruled out of the return leg was Bixente Lizarazu, who was yellow-carded for a foul on Beckham.

United looked vulnerable, though, and eight minutes from time they were saved by the thickness of Barthez's crossbar when substitute Zickler's shot rebounded off the woodwork.

But the Reds did not heed that warning, and in the 85th minute Sergio got on the end of Effenberg's free-kick to beat Barthez at the back post.

Ferguson had claimed before the match that United's season starts now - but after this display it looks probable that it will all be over in a fortnight's time.

Teams:

Man Utd: Barthez, Gary Neville, Brown, Stam, Silvestre, Beckham (Yorke 86), Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Cole, Solskjaer.

Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Irwin, Butt, Sheringham, Phil Neville, Chadwick.

Booked: Beckham.

Bayern Munich: Kahn, Kuffour, Andersson, Linke, Salihamidzic, Effenberg, Jeremies, Lizarazu, Scholl (Sergio 77), Jancker (Zickler 69), Elber.

Subs Not Used: Dreher, Sagnol, Weisinger, Tarnat, Santa Cruz.

Booked: Salihamidzic, Effenberg, Lizarazu.

Goals: Sergio 86.

Att: 66,584

Ref: Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto (Malaga).