A banner bearing the message “Welcome to Hell” was unfurled in the West Stand of the Energi Nord Arena before kick-off, although it must surely have been an ironic gesture from the Aalborg supporters.

It is hard to envisage a less hostile venue for a Champions League game, but while it did not prove quite the cakewalk many had expected, Manchester United are unlikely to have many easier assignments in the competition this season.

Dimitar Berbatov opened his account for the club with two goals, but the muted reaction that greeted the Bulgaria striker’s first in a United jersey was reflective of a relatively low-key evening.

Berbatov just about managed to raise a hand in celebration of his second and United’s third, but by then the result was a mere formality, even if Aalborg had made the holders work harder than they might have wished, with Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, not for the first time this season bemoaning a glut of missed chances, as well as injuries to Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney.

Superior opposition might have made United pay for their profligacy, but there was only going to be one winner after Rooney put United in front in the 22nd minute.

As plucky as Aalborg were, the gulf in class was apparent from almost the first whistle, although United are well short of the form that they showed en route to winning this competition last season, even if three successive victories in all competitions suggest that they are gathering momentum.

Berbatov will face stiffer opposition than Bruce Rioch’s team, but the goals will boost the confidence of a player who had not found the net in his first four matches for United. Both goals were beautifully taken, the first after a defensive mistake, the second a scissor kick, and on this form he should justify his £30.75 million price tag.

There was a distinctly un-Champions League feel to the match. It felt more like a non-League pre-season friendly or, if you were being a little kinder, an early round of the Carling Cup on a cold, autumn night. Aalborg may be here on merit, but it seemed to be pushing the point to describe this as a clash of champions.

They had given the impression of being a team and a town star-struck by the arrival of United in the build-up to the match, and with the visiting team swarming all over their little-known opponents in the first ten minutes, a walkover seemed to be on the cards. Surprisingly, it failed to materialise and if Aalborg had demonstrated more of a cutting edge, Ferguson’s players might have had to move up a gear.

United hogged possession but Aalborg stood firm, rode their luck and began the second period trailing only to Rooney’s goal, which had been beautifully teed up by Ryan Giggs, on as a substitute for the injured Scholes.

Giggs could be given the freedom of Salford next year, but he could not have imagined he would be afforded so much time and space with which to pick out Rooney. It was still a peach of a pass, though, one that took out three defenders and was superbly dispatched by the England forward, relishing playing up front.

Chances have not been hard to come by for United so far this season, but goals have and it was much the same story during a game that on another night may have finished 7-2 in the visiting team’s favour.