Men against boys | How United rated | How Arsenal rated | United marching on Rome | How the action unfolded
Patrick Barclay’s verdict | Matt Dickinson: Ferguson closes on greatness | Cascarino: Arsenal found wanting
Sympathy no consolation for Fletcher | Graphic: Talking tactics | Graphic: Breaking point

And so to Rome, and we know that when Manchester United get to European Cup finals, they tend to be worth watching.

Extra time in 1968, “football, bloody hell” in the Nou Camp in 1999 and a final in Moscow last year so epic that it went into Thursday morning. Who is booking an alternative evening out, whether it is Barcelona or Chelsea who lie in wait at the Stadio Olimpico?

For Ferguson, a second successive final at last allows him to feel the sort of assurance in European football that so eluded him - and infuriated him - for a decade. And that matters greatly to the Scot.

He may have talked last night of his distaste at the way managers are stamped success or failure - “the longer you are in the game, the more labels are attached. There’s no in-between,” he said - but he is also pragmatic enough to know that finals, and trophies, will shape his reputation, his place in history.

Where once we had thought that Ferguson might be an unhappy man in retirement knowing that there were holes on his CV, now we look at the final building blocks in a record that puts him up among the greats. He used to look up to men such as Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello with a touch of deference; now he can stare them straight in the eye.

Retaining the cup for the first time since Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan in 1990 would be just the sort of entry in the history books that he craves.

To do that - and to equal Bob Paisley’s record of three European Cups - he has to win it again, of course, but he will fancy his chances after United put Arsenal to the sword last night, applying the killer thrusts that they had failed to do in the first leg at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo was played as a lone striker and, at times, he looked capable of beating Arsenal on his own. The third goal, a move started by a backheel by Ronaldo and finished when he lifted Wayne Rooney’s cross into the net, was pretty much the perfect execution of the quick counter-attack.

What little hope Arsenal had vanished when Kieran Gibbs did his impression of a newborn foal in the eighth minute, slipping to the ground and allowing Park Ji Sung to bundle the ball home. Only three minutes later Manuel Almunia dived belatedly in an attempt to stop Ronaldo’s 41-yard free kick - once again becoming Almunia from Spain rather than England’s prospective No 1.

By the time the third goal flew in, United had turned the Emirates into a mutinous arena, where fans streamed towards the exits with 30 minutes remaining until the final whistle. “Load of rubbish. Stick that in your paper,” was the general tone of it.

The inquest will be very hard on Arsène Wenger, harsher than it should be given what he has done for the club, but the gap was a chasm last night - and Wenger’s stock must have been really low for Ferguson to feel obliged to jump to his old adversary’s rescue, as he did after the match.

Invited to kick Arsenal when they were down, Ferguson could not have been more generous. “We would look at next season as Arsenal being one of the biggest threats because of their potential,” the United manager said.

He even wrapped a metaphorical arm around Wenger’s shoulders, when someone suggested that the measure of a great manager was winning the Champions League and that the Frenchman seemed as far from that feat as ever. “I don’t think that’s the case,” he said. “It’s just the media who say that.

“Prior to Barcelona [in 1999] there was criticism of me not winning it. If you work as hard as Arsène has, and been here as long as he has, you deserve success.”

Even if the words sounded sincere, Arsenal fans will reject the sympathy. They will take it as proof of how far they have slipped behind United and claim that Ferguson would not be nice about a true rival.

There is no question that Wenger needs to address some obvious weaknesses in his team and to spend many of the millions the Arsenal board insists is available.

He could do worse than start by cashing in on Emmanuel Adebayor, hugely disappointing in both semi-final ties, as he has been for much of the season.

As Wenger starts to scour the market, United will turn their thoughts to Rome and their delight at progressing will have been augmented by the spring in the step of Rooney and particularly Ronaldo, who seems to have rediscovered some of his best form just in time to help his team to a possible quadruple.

Even if Manchester City provide feisty opposition on Sunday, it is hard to see how United will throw away the Barclays Premier League title now that they have their tails up.

The fatigue of a few weeks ago should have given way to excitement at the mighty challenges ahead, including a night in Rome when Ferguson can become the history man.

Manchester United are unbeaten against English opposition in Europe and have won all four of their domestic ties in continental competition. Arsenal have lost all three two-legged matches they have played against home opposition in Europe. United’s record will give them confidence if they face Chelsea in Rome and bookmakers last night installed Sir Alex Ferguson’s team as 10-11 favourites to win the final.