What a night and what a way for Manchester United to finally end their pain in Spain.

Before Tuesday United had never beaten a Spanish side in Spain in 12 attempts during their illustrious 46-year European history.

They ended that hoodoo in some style as they beat Deportivo La Coruna to put one foot firmly in the Champions League semi-finals.

Remember this was the same Deportivo who had beaten United and Arsenal home and away this season and had never lost before to an English side in their intimidating Riazor Stadium.

United were excellent and they were ruthless up front and resolute at the back.

This was easily their finest result in Europe since lifting the European Cup in 1999 and their best display since that epic semi-final win against Juventus in Turin a month earlier.

The win, though, was marred by injuries to Roy Keane and David Beckham.

Keane went off with a hamstring injury and could be out for three to four weeks, while Beckham was stretchered off in stoppage time with an ankle injury.

As in September, Sir Alex Ferguson deployed his 4-4-1-1 formation on the rain-soaked pitch, only this time Ryan Giggs rather than Paul Scholes operated just behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The ploy caught Depor completely unaware and they had expected Scholes to play in the hole as he had done here the last time.

Giggs was running at Depor from every angle and the Spaniards just could not handle him.

From one early chance, the Welshman got to the byline and pulled the ball back for van Nistelrooy to shoot weakly at Francisco Molina.

Then out of nothing, David Beckham put United ahead on 15 minutes with a sublime piece of individual brilliance.

The England captain spotted Molina off his line and from over 30 yards out he chipped the Spanish goalkeeper to perfection to record his 16th goal of a most prolific season.

Deportivo gathered their senses and laid siege to the United goal.

But the Reds were in no mood to surrender their lead this time and Ronny Johnsen, who was outstanding, made a great tackle to rob Diego Tristan before Fabien Barthez parried a shot from Gonzalez Soriano Sergio.

Depor cranked up the pressure another notch and Barthez made three saves in quick succession to thwart Tristan, Cesar and Sanchez Victor.

After soaking up this pressure, United went up the other end to deliver the classic counter punch by scoring a second goal four minutes before half-time.

United retained possession after Molina had punched away Beckham's curling free-kick and Johnsen fed Mikael Silvestre on the left and he centred for van Nistelrooy to tuck home his 32nd competitive goal of the season.

However much of the shine went off United's night a minute later when Keane was injured going for a 50/50 ball with Sergio.

The Reds skipper saw that he was not going to reach the ball before Sergio and tried to pull out.

But it was too late and he was carried off on a stretcher to be replaced by Quinton Fortune.

Keane's injury was not as bad as had been feared initially and at half-time, Ferguson reported that he had damaged his hamstring and would be out for three to four weeks.

This, though, would still make him doubtful for at least the first leg of the semi-final, against either Liverpool or Bayer Leverkusen, in three weeks' time.

Depor tried to claw their way back into the tie and Valeron blazed over before Barthez gathered a shot from Sergio.

United still threatened a third goal and Beckham curled a free-kick just over Molina's bar.

United then felt they might have had two penalties when Silvestre appeared to be shoved in the back going for a Beckham cross before Lionel Scaloni clattered van Nistelrooy in the box.

In between these two unsuccessful appeals, Scholes joined Keane in being ruled out of the second leg when he was booked to pick up a one-match ban.

Nourredine Naybet, who scored a last-minute winner here in September, then got his head to Victor's free-kick only for Barthez to save.

Cesar then denied United a third midway through the second half when he cleared Giggs' shot off the line before a minute later Molina thwarted the Welshman with a last-gasp save.

The woodwork denied substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he saw an effort hit the outside of a post.

Not to worry, though, and United will be more than pleased to take a two-goal lead into next Wednesday's return at Old Trafford.

Teams:

D Coruna: Molina, Romero, Cesar, Naybet, Scaloni, Sergio, Mauro Silva, Fran (Makaay 60), Valeron (Djalminha 69), Victor (Duscher 87), Tristan.

Subs Not Used: Nuno, Capdevila, Pandiani, Hector.

Booked: Tristan, Djalminha.

Man Utd: Barthez, Silvestre, Johnsen, Blanc, Gary Neville, Giggs, Keane (Fortune 45), Butt, Beckham (Phil Neville 90), Scholes, van Nistelrooy (Solskjaer 76).

Subs Not Used: Carroll, Irwin, Forlan, O'Shea.

Booked: Butt, van Nistelrooy, Scholes.

Goals: Beckham 15, van Nistelrooy 41.

Att: 32,351

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).