Disturbing crowd scenes in which teargas was fired at their supporters and an attempt by their French opponents seemingly to halt the match accompanied Manchester United’s triumphant progress towards the Champions League quarter-finals last night.

A controversial winner by Ryan Giggs six minutes from the end of the first leg of their first knockout round tie in the Félix-Bollaert Stadium in Lens sparked a furious reaction among the Lille coaching staff, who attempted to haul their players off the pitch in protest.

In the ensuing mêlée, Gary Neville, the United captain, was struck by an object thrown from the crowd, all of which provided a fitting conclusion to a match that had already been blighted when riot police turned on United fans.

It appeared that a number of travelling supporters were wrongly allowed into the away section, sparking fears among the 5,000 or so already there that they might be crushed.

Mistaking concerns for their safety as attempts to cause trouble, riot police arrived en masse and, apparently overreacting, began firing teargas, which prompted panic in the stands. At least two supporters, including one child, were lifted over the barrier to safety. At one point fans shook the fence, while a large gate was partially pushed open before being slammed shut again.

The scenes that followed the winning goal drew an apoplectic response from Sir Alex Ferguson and seems certain to do the same from Uefa, European football’s governing body, which will sift through the video footage today.

“I have never seen anything like that in football,” the United manager said. “I don’t understand it and I think it was disgraceful. I think it was intimidation of the referee. It created a hostile atmosphere and Gary Neville was struck in the head by an object. They [the Lille fans] were throwing objects from the side of the pitch on to our bench.

“We should just have tried to go and score a second goal instead of trying to act as peacemakers in the situation.” United will lodge an official complaint this morning.

Ferguson was convinced that Eric Braamhaar, the Dutch referee, was right to allow the winning goal to stand. With Tony Sylva, the Lille goalkeeper, trying to organise his wall, Giggs, who had asked Braamhaar if he could take the free kick quickly, floated a shot into the opposite corner.

As United players turned away to celebrate, a member of Claude Puel’s coaching staff ran from the technical area and began ushering his players off the field. Puel claimed that they had “never intended” to leave the pitch and that it was legitimate way of making a complaint in France, before criticising Ferguson for his comments. “It’s something we’ve heard from him before,” Puel said. “He likes to influence referees and create polemic situations, but I’d rather not get bogged down in these matters.”

Arsenal lost to a second-half goal from Edison Méndez in their tie away to PSV Eindhoven. It was their first defeat of 2007.