Alex Ferguson took a mighty stride towards lifting his Holy Grail in a night of European passion and glory at Old Trafford.

The Manchester United manager watched his side sweep aside the mighty Italians of Inter Milan in one of the great British European performances.

Two goals from Dwight Yorke and two quite breathtaking second-half saves from Peter Schmeichel gave United a dramatic Champions' League quarter-final first-leg triumph which sets them up perfectly for the return at the San Siro in a fortnight's time.

After a scintillating display which will have sent shock waves throughout Europe, who could deny that Ferguson is at last on course to emulate Matt Busby's heroes of 1968 and lift the European Cup.

If only Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs had not squandered precious second-half chances they would surely already be through to the semi-finals.

But if this was the night when United flew the flag for English football and the pulsating qualities of the Premiership, it was also the night when David Beckham came of age.

The England midfielder chose a night of high drama to erase the shame of the World Cup when he was sent off for kicking out at Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone on that fractious evening in Saint-Etienne. Much had been made of the two players' personal clash on what always promised to be a match of shuddering intensity.

They shook hands happily, if not heartily, before the kick-off and then proceeded to shake the foundations of Old Trafford's towering new stand with some ferocious tackling.

But this time it was fair and this time it was Beckham who triumphed. How appropriate that just days before he is due to become a father he delivered a performance of such maturity and class.

He pressured and probed; he sprayed passes short and long and always with pinpoint accuracy. Most significantly of all, he supplied the creativity, the sparks of penetrating invention which won this thunderous game.

Great players accept great tests - and no one can say that Beckham did not pass his on a night when he also provided both crosses for Yorke to convert his two precise headers.

Inter, we had been told, were a club in turmoil. There were stories of players having fallen out with Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu, even having come to blows with him in fractious changing-room incidents.

The absence of the injured Ronaldo, unimpressive recent performances against Lazio and Juventus in Serie A and a record of only three wins out of nine this year had fuelled the belief that Inter were for the taking.

And so it proved.

United simply could not have enjoyed a better start. Just six minutes were on the clock when they took the lead, courtesy of some uncharacteristically sloppy Italian defending.

A wayward, sliced clearance was picked up by Yorke, who fed Beckham in oceans of space down the right.

Beckham pushed the ball forward before whipping in one of those teasing, curling crosses which have become his trademark. Yorke, superbly positioned and mysteriously unchallenged, rose to send a glancing header past goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca for his 23rd goal of the season.

Six minutes gone, and United were in dreamland. In truth, United should have taken a stranglehold on the game with an action replay four minutes later, this time Yorke sending his header just wide of the post.

The Italians were rattled, and United sensed the tie could be won in its fledgling moments.

In the 25th minute United could easily have gone further ahead, again Beckham supplying the creative impetus as he slipped the ball forward to Ryan Giggs.

The winger's pinpoint cross was met solidly by Andy Cole, who saw his crisp shot deflected agonisingly past the post by Pagliuca.

Inter attempted to cool the storming atmosphere with their typically clinical possession football and their niggly, spoiling tactics.

Roy Keane unwisely fell for the provocation - getting entangled needlessly with Ivan Zamorano - and both players were deservedly booked by German referee Hellmut Krug.

But this was a night when United were not to be denied as they swept forward on a wave of passion and ardour which is rarely seen at Old Trafford.

It was only justice when just a minute before the interval they struck again.

Ironically, it was a carbon copy of the first. The irrepressible Beckham again received the ball wide on the right, the position most experts believe is his best for England.

He swivelled with that elegant balance and swung over another penetrating cross which was met even more firmly by the prolific Yorke.

This was fantasyland - and as Yorke raced over to the touchline to throw himself high into Beckham's arms Ferguson must have allowed himself a fleeting thought of the semi-final.

He should have been celebrating that certainty within a minute of the restart when Yorke crossed deep for the totally unmarked Giggs to head wide from six yards when it seemed much easier to score.

It was then the Italians chose to wake up and show the quality which has flickered so infrequently during this troubled season.

It took a breathtaking save from Peter Schmeichel to keep them out. Youri Djorkaeff, the little French playmaker, swung the ball over at pace, and Zamorano met the ball with a spectacular flying header.

The ball seemed destined for the United net until somehow Schmeichel arched his back, spread one of his huge hands and literally clawed the ball out of the net.

It must rank as one of the greatest saves of Schmeichel's career, and it is not overstating the case to compare it with that legendary stop made by Gordon Banks against Pele in the 1970 World Cup.

Whatever, it preserved United's precious lead at a crucial time and if they do go all the way this season it could well be seen as the defining moment.

With cooler and more fortunate finishing from Cole, United might have had a hatful in a frenetic second half.

Yet they had to thank referee Krug in the 64th minute when Simeone looked to have given Inter a lifeline with a powerful header from a corner, only to see the goal ruled out for what looked an inconsequential push by Giuseppe Bergomi on Jaap Stam.

United accepted their fortune and forged forward again with Giggs denied by a superb fingertip save from Pagliuca and Cole going close once more as he forayed at will in the Inter penalty area.

But even then United needed Schmeichel once more to preserve their lead in a final frantic Italian flourish.

First he spread himself superbly to deny Nicola Ventola and then thrust out a leg to deflect another shot from the Inter substitute. But even Schmeichel needed assistance from Henning Berg to block Benoit Cauet's shot on the line with just moments left.

The late heroics denied the Italians an away goal which would have made the second leg at best a tightrope.

As it is United have a handy cushion to take to the intimidating atmosphere of the San Siro stadium in a fortnight's time.

Let's just hope they do not have reason to rue a series of chances which would have buried the Italians.

Teams

Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Johnsen (Berg 45), Stam, Irwin, Beckham, Keane, Scholes (Butt 68), Giggs, Yorke, Cole.

Subs Not Used: Raimond Van Der Gouw, P. Neville, Blomqvist,Solskjaer, Brown.

Booked: Keane, Irwin, Scholes.

Goals: Yorke 6, 45.

Inter Milan: Pagliuca, Galante, Bergomi, Colonnese, Zanetti, Cauet, Simeone, Winter, Djorkaeff, Zamorano (Ventola 68),Baggio (Pirlo 78).

Subs Not Used: Frey, Ze'Elias, West, Milanese, Gilberto.

Booked: Zamorano, Winter.

Att: 54,430.

Ref: Helmut Krug (Germany).