The UEFA Champions League has entered its ‘big boys' stage. Apologies to Chelsea your team is too old to be playing with these ‘kids'.

John Terry blames German referee Markus Stark for ignoring penalty claims that saw Jose Mourinho and his Inter side leave Stamford Bridge with a bigger smug than they came with.

Capitulation. I find this word most apt to describe AC Milan's performance at Old Trafford last night.

If Juventus is the Old Lady of Italian football, then the Rossoneri deserve the title of Old Man. A lacklustre display saw Manchester United brush past them to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Capitulation. I find this word most apt to describe AC Milan's performance at Old Trafford last night.

If Juventus is the Old Lady of Italian football, then the Rossoneri deserve the title of Old Man. A lacklustre display saw Manchester United brush past them to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Seven years since he left Manchester United, the club's most famous number seven returns to Old Trafford. David Beckham will deservedly be given a rapturous reception for his service to a club that he could have stayed for life had he not married a Spice Girl.

"Golden Balls" and his AC Milan side enter the second leg with renewed hope in overcoming their one-goal deficit as Wayne Rooney struggles to be fit in time for the Wednesday evening kick-off.

In the 27th cup final of Sir Alex Ferguson's career, he picked up his 34th trophy since taking over at Old Trafford. Most managers will not even win half as much silverware in their lifetime.

And here we have a 68-year-old legend who celebrates every trophy as if it were his first and last.

Sir Alex Ferguson must not be enjoying his Chinese New Year.

He saw two very different Manchester United sides in a matter of days at the San Siro and Goodison Park. I can picture him throwing mahjong chips and pineapple tarts at his players, who blew a golden "hong bao" opportunity to leapfrog Chelsea at the Premier League summit.

It's that time of the season again where the race for the Premier League title really starts to take shape.

Nothing much has changed this year Harry Redknapp continues to dream of Spurs breaking into the top four, Steven Gerrard thinks Liverpool have finally turned a corner and Arsene Wenger insists his team is the only one actually playing football.

Right now, Carlos Tevez is more welcome at Old Trafford than the Glazer family. Manchester United's owners may not have realized that there was always a strong undercurrent of resentment towards them ever since their takeover of the club back in 2003.

The takeover has put United in debt ever since, with yearly interest payments equivalent to Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer fee.

If there is such a thing as a neutral football fan, he or she must be pleased with the UEFA Champions League knockout stage draw. Three prodigal sons return to the places where they made themselves household names.

Karim Benzema, Jose Mourinho and David Beckham each have their own points to prove to their former employers.

I like to keep things simple, which is the way football should be played. When you over-analyse, you end up double-guessing and giving yourself a bigger headache than Tiger Wood's publicist.

When it comes to the teams that Manchester United hope to face in the next round of the Champions League, pundits will tell you how so-and-so performed in this weather or how such-and-such have never lost at a particular stadium.

You learn a lot about your team during adversity. I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson did as he watched his patched-up Manchester United side take on the reigning German champions Wolfsburg. Half of the United team were not playing in their usual positions, including a three-man backline of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Patrice Evra.

The countdown to the World Cup has officially begun. Six months separates us and the opening match between the host nation South Africa and Mexico in Johannesburg on 11 June.

Every football fan from Paris to Pasir Ris had their eyes glued to the screen to see Charlize Theron play with balls and FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke crack jokes that were not even worthy of pity laughs.

Poor Avram Grant must be thinking of ways to get the penalty mark removed from the field of play. Eighteen months ago, John Terry slipped on the spot that cost Grant his job at Chelsea. Last night, Wayne Rooney showed how to stay on your feet not once but twice when taking a penalty to steer Manchester United to a comfortable victory at the once impregnable Fratton Park.

It's depressing to wake up at half past three in the morning hoping to catch a Manchester United victory and the first two names you see on the teamsheet are Ben Foster and Gary Neville. It's even more disheartening trying to get back to sleep two hours later having seen them lose their first Champions League group match at home in eight years to a team who lost 8-0 to Liverpool on their last visit to England.

A word of advice for Rio Ferdinand, you will have plenty of time to attend movie premieres, start a music label and run your very own magazine when you decide to hang up your boots. Until then, as long as a fat cheque comes to your house every week signed by Manchester United Football Club, kindly concentrate all your energy and effort on the pitch.